Don’t judge me, there was nothing else on.  Unfortunately, my scheduled movie day did not cooncide with the two blockbuster hits slated to be released this week.

Besides, it’s literally been half a year since I last saw a Star Cinema production and funnily enough, that movie had Ruffa Gutierrez in it too.

Let’s see if the movie that came out of nowhere this year’s “summer romance” will fare better than the cinematic disgrace I saw last Christmas.

Please note that there may be spoilers.  Read at your own risk.

THE STORY:

Stephanie Asuncion (Sarah Geronimo) meets Antonio “Tonio”  Bugayong (Coco Martin), a poor young man living in a far flung province where they’re conducting a community outreach program teaching children basic english during their summer break.  Tonio, armed with devilish good looks and an ego that can go on for days, pursues Steph, or ‘Teph-Teph’ as he affectionately calls her (blame the lisp), and vows to make her the happiest woman if she lets him love her “forever and ever”.  Steph, despite all her reservations, falls in love with Tonio and agrees to meet him at their favored hill top to accept his proposal.  She is surprised and heartbroken, however, when she learns that Tonio has moved to Manila to become a seaman on the night that they were supposed to meet.

Fast-forwarding to seven years later, Steph, now working as a PR consultant, is shocked speechless to learn that Tonio is the special client assigned to her by her evil boss Monica (Ruffa Gutierrez). She is tasked to prep him to meet potential investors for a high end bar that they want to put up and is forbidden to mess it up as Tonio is also Monica’s boyfriend.

THE GOOD:

1. Coco Martin.  I don’t think anybody else can pull off this role without looking like a douchebag.  He manages to be presko and jologs and charming all at the same time, which, I’m pretty sure is a lot more difficult than he makes it appear to be on screen.
2. That gorgeous cliff.  Where is that?  They never did mention the place.  I’m tempted to say Anawangin but I’ve never been there so I’m not sure.
3. The outfits.  From Sarah’s pretty dresses to Coco Martin’s statement tees, I want all of them (except for Sarah’s shoes though; they were awkward and matronly).
4. Ogie Diaz.  I liked that his presence wasn’t overwhelming (which can easily happen because he’s the token gay dude).  I think that because he was very sublte and he didn’t overpower any ofthe cast, his jokes were more unexpected and therefore funnier.
5. That at least everybody’s actions made sense.  I can’t often say that about Star Cinema chick flicks, unfortunately.  The last Sarah Geronimo movie I saw had Gerald Anderson (can’t remember the title) in it and it made my head hurt because no one made any fucking sense.

THE BAD:

1. Too much product placement.  Kakao Talk sort of worked but the others were forced and awkward.
2. Ruffa Gutierrez was sooo bad at acting, it was almost sad.  Sure, she fit the character to a tee, but during the ‘climactic’ confrontation scene, Sarah Geronimo might as well have been talking toa wall.
3. There was too much crying in the last fifteen minutes.  I understand that these are all talented people and they can bring out the tears in a snap, but that’s not really enough of a reason for them to start bawling their eyes out all at the same time near the end, ‘ya know?

THE UGLY:

1. The film asked us to suspend our disbelief over too many things.  1.) That Coco Martin just happened to be the only man on the planet who isn’t an asshole; 2.) That Sarah Geronimo – who’s been scolded for wasting money on food- can afford to have her own car and 3.) That Sarah Geronimo, the same person begging for a promotion because she needs the money for her father’s treatment, can afford to open up her own firm with her fellow non-managers. In what world is this movie set in?
2. The anachronisms.  It just spells laziness and general sloppiness when a scene is supposed to be set in 2007 but the earphones used weren’t invented until the Iphone 4 came along.
3. That all the suffering is because of a six-month old relationship.  You’d feel sympathy for all parties involved and weep with them during their sad moments until you realize that they’re literally crying over nothing.

All in all Maybe This Time is an okay movie.  It’s definitely one of the best Star Cinema films I’ve seen in a while.  The actors are all so charming that they’d temporarily let you forget the fact that they’re just strictly following the Pinoy formula for a rom-com.  But, to the film’s credit, every little action had clear motivation behind it, which I do appreciate, as it shows that the writing wasn’t half-assed.

THE VERDICT: 6.3/10.  Pwede na.

*All photos are lifted from the film’s Wikipedia page.