Just a week right after we watched an adultery-themed flick in "Sin Island," here comes yet another one with "The Significant Other." Aren't there any more interesting issues our mainstream filmmakers come up with? If it is not a millennial romantic comedy, then it is a millennial infidelity drama -- which inadvertently turns out to a comedy too. Unfortunately, this was the only film in the cineplex that matched the time I had to kill. I got my wish granted. My two-hours of time spent watching this was literally killed.
This Joel Lamangan film starts with a big catfight between two models during a fashion show for wedding dresses. The combatants were the comebacking star Maxene versus the upcoming star Nicole. The ruckus was over the young hotshot dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon who had been juggling his time between them both -- Dr. Edward Santillan.
From that scandalous prologue, we then get to learn the story of Nicolodia Dimaculangan, who just lost a barrio pageant for Miss Bacacay, but was noticed by a model agent from Manila. Because Nicole had a big birthmark on her neck, she was referred to Dr. Santillan to have it removed. During the course of their treatment, the doctor made advances with his patient, and the thrilled patient gladly reciprocated.
Then we go over to the story of Maxene de Vera, who dropped out of the modelling scene at the height of her career to go to the States to give birth to her child by her husband Dr. Edward Santillan. However, they agreed that this will be a secret marriage that no one in the press or society should know about. While Maxene got too busy on her return to active modelling, the sneaky Edward took advantage and hooked up with the clueless Nicole.
Of course, the two ladies (the elegant Lovi Poe as wife Maxene, and the perky Erich Gonzales in the title role of "significant other" as Nicole) are both very easy on the eyes. If the story is very flimsy and the writing of the script is absurd, their beautiful faces by themselves would not be able to make a two hour-plus long film bearable to sit through. These two ladies were constantly making the wrong decisions and saying the wrong words. Ladies should not have demeaned themselves like this for a man like that.
Tom Rodriguez was made to do so many things wrong as a doctor (that is, aside from the adultery.) He high-fived the patient while doing a procedure wearing gloves. Right after treating the neck of the patient (with what looked like a turned-off laser machine), he goes down for a kiss the operative site! He also asked his nurses to go home early in order to leave him alone in his examination room with a female patient. (Of course, these nurses leave ALL the doors of the clinic open, ready for a surprise visit from the wife.)
As a leading man, Rodriguez must be a good-looking man in person, but he did not register well on the screen in this one. (You can actually see it in the poster already.) The camera had several unflattering shots of his face in various awkward expressions, as if he (the actor) could not wait to extricate himself from unconscionable situation he (the character) so willfully entered for the most shallow, most inexcusable reason. There was no way any actor could have pulled off that garish public confrontation scene or that weepy apology scene with his dignity intact.
Dina Bonnevie and Snooky Serna co-star as Jessica and Delay, the mothers of Maxene and Nicole respectively. Apparently, they also became mistresses themselves in the past, as if saying that these things are such commonplace aberrations. They also have a featured catfight of their own, but of course! Nevertheless, it was good to see these two "Underage" girls together onscreen again. I hope this means that their reunion with Maricel Soriano for an "Overage" movie will really push through.
If you go to watch this for the sex scenes, they were more sterile than the surgery scenes. The extent of cinematic imagination in these scenes was exemplified in two scenes. In the first one, guy parks his car on an isolated roadside and begins his make-out moves on the girl. Then the roof of the convertible retracts and then scene shifts to an overhead drone view. The second scene shows the legs of the illicit lovers in bed, while the wife was seen having her photoshoot outside from the window.
The whole "secret marriage" situation was contrived with a capital C, especially since they already have a five year old son. How could they keep that a secret for long in reality? It just made it more convenient for the guy to bed as many unsuspecting ladies. In the end, there was also a contrived attempt to make everybody look like they have moved on in no time, as if everything was ok in a few months (the son is still the same age). This "all's well that ends well" scenario further highlights the shallowness of this whole exercise. 3/10.
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