I never thought I would ever be watching My Perfect You – much less liking it. Pinoy rom-com movies – especially mainstream
ones – are awful. Now, there’s a Starting Over Again or a Kita Kita once in a while, but as a
general rule, it’s a stale, cheesy-melodrama-saturated, cash-grabbing genre. However, I overheard someone that this new
movie starring Gerald Anderson and Pia “confidently beautiful with a heart”
Wurtzbach is naiiba (“distinct”). So when there
was an opportunity to check it out (i.e. be treated to see it), I took it.
I went into this movie
blind. I didn’t see any trailer or
encounter any promotional material for it, save for catching a glimpse of a
poster. The only thing I was aware of was
that it stars Gerald Anderson and former Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach. That was it.
Hence, I was surprised by how thought-provoking and worthwhile it is.
I think the best way for you to
experience this movie – assuming you haven’t seen it yet – is to have what I
had: knowing absolutely nothing what it’s going to be about going in. That means, as much as possible, you must avoid
watching any trailers and reading any synopses.
In relation to this, I recommend that you skip reading this paragraph, in which I will
provide a brief synopsis. But if you
don’t mind some very, very mild spoilers, then, here: Burn (Gerald Anderson) is
a young man at rock bottom. Strained and
exhausted – both emotionally and mentally – he drives off, desperate to escape
his troubles. Eventually, he finds himself
driving on some rugged, countryside road near a forest. When a pedestrian suddenly crosses, he
swerves off the road and falls into a ravine.
His car gets wrecked but he suffers minimal wounds. Finding himself in the middle of nowhere, he
begins walking through the forest and along a river, until he reaches a remote,
rundown resort. There, he meets the enthusiastic,
quirky Abi (Pia Wurtzbach). He’s
initially ticked off by her bubbly personality, but soon, he falls in love with
her.
But what I want to stress on is
that it’s a pretty thoughtful movie. It has
sophisticated concepts and themes beyond lovey-dovey stuff. In fact, romance in this movie is secondary. Furthermore, the storytelling is clever and
inspired. Though I was able to predict a
lot of major plot points and developments, it doesn’t mean it was lackluster and
inane with its execution. Rather, it’s
just that, if you’ve already seen a ton of films – as I’ve had – you would tend
to be more sensitive to foreshadowing and picking up hints than the average
moviegoer. The execution in this movie
is actually splendid, and the details are very well-thought-out. As a result, it’s the type of movie that has
nuances and layers, and is deserving of being analyzed. There are moments where I felt things are
getting a little bit too convenient, easy, and hackneyed, but later on, as the
plot unfolds further, I was made to realize that these are intentional and sensible. The narrative is not necessarily realistic, but it is consistent with the logic it
sets for itself. Suspension of disbelief is never broken since everything does hold up
really well.
Performances are terrific across
the board. But, to me, there are two
stand outs: Dimples Romana and Wurtzbach.
One’s familiarity with the fact that Dimples is a veteran actress won’t be
enough to prepare him or her from the might of her dramatic turn here. Meanwhile, Wurzbach is a revelation. She’s stellar. She proves to have genuine aptitude
for both comedy and drama. Whatever
offenses she might have had from doing Gandarrapiddo!: The Revenger Squad are now forgiven.
To sum it up, My Perfect You is refreshingly smart, imaginative,
and poignant. It has solid writing,
directing, and acting. Most importantly,
it provides its audiences a rewarding time as well as some meaningful insights
to reflect on.
No comments:
Post a Comment