One More Chance

Basha (Bea Alonso) is an architect in the same firm as her fiancé Popoy (John Lloyd Cruz), who is an engineer. They belong to the same close-knit group of friends and have been together for five years until Basha gets fed up with Popoy's controlling but well-meaning ways and opts out of the relationship, building a new life for herself. Popoy goes on self-destruct mode but is later able to recuperate in the kind arms of Trisha (Maja Salvador). Basha realizes that he wants him back but things have already gotten too complicated.

Executed Hollywood-style, One More Chance would have ended when the leads parted ways while revisiting their alma mater, leaving it up to the audience what happens next. The Hong Kong version would have ended with everyone dead. But since this is a Filipino movie, you pretty much know how this ends that won't merit a spoiler warning.

And so movie theaters were packed, and rightfully so! I admittedly didn't expect much of this movie, so it was a pleasant surprise to see a local romantic comedy that delivers. I've never seen a Bea-John Lloyd starrer, but now I can agree with the general populace that the two have undeniable chemistry and are pretty natural actors. Despite John Lloyd not up to par in the looks department as Bea, he is likable, charismatic and adds sincerity to his role. Bea complements and does not overshadow John Lloyd despite her beauty because she doesn't seem too uptight about it; so, she is able to become the character she plays. The supporting cast, especially Salvador and the impossibly hot Derek Ramsay, helped fortify the story.

Without a doubt, it was Popoy's bitter line, "You had me at my best; she loved me at my worst" that resonated with all those who has ever had their heart broken that filled the theaters; so memorable, it could probably even join the ranks of immortal lines ever uttered in Pinoy movies. While the trailer pretty much shows the entire movie, more welcome surprises await moviegoers as more unforgettable scenes and power lines are revealed. Sure, it's not original (note the rip-off/homage to Romeo+Juliet's Leo Dicaprio and Claire Danes' under-the-sheets action), and it had its melodramatic moments, but director Cathy Garcia-Molina injects humor in the nick of time.

One More Chance is one good reason Pinoys should give the pelikulang Pinoy another chance at redeeming itself in its own context, on its own terms, without having to show the seedy side of Manila just to be taken seriously.