A Love Story (2007) User Reviews

A Love Story? Do you have an idea how recyclable this title is? =)

[little_anghel · 7/10 · 15 September 2007]

I just seen this movie and from what I saw, the only thing I could say is that it had a very good idea behind it. Unfortunately, they lack important details such as how Karyn(Panganiban) and Ian's(Mulach) relationship ever blossomed. I mean, sure they showed how they met, and how they ended up in bed, but where's the middle part? It's like sex without foreplay. Yeah, Just straight to orgasm. But then again, what the hell do I know about that stuff.

Anyway, back to my point. The concept of having the audience think that the mistress was the wife and vice-versa was very well planned. It had the potential to be one of the most unforgettable movies of all time; However, because of the lack of support for each of the character's background, the movie ended up just as a one-time thing. You watch it, you forget it. Period. I am aware, though, that they deliberately intended for the audience to start hating Karyn, given the way that she was exposed slowly to the viewers, but a little more detail could not have hurt.

As for the sympathy for the characters, there was not much. The only dominant feeling throughout the movie was the growing hate for the character of Aga. He was flat and boring AND annoying. The little screen time Angelica had gave even more growth as a person, and insight to the expecting viewers. Maricel's character showed development too, but I didn't think that she would've done the same thing that happened to her to another person. There's trauma, yes, but that was just plain evil. Who makes people hurt the way they did?

All in all, I would still recommend A Love Story to most people. Especially if you're Filipino.Though not very lengthy, it still had parts where you just get lost thinking with the characters as you watch them, possibly even share the feeling that they had at the time. I can't deny that it did have it's moments, it's just that they weren't very unforgettable.

Again, good idea, could-be-way-better depiction.

Outstanding Movie

[fanjals · 9/10 · 20 October 2008]

I saw this movie last night on DVD for some reason, I lost tract with the civilization that I don't have an idea that this movie exists nor what it's all about, so I made it a try.

The movie is all about Ian Montes, played by Aga Muhlach, along with all his love interest, Dr. Joanna Villanueva played by Maricel Soriano and the 22 year old flight attendant Karyl played by Angelica Panganiban. Sounds very interesting right? How could you go wrong with the comparison of a 22 year old flight crew with an doctor.

Aga Muchlach, as always, perhaps, the only Filipino actors who proves the Einstein theory that time doesn't exists. He doesn't aged a bit, he can portray any genre or character, he can convince everybody that he is either 25 or 45 and living you without any doubt.

The way the movie goes was very interesting, something that hasn't been done before, its a very new way for the Filipino audience, I'm sure a lot of the movie goer could be confuse for some part cause director Mario J delos Reyes made it in a way that you will hold your seat and wait what gonna happen, so it's kinda tragic and not the usual Filipino movie that you would hope the ending will be.

It is a slow start, I could really tell that hey had difficult time introduced the character, but it went very well, everybody at their age might get relate with them or somehow get the sympathy of the characters cause they portrayed it very well.... and oh yeah it has twist....

In general, I love the movie, I love the story, I love the characters, I totally recommend it to watch it.

Want some cheeeeeseeeee?

[Nickilodspiker · 1/10 · 7 April 2008]

A Love Story is basically the same old trashy filipino soap style movie being serve by Star Cinema. We can see the usual stuff like heavy on dialog, over the top crying scenes, and all those melodramatic cliché being thrown into the screen. This movie is all about Ian (played by Aga Muhlach, acting cute as always) who have to decide which two chicks his hooking up his going to end up with. Is it the bitch Karyn (Angelica Panganiban) or the mature and caring Joanna (Maricel Soriano)? Basically, its a contest between these two lousy women on who gets the grand prize(Ian the womanizer).

The story was presented in non-linear and boast itself with a plot twist not common to filipino movies. Unfortunately, the direction was gawd awful its messy and confusing. The scene editing was horrible you get lost between transitions to different location and time. All sorts of supporting casts appears right at you.... you just unable to keep up knowing each one of them.

The problem with this movie is that we really don't care about the characters we are seeing. It doesn't show the true values of a filipino. Like Karyn for example, mind you.... a woman who met a guy in the elevator then ends up having sex on the same night will always be a woman of bad reputation in Christian Philippines. Then there's this Ian who broke his leg on a pathetic skiing stunt who cries like a girl eventually going gaga over Laura because she was the one nursing him till he gets well. Its unbelievable..... and when they finally reveal the over hype twist in the story, I'd say oh yeah..... big deal.

Absurdly fascinating...

[jemps918 · 9/10 · 20 August 2007]

Finally, a mainstream Filipino flick that experiments with non-linear storytelling, uses an excellent cast (not reliant on the upcoming star of the moment), and doesn't insult the moviegoers' intelligence with overly explicit explanations.

Direk Maryo J. de los Reyes does an excellent job with A Love Story: the plot is complex enough to hold a more discerning audience's attention. The sound engineering was consistently solid, the wardrobe and make-up were expressive of the characters' personalities, and the acting was mostly spot-on. The cinematography is subtly symbolic, thoughtful and well-motivated. The first establishing shot is a bird's-eye view of the Alabang Town Center fountain, done ala Gaudi with fragmented tile pieces, foreshadowing the movie's theme of broken relationships, and ends with the lead characters walking over a rocky shore.

Ian Montes (played to the hilt by Aga Muhlach) is the classic Pinoy male who feels he's God's gift to women; unlike most men of this strutting ilk, at least he comes equipped with dimples, a well-maintained bod and makes oodles of money. Joanna (sympathetically performed by Maricel Soriano) is the doctor who finds new love in Ian after recuperating from a cheating husband and showers him with attention. Karyn (believably portrayed by Angelica Panganiban) is the stewardess that Ian is drawn to because of her youthful spontaneity. The characters are complex and offer facets the audience can relate to.

Absurdly fascinating yet true is how these independent, strong-willed women are reduced to mindless martyrs whenever the object of their affection throws another testosterone-filled tantrum. What is ridiculous is while both women are shown to have depth beyond their looks (which is supposed to complicate the choice further); there is nothing beyond the superficial that Ian offers other than what is apparently great sex. His father's words of wisdom apparently did not impress upon him: Flowers are like women; do not pick a flower if you will just throw it away. You have to take care of it because there will never be another one like it again. There is nothing more satisfying than right triumphing over wrong, no matter how difficult. Those who indulge in adultery really set themselves up for inevitable pain. This is really a good example of while we all have a choice, it takes two to tango! All in all, a good movie, but if I had to nitpick, I'd change the title (why in English? And why so plain and non-descript?). Some of the supporting cast could've been reconsidered because they were painful to watch (Karyn's bestfriend/fellow stewardess was OA, Karyn's OB-Gyne and her son Jacob were also camera-conscious), some minor technical flaws (what must be a handsfree microphone set is visibly tucked behind Maricel's jeans; the reflection of the hand holding the non-glare shield is visible on the windshield in the scene where Karyn is sitting in her car). Also, cut out the draggy parts and reshoot some of Angelica's speaking lines in English because they distract from the dialogue. And okay, rehashing the Joey Albert song "Tell Me" is cheesy with literal lyrics as a compromise-trademark of Filipino films, which could've been tolerated except whenever it played in the movie and the lady beside me would burst into heartfelt song. Each time!

An insult to the intelligence of modern Filipino viewers. Lower your IQ to 3 when watching this movie.

[Arwenstar20 · 3/10 · 1 November 2007]

I watched this movie with not much expectations. I've been let down several times by most Tagalog movies that it's hard to expect too much. So with an open mind, I watched this movie with a friend. And boy were we in for a real disappointment.

Before I start ranting, credit must be given to where it is due. The over all look of the movie is not bad. Like almost all recent Filipino movies, this movie also looked expensive. The cinematography and editing were good, the direction was average and the acting were good given the material that the actors had to work with. Aga's portrayal of Ian's character was moving in a sense that I'm sure Filipino yuppies were able to identify with him. Maricel's (Joana) portrayal was her usual drama. Nothing spectacular. Angelica (Karyn) is a pretty face but she could not cry to save her life.

What irked me the most, aside from the musical score, was the plot. The basic storyline was a disgrace to the intelligence of women all over the world. Yes, it is a virtue to forgive and forget. Yes, love should conquer all. But balance must also be made with respect to morals and values.

This movie patronized how men could conjure up reasons why they would cheat on their spouses or their girlfriends. Unavailability of your partner is not a reason for anyone to go looking for someone else. It may be a reason for a termination of a relationship but definitely not one for cheating - not that there's any reason to cheat, mind you.

Maricel portrayed an intelligent, successful woman who was once betrayed by the man she loved. And then all of a sudden, here she is falling for a married man. That's illogical. How could someone who have supposedly suffered so much commit the same adulterous mistake once made against her. Though it may happen on real life in the unlikeliest of situations, the writers of the movie failed to create a reasonable impulse on Maricel's character for the audience to comprehend her actions. In addition to this, in the scene where Joana and Ian first met, the former said:"pwede ba tayong magpakuha ng stretcher?" No self respecting doctor would sound so doubtful in this kind of situation.

Aga, on the other hand, played a rich, recently married playboy who has issues with his father. Aga plays the role of a rich playboy so well we almost believe that in real life, he is (who knows). But the problem with this with regard to this movie is that such shallow characterization of Aga's character failed to utilize Aga's acting skills. Can he just stop playing cute in each and every movie and be a serious actor soon? Like in this movie, Ian, who was supposed to have shun his family's already steady business to make a name for himself appeared to be shallow and immature in his personal life. The writers could have used the character's pain brought by his dad to their advantage by making Aga's character deeper, wrought by confusion, racked by guilt and generally logical. But somehow, in their attempt to make the audience sympathize with the character's betrayal, the writers forgot the actual character.

As to Angelica's character, well a former comment on this was so apt. Karyn's character was not fully developed, to say the least. Here is a smart guy who has everything in the world going for him who met a pretty girl who is so much younger than him. They slept together and then boom! They're married? How come? What compelled this elusive bachelor to get hitch with this seemingly loose girl? Once again, there is no logic here. To be contrite about it, there is simply a lack of progression.

The movie seriously underestimates the intelligence of the Filipino audience. Gone are the days when people seem to be satisfied with a happy ending. Loose ends NEED to be tied seamlessly this time. Gone are the days when movie patrons comprise mainly of yayas and manongs. The educated Filipinos are trying to appreciate our film industry. Give us good stories. Give us reasonable tales. Give us a reason to come back. Stop feeding us rehash of old tales. And please, stop advocating male machismo at its worst.

It is NEVER okay to cheat on your wives and expect to be forgiven just because you're sorry. Even if you have a child. Women need to understand that children are not a reason to stay in a marriage. You don't lose your dignity when you get married.

Outstanding Tear-Jerker Movie! Highly Recommended!

[MirandaSoft · 10/10 · 22 August 2007]

August 22nd was the first (and only) time my wife and I could watch this movie because of her hectic work schedule at the local Cable TV company. We watched this movie at SM Megamall in Philippines. Her officemates already watched this movie before her and I watched it, last night.

Normally, I don't have tears during movies because I try to hide my emotions, but this movie had brought back memories for me, considering I've had many sour relationships, but I wasn't a playboy as what Aga Mulach played as Ian Montes. I'm a American Citizen and Filipino Mestiso (my dad was natively born in Philippines) and I (finally) got married to my wife in October 2006. -- Fortunately or unfortunately, I wasn't as lucky as Ian was in the movie.

In many of the scenes, such as when Ian (Aga Mulach) and Karyn (Angelica Panganiban) were arguing after Karyn was at a party with her friends, my wife kept nudging me. Many of the things that Ian had said were, either the same or similar, to what I've said to my wife, but in very different circumstances, but mostly were at the start of my marriage and not currently. Ian said something similar to, "I need my wife... but you're never around." I remember saying that to my wife, more than once. I admit that.

High technology was not in this movie, with the minor exception of mobile phones and text messaging. I didn't see an internet connection, such as internet chat or e-mail being used or emphasized. The movie contained Motorola and Nokia cellphones, but no PDAs (such as Palm Pilots, Blackberries, etc.), as seen in other Love Drama stories.

Angelica Panganiban, acting as Karyn Torres, plays an immature part of the movie. She claims to be 22 years old, and my wife both agree that she is too young to have any real relationships. Her job as a flight attendant signifies that she has not decided what her future is going to be. My wife describes her as "too wild." Her attitude is focused on sex, first, and then relationship, second. -- In the movie, some parts were missing, such as what happened before Karyn and Ian slept together. The plot was missing. It went from meeting for the first time, to sex in bed. And then, meeting in a public place. I wasn't sure what Maryo J. De los Reyes (Director) wanted in Angelica's character. Did she want a prostitute that falls in love, or a desperate woman that does not want to work? I couldn't figure that out.

Maricel Soriano, acting as Joanna Villanueva, was missing through some very important parts of the movie. There was a lot of missing information about her marriage with Peter (Mark Gil). I guess that was Vanessa Valdez's (writer) idea to add suspense in the movie. I kept asking my wife, questions, because there was too much information missing. Even my wife could not figure out the missing parts.

Mark Gil (Peter) is a "person of interest" to me, since he was in "Mula Sa Puso." He doesn't have a Filipino name, yet he is a Filipino TV/Movie star. For some reason, he keeps his identity a secret, even to IMDb. When I seen him in A Love Story, I didn't recognize him, until he spoke. His Tagalog has unusual accents, maybe mixed with non-Filipino dialects. Most Filipinos don't notice that. His part in this movie should have been a lot more than just a few short scenes. From my perspective, he looks like he was just "planted" to fill in the roll of Peter. He was talked during many parts of the movie, but his acting just wasn't there.

Aga Muhlach (Ian Montes) wore a plain Cross neck-less throughout the movie, but there was no Christian/Catholic events in the movie. His character shows that his cross is for show-only, not for any religious conviction. I was expecting Maricel Soriano to have a church scene, such as in "Paraiso: Tatlong kwento ng pag-asa", but I didn't see one in the movie. I'm not sure if this was done to allow persons from all religions to watch the movie or not.

The movie missed adding any Wedding Scenes. In nearly all Filipino love story movies, a wedding scene (with a priest), is part of the movie. The movie emphasized on "anniversaries" but there was little or no emphasis on any actual marriage ceremonies. -- I was looking for this in the movie... Remember the movie and soap opera, Mula Sa Puso? The movie, "A Love Story", brings out the importance of marriage, or at least, a true relationship. The movie could be nicknamed as, "Don't cheat on your spouse or else!" It emphasizes events that really do happen but nobody pays any attention to it.

In case you have not seen this movie, yet. Please do so, as I highly recommend it. Ladies (and some guys, too), please bring tissue or towel, as this movie will make you cry.

A well intentioned movie with implausible story and characters

[alijuly1st · 5/10 · 9 September 2007]

I really want to like A Love Story, but I was just bothered by how the entire movie took its course. Film-making-wise it's above par, but I just don't feel sympathetic with the characters and the story. I must say that the animation movie Ratatouille has more emotional weight and character arc than the characters in this movie!

To begin, all the characters that we should care about here are rich and well-off. Now, how can most of the majority in the country, who has more low-mid income class than mid to upper class relate to them? I felt that it's alright that they should be beset with all the problems in the world just to balance out their privileged status in society.

Anyways, among the three leads, I find that the character of Angelica Panganiban is at least, the most believable one. She's the one who changed the most in the end. From a slutty party girl in the beginning, she evolved into a mature, often paranoid (which is expected as she was cheated upon), forgiving and wise mother in the end. That scene in the hospital where she begged Maricel to leave Aga is really good. And even though she was quiet in the next scene wherein Aga and Maricel (as the doctor) pretends that they don't know each other, she clearly stood out. Her quiet and subtle performance was the strongest among the three.

As for Aga, I don't really care for him. I would've been more satisfied if he ended up with nobody in the end. He's selfish. He has all the money and success in the world yet he takes that for granted. At his age, at 38, he hasn't grown up and still towards the end he's still the same. He's afraid of making choices and standing up with it.

In the movie, he even said, that he will leave his wife just to be with Maricel, now, what kind of a man is that? Then, later, when he learns that his wife is pregnant, he stays with her? If he truly LOVES Maricel, like what his character says, he should've made a choice and be with her. I know, people will react, well how about, the kid? Well, he made the choice of pursuing a relationship with Maricel in the beginning, so again, it's all about choices.

His monologue wherein he had a fight with his brother-in-law where he revealed all his angst is just so poorly developed. Again, i don't care with all the crap he said, he's rich, his family's rich, and nobody can have all the things in the world. If he had an unhappy childhood, well, that's fine, he's rich anyways, lol.

The subplot with Aga's father having Alzheimer's is under researched. His illness is Alzheimer's not amnesia for goodness sake!

As for Maricel, again, it's not believable in her character to be with Aga, who after, was left by her husband for another woman, is now the other woman. I know, people will say its LOVE, but, if Aga's character was YOUNGER, like that of Angelica's, it would at least make sense and we could use the argument that she was just attracted to him and she fell in love later on. But, they're almost the same age, and at her age, and after all the relationship mishaps she has experienced, would she be much WISER and EXPERIENCED now?

And what's with the random opening shots? Like, "5 YEARS LATER", we open up to a cheesecake? What's that? I don't see the connection? Film is a visual medium, and sadly, it wasn't used much in this movie. They could've staged the "accidental meeting" of Angelica and Maricel (which is a common thing in Pinoy movies) some other, more visually logical way.

I also find that the intended CONCEIT on who's the mistress or the wife thing in the beginning of the movie didn't work. C'mon! Again, we the audience, as the filmmakers wanted to, were supposed to believe that Maricel is the wife to shock us with the twist that she is in fact the mistress. But, they show scenes of her, being the IDEAL and LOVING wife that she should be to Aga, and the next scene, we see Aga and his family having a gathering, minus his "WIFE" and all he could reason out was she's busy? AGAIN, THIS IS NOT CONSISTENT WITH MARICEL'S CHARACTER AS EARLIER SHOWN. If they showed her as a loving and ideal wife, shouldn't she be in those gatherings despite her busy schedules? But of course, its a PLOY so that they can lead us on to believe that she's the wife, and later on be shocked that she's the mistress. This I believe back fired, because in their attempt to make it unpredictable, it ruined the twist in the end.

And i know I should not complain about the often and unnecessary musical score that's prevalent in pinoy movies, but thought I should just mention it.