Four Sisters and A Wedding (2013)

Four Sisters and a Wedding

Title: Four Sisters and A Wedding (2013)

Producer: Star Cinema

Director: Cathy Garcia-Molina

Cast: Connie Reyes, Toni Gonzaga, Bea Alonzo, Angel Locsin, Shaina Magdayao, Enchong Dee, Janus del Prado, Sam Milby, Bernard Palanca, Angeline Quinto

Four Sisters and A Wedding is a movie which can be summarized by its title. Four sisters have to deal with their younger (and only) brother who seems to be rushing his own wedding. Fueled by their belief that he's making a terrible mistake, they try everything to stop it.

As Star Cinema's first movie offering for their 20th anniversary, they cast some of the most prominent leading actresses and actors of this time and create a family movie. Such strong personalities may clash and make a disaster, but Director Cathy Garcia-Molina manages to pull it off.

Toni Gonzaga plays Teddie, the eldest daughter who pretends to be a teacher in Spain but actually works as a maid. Bobbie, the second eldest and a successful professional in New York, is played by Bea Alonzo. Angel Locsin plays the rebellious third daughter, Alex. The last and most filial daughter Gabby, is played by Shaina, who seems to be given the most subdued role. Enchong Dee is the engaged youngest sibling and their only brother, CJ. Take these five actors and you have quite an ensemble.

Frankly, I enjoyed this movie. I'm not a hard person to please, since I rarely watch movies with any expectation. I like to be surprised. And I am surprised at how much I actually like it. I knew that it will focus on comedy but I was taken off-guard by the emotional arc of the movie. The wedding plot is consistent from start to finish, but I like how they manage to weave the story of each sister into the main plot. The wedding simply brings out their individual baggage, and I think that's what gives this movie more depth. Of course, it's the funny moments that I love the most!

But despite all the running conflicts and the theatrics of the "villains" of this movie, the theme of family loyalty remains present in every turn. No matter how much you fight and no matter how many hurtful words you throw at each other, a family is still a family. I may hate you now, but once someone outside the family hurts you, rest assured that I'll have your back. And that's basically what these siblings and their ever strong mother prove in the movie. They may always be at each other's throat, but they stand together in the face of a common enemy.

Bea Alonzo pretty much does the emotional heavy-lifting. She has the most sub-plots and I couldn't help whisper in the middle of her little dialogue, "Ah, s'ya pala ang bida." She's great in her role, though, and quite believable on how she handles the situation. However, it was Toni Gonzaga who had me captivated from start to finish. She already has her own brand of acting, and even though she manages to make each of her character different, there's a distinct aura to them. And somehow, I don't mind. She's amazing as Teddie, and her little team up with Janus del Prado who plays his pseudo-boyfriend is so entertaining! I'm so happy for Janus to have such a role! He more than deserves to be the main part of the OTP and not just the friend of the lead.

There are some things I do not like, of course. For one, I feel like Angeline Quinto dragged down the movie. I know they're trying to sell her as a RomCom leading actress but she's just not good at comedy. AT ALL. But other than that, there's no stand out annoyance in the movie.

It's a pretty engaging movie because Star Cinema can really execute heart-warming family films. With Connie Reyes as the mother, we pretty much have the intensity covered. She's the character that pulls the siblings together. Despite all their arguments and animosity towards each other, they have to keep it to themselves and show decency when the mother is present. Also, Connie Reyes simply has a way of commanding such strong screen presence.

It's a feel good movie, and if it's still available in a cinema near you, then go check it out. It's definitely worth the watch. It's just one of the many promising releases of Star Cinema for their anniversary, and I definitely can't wait for Tuhog.

The Mistress (2012)

They say that you'll either hate or love The Mistress. Fortunately, I'm on the love side, and I'm still trying to figure out how some people ended up not liking it. I don't think it's perfect, and I can cite a couple of flaws, but overall, I think it's a pretty good movie.

Sari (Bea Alonzo) is a mistress, a female master cutter. But she's also a mistress in another sense, the other woman of Rico Torres (Ronaldo Valdez). Despite knowing all this, JD (John Lloyd Cruz) still chases after Sari, wanting her even though he knows that she's already somebody else's. It's a common other woman story, with a few twists here and there. But though the story may be pretty common, they manages to make it interesting.

I think most of it is because of the pretty tight writing. The conflict is established quickly. Secrets are out not even halfway into the film and the audience pretty much already know what's going to happen next. But the engaging exchange of dialogue and the performance of the cast keep you watching. You just want to see how it will unfold, how they'll get out the mess. Or if they'd even ever get out.

I've been told that there's something wrong with the execution of the story. But having no background in film, I can't really see what's wrong with it. Sure, there are some problem with continuity such as how the blocking of actors would seem to change, but it's something I can let pass. Two hours passed by pretty quickly and I feel as if every scene either helps explore the complexity of a character or pushes the story forward. There are no unnecessary characters that take too much screen time, and no side stories that doesn't relate to the main conflict. Each primary character is explored, given enough screen time.