A not-so-very special love

(Ayoko sa "Review" post eh.)

WARNING: Spoilers galore.

“A Very Special Love” was not as special as the John Lloyd and Sarah love team baby fans club expected. Yes, it had a new story (albeit the similarity to Ugly Betty), but the formula Pinoy love story scenes remained. There was this particular scene where Sarah’s character was sleeping and John Lloyd’s character tried to kiss her. Like we’ve never seen that before. What’s good about the story is that the family is not trying to meddle in the love lives of the main protagonists. Unlike many, many films we had in the past decades, there is always that rich-poor or feuding family aspect which keeps the lovers apart. This time, the conflict rests on the protagonists’ characters. However, there is a lopsided distribution of conflict between the main protagonists. John Lloyd’s character had his personal struggle of being the second family of his father, and gaining acceptance from the first family, while Sarah’s character had a teeny-weeny struggle of regulating her love for John Lloyd’s character. And I must say Sarah’s character was written around her, such that minimal acting would be required.

It seems that there were a lot of extra characters in this movie. Some got like 10 seconds of screen time. More than screen time, it directly points to the unimportance of some characters. This can be attributed to the writer’s style (or mistake). What is a Pinoy love story without the clichés? The rich Montenegro family (of JL’s character) always spoke in English. They are, after all, business people. There was also that requisite gay character, which I may say, is an extra character. And they did not avoid having the Greenwich endorsement by John Lloyd. (But nothing beats Feng Shui.) And of course, the trademark family lessons.

Some notable cast members:

• Matet – first appearance for a long time?
• Gio Alvarez – same as Matet
• Irma Adlawan – Hey, you got a studio film project! Too bad your acting in this project is minimum
• Agot Isidro (?) – Haha, sa picture lang.

Ideas that will sell: Coffee-cup post-its and Sundance.

Over-all rating: 7/10.