No Other Woman

There is a new fad in the Philippine Cinema - it's infidelity. For the past 5 years or so, we are bombarded with cheesy romantic-comedies from Star Cinema featuring the hottest love teams and they were a hit most of the time. The formula is all the same, they only differ in terms of the plot and the actors but the story ends up how fantasy goes. During those years, we see movies with titles like Dubai, and Milan. It is a good thing it did not push through. Star Cinema could've made 80 movies or so of all the countries you can find.

After the success of the Korea-novela Temptations of Wife and Fierce Wife, movie producers discovered that this plot has caught public attention. With the release of Neighbor's Wife, Star Cinema released their own version of infidelity with No Other Woman which stars Christine Reyes, Derek Ramsay and Anne Curtis.

The story is so generic. They hype did its job well. I watched the movie because it has generated rave reviews from people who watched the movie. The formula: married couple + liberal woman = chaos. Christine is casted as the legal wife of Derek and Anne is the liberated heiress who is up for enjoyment. She had a rule: Never fall in love, but as usual, laws like this are made to be violated - basing on how movies work. Derek and Anne are both tormented by family which eventually made them find themselves comfortable with each other. Christine, however, is totally a miscast among them. I have one critic with Christine, she has to improve pronunciations and it seems she is a bit uncomfortable with her role. Anne definitely lives up with her role and give justice to which the role requires her. Carmi Martin provided comic relief with the funniest, most realistic lines in the movie.

The movie started strong but the confrontations between Anne and Christine combines almost all telenovela's made and somehow made it more "pang-masa." I have problems with cinematography. It made me feel nostalgic in some scenes especially the scene where Derek was hit by Anne with a jet ski where the camera took an aerial shot, it was so 80s. If the cinematography was to be translated on how a singer sings a song, I would describe it pitchy.

I was not able to finish the movie to its conclusion. I find myself looking at one scene where it happened to me and made me uncomfortable. It seems that the reactions of all parties are so common and I immediately knew how each character react to the situation. The movie conveyed a very powerful message it sank right through me. The movie may be remembered for a short period of time but it will not take hold of the position that Filipino classics are now enjoying.

GRADE: C+


Trailer