My Ex And Whys review

Romantic films have been a staple in Philippine cinemas for years. Maybe us Filipinos just like movies about love. We can't deny it. All of us is one big hopeless romantic. We crave good movies about love. Unfortunately, these past couple of years, our cinemas have been flooded with romance films that are almost the same with the previous one that came before. Movie companies have been accustomed to following the tried and tested formulas when it comes to romcoms that the movies they are releasing every other month are almost the same.

I really don't have anything to do with big house companies like Star Cinema. I'm a big fan of their films, from indie turned mainstream romcoms like Relax, It's Just Pag-ibig (2014), That Thing Called Tadhana (2014) and their own slew of blockbusters and masterpieces like Crazy, Beautiful You (2015), Everyday, I Love You (2015), All You Need Is Pag-ibig, How To Be Yours and Vince, Kath & James (2016). Plus, who can forget the classics likeSana Maulit Muli (1995), Got 2 Believe (2002) and One More Chance (2007)? These are just some of my favorites from the long list of films that they've been producing for the past years. But then, it's not all the time that big house movie companies produce really good films like these. This year, their very first romantic comedy offering (which I have been waiting for) turns out to be tad disappointing, despite a very fun performance from it's lead.

To start with, this film stars two of the most bankable actors in this generation, Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil. Popularly known to the masses as LizQuen, an amalgam of their names, they have been featured in at least three movies before this film. The first one was She's The One (2013) which they starred alongside Bea Alonzo and Dingdong Dantes. The next one was Just The Way You Are (2015), which was immediately followed the same year by Everyday, I Love you where they starred alongside Gerald Anderson. Ever since their first television series together, Forevermore (2015), I've been a very big fan of their loveteam. And their last film together, Everyday, I Love You (2015) remains to be my most favorite LizQuen film to date. They've been focused in their last television series last year so they were a bit quiet in the movie scene (although Enrique Gil starred in an indie thriller drama last year). So when My Ex And Whys, a romantic comedy under the helm of director Cathy Garcia Molina, was announced, I couldn't be more excited. I mean, this is the first time they are doing a movie with her and I'm a big fan of Cathy Garcia too. From films like One More Chance, A Very Special Love, She's Dating The Gangster and A Second Chance, her profile have filled with box-office hits and Pinoy romcom classics. But unfortunately, this film didn't really meet the expectations I was hoping for a LizQuen film.

The film opens with a flashback to when Cali (Liza Soberano) and Gio (Enrique Gil) first met during their college days. They became sweethearts for years until one night when Gio ends up sleeping with another girl (who actually planned it) while he was drunk. Fast-forward to the present time, Cali is now a young-adult working as a call center agent/ blogger who owns a blog-on-the-rise, The Bakit List (The Why List). Cali dreams of becoming a social media influencer and when an exchange with a user, @DahilListBoy (translated: BecauseListBoy) who turns out to be her ex-boyfriend, Gio (who wants to get her back) goes viral, it she gets the opportunity of a lifetime. Problem is she have to work with him to get this offer so she decides to meet him. Cali is determined not to fall for him again, but soon as Gio starts answering all her whys, Cali’s walls break and she starts asking her most important why: Why can you still love someone who hurt you? 

The film's story is not actually unique as we have seen multiple films tackling themes about broken-hearted people finding forgiveness and love. We have the ultimate hugot film from Antoinette Jadaone, That Thing Called Tadhana (2014) which playfully tackles the themes without being too melodramatic. There's also Dan Villegas' Always Be My Maybe (2016). I can name a lot of movie titles recycling the same theme over and over again. Yet what made these other films memorable is that they did not follow the stereotypical formula of romcoms set before. Instead, they tried to be different and ending up becoming better than the rest. Unfortunately, My Ex and Whys is not that type of film. It's contented in running along the typical Star Cinema Romance Formula, not even attempting to stray away from it's designated lane of cliches. The film actually shows a bit of promise during it's first half. The build-up of the two characters, Cali and Gio, were actually really good. I can relate a bit to Cali's character because I am working as a call center agent myself, and I am also a blogger. Actually, the best thing about this movie that I can compliment of is it's two lead characters. I think director Cathy Garcia Molina is really good at creating characters that people can relate to and sympathize with. Liza Soberano gives her all in this role, proving her great acting skills that she has honed for the past years. Liza is such a delight to watch as she bitch around Gio after what happened between the two of them. It's like watching Sarah Geronimo turn the tables against John Lloyd Cruz in It Takes A Man and a Woman. Watching Cali and Gio together on screen (and online as they have their own version of Twitter war) was really fun and cute. Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil really have great chemistry together and compensates for it's cliched storyline.

But again, it's not enough that the film has some really great characters for the whole movie to work. Unfortunately, after it's first act, the film becomes too focused on creating a conflict which eventually strays away from it's original premise that the first act has set up. Then, as the film continues, the film tries so hard so go back on track, ending up following the inevitable formula of Pinoy romcoms. Direk Cathy attempts to put some kilig worthy scenes along the way, such as the scene in the first act when they were locked inside a cabinet to play 7 Minutes in Heaven. But they were not enough to sustain the kilig all throughout the movie. The director also amps up the comedy in the film. Sadly, the ending itself doesn't even give justice to the good characters that the film has introduced to us during the first act. It's finale is so eerily similar to the endings of Direk Cathy's movies like the John Lloyd Cruz-Jennilyn Mercado starrer Just The 3 Of Us. The only difference is that instead of paper planes, hearts and like icons are seen flying around the two characters as they have their forced happy ending. Ultimately, the film turned out as another Cathy Garcia Molina flick. But to it's credit, the film is one glossy romcom compared to the previous flicks released by Star Cinema before. It uses split screens to show the reactions of both characters at the same time, allowing for a more immersive experience which was new to me. The film also utilizes social media to push forward the story, making it feel so updated and relatable to this generation, similar to what Vince, Kath & James did last year. The film has some really awesome soundtracks that adds more atmosphere to the scenes. It also boasts some some shots of South Korea during it's second act which makes it a delight to watch. Imagine Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil against a backdrop of yellow ginko trees? Perfect fan service which I really appreciate.

My Ex And Whys turns out to be a good comedy but disappointing as a romance. But then, despite it's stereotypical story, one can't still deny the fact that it is such a pleasure to watch Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil on screen. Their kilig moments may not be enough to sustain the romance in the film, but for a fan like me, I'd give that a star for their effort.

Rating: ✰✰✰ out of 5

My Ex And Whys (2017)

Starring Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil, directed by Cathy Garcia Molina