★★★1/2
It seems like every year there’s always going to be a Christine Reyes-Anne Curtis movie which they star together as competition, or sometimes it’s going to be Anne Curtis versus some-other-star or Christine Reyes and some-other-star in a same storyline like the one they both were together in a film which revolutionize third party relationships, and I’m talking about No Other Woman.
To be honest, from the moment John Lloyd and Bea Alonzo was in a film having the same plot; it itches my senses predicting that it won’t be the last… and I was right.
Then came The Gifted movie which they, again, starred as competition. But thankfully, as I watched the trailer (which was horrible by the way), it was not of the same theme: it was more comical and rivalry of friends.
I got curious to what the story might be, but it was good to know that it was an original.
THE STORY
Let’s be honest, the story was nonsense, but some of the greatest Filipino movies that are in the box office have nonsense stories. This doesn’t mean that the film doesn’t have a good story at all; it’s just that it doesn’t have a concrete story to tell.
But it worked out.
I love the rivalry and how extremely funny the lines were whenever the two main characters are on a head-on collision. “too underachieved, what a challenge” is one of my favorites in the film. There are a lot of scenes that will surely keep you laughing up until you go out of the cinema.
When the resolution came, it was absurd, of course. Anne’s character then changed to good after all the shot gun scenes she’s made… but then it wasn’t the ending, and it was a surprise how twisted the story was. I laughed and it was good.
THE ACTING
Anne Curtis is a real superstar. Her sinister acting is one of the best in the Philippine TV and cinema. I grew up not liking her especially when she was in GMA, but then ABS-CBN sharpened her and made her into a diamond.
Christine Reyes was also good when it comes to intense and funny acts.
OVERALL
This is the kind of movie that I would compare to Vice Ganda films like Praybeyt Benjamin, story is totally shallow but it’s totally entertaining, and that’s what we need nowadays, and if Philippine cinema won’t give us Avatar-like effects or stories, better make the best out of comedy and drama.
