Note: From 1997 to around 2002, I was reviewing films for The Philippine Star. This
was my review of the Star Cinema romantic comedy Got 2 Believe directed by
Olivia M. Lamasan that appeared in The Philippine Star (coincidentally!) on
March 16, 2002. Here’s the link to that review: http://www.philstar.com/entertainment/154050/magic-happy-ever-after.
This is my simple tribute to the late Rico Yan who passed away 12 years ago; he
would have been 39 years old last March 14.
Don’t look
now but Philippine cinema has found a new heroine.
She’s the
would-be spinster. Four recent movies had for a female lead a single woman
faced with the possibility of spending the rest of her life without a
partner.
Sharon Cuneta’s character in Pagdating ng Panahon belonged to
a family of spinsters. Jolina Magdangal’s perky persona in Kung Ikaw ay
Isang Panaginip was a boyfriend-less gal who fell in love with a handsome
face on a billboard. In Ikaw Lamang Hanggang Ngayon, Regine Velasquez
played a lonely mail sorter who vented her frustration by carving a message on
a park bench. And in Got 2 Believe, Claudine Barretto is an eccentric
wedding coordinator who dreams of walking down the aisle very soon.
Correct me
if I’m wrong, but it seems we haven’t met this much lonely women in such a
short time. If attractive, personable women in movies like Sharon Cuneta,
Jolina Magdangal, Regine Velasquez, and Claudine Barretto have difficulty
finding Mr. Right, what more the regular-looking women in real life?
But back to
Got 2 Believe... The story starts with the tempestuous
relationship between Toni (played by Claudine), owner of Ever After Wedding
Store, and Lorenz (Rico), wedding photographer. Commitment-phobic Lorenz
unwittingly photographs Toni during her awkward wedding moments and has her
pictures published in a bridal magazine. A crucial assignment prompts Lorenz to
seek Toni’s help.
To appease
her, Lorenz offers to find Toni a boyfriend. Toni adamantly turns him down.
Even if Toni fears ending up an old maid like her aunts, she isn’t about to
overlook the humiliation that Lorenz has caused.
But love
conquers all and opposites do attract. The girl who believes in "happily
ever after" and the guy who doesn’t believe in "forever" are about
to find out they’re perfect for each other.
Got 2
Believe is an
entertaining love story. It also tastes as sweet as candy. Cinematography has a
kind of glistening quality and in almost all of the scenes, the characters are
dressed in pastels like fuchsia, aqua, yellow, mint green and purple, lending a
hint of fantasy. The only time the picture turns dark is when Lorenz has dreams
that reveal his fears, and later, his realizations.
Vhong
Navarro, as Lorenz’s assistant, Rudolf, lights up every scene he’s in with his
perfect delivery of dialogue and rib-tickling antics. Carlo Muñoz and Nikki
Valdez, who play friends and business partners of Toni, have their memorable
comic moments as well. Dominic Ochoa may have played the "na-basted"
suitor a hundred times before but his take in Got 2 Believe is his most
endearing to date. As Perry, a lawyer, Dominic gives new dimension to the
phrase "losing with dignity and grace."
Claudine is
admirable for letting down her guard and being very "game." In
keeping true to the Toni character, Claudine allowed herself to trip, fall on
her knees, be dragged across a bowling alley and cry unabashedly. Rico deserves
equal praise for playing the wacky situations very well. But in the dramatic
scene where Toni confronts Lorenz at his studio and his expression shifts from
vulnerable to detached, that moment was among Rico’s finest.
What do I
like best about Got 2 Believe? It’s the key. "Huh? What
key?"
In the film, Toni became close to three men. The first was locked
out of the wedding store, Toni’s private sanctum, because he left his key. The
second gently handed Toni her key just as he was dropping her off from a date.
This guy never got a chance to come in. The third was the only one who easily
entered the store and the only one who stubbornly clutched the key, refusing to
surrender it to Toni. Symbolically, it was guy no. 3 who held the key to Toni’s
heart. Pretty special and clever touch, I should say.
As you
leave the theater after watching Got 2 Believe, you’ll feel light and
giddy and maybe even hopeful. Worried about spending the rest of your life
alone? Well, fear not. As the movie shows, whoever you are, even if you’re
getting older and nearing the so-called finish line, thin as a reed or plump
with illusions of fitting into a sleeveless gown with a high-slit, o kahit
makapal ka pa mag-make up... don’t fret, you’ll find true love. Just
believe.
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