The constant loud nagging of Fely caused her daughter-in-law Angie to fall very ill. This forced her only son Ramon to request his mother to temporarily move into a senior's home while his wife recovered. One day, while waiting for the bus, the distraught Fely was drawn to enter the Forever Young photo studio because it displayed a photo of her favorite actress Audrey Hepburn in its window. Before he took her photo, the photographer promised Fely that he would make her look younger by 50 years. By some miracle, she literally did.
The full trailer practically tells us the whole story already. From cantankerous senior Fely Malabaño, she becomes lovely miss Odrey de Leon. In her rejuvenated form, Odrey possessed a passionate singing style which caught the attention of three men: her own grandson Jeboy (who wanted her to sing for his band), a TV producer Lorenz (who wanted her to be the next big TV star) and her friend and former ward Bert (who loved Fely and suspected Odrey's real identity).
Because of a video compilation on YouTube that I accidentally clicked, I already knew beforehand that the story "Miss Granny" was first made into a film in Korea in 2014. It surprised me then that it had already been remade in China and Vietnam (2015), Japan and Thailand (2016, and Indonesia (2107). There are also plans to remake it for India, Germany and the US (in English and Spanish). That only means that the story has wide appeal and was already a sure-fire formula for a hit all over Asia and probably beyond. Proper casting could make or break this local remake.
For the demanding role of Odrey, the actress cast should be able to have good comic timing, dramatic chops as well as a heavenly singing voice that could make everyone stop and listen. I thought Sarah Geronimo was the perfect choice to play Odrey. Odrey was supposed to have been 20 years old only, but even at 30 this year, Sarah had the verve and jauntiness of youth. Importantly, she was able to balance it with the maturity that she already had inside as Fely. It did not feel awkward for Sarah to act older than her age.
All of Sarah's singing scenes in this film were showstoppers. The first three songs were covers of local hits from the early 1970s. The haunting "Rain" (by Boy Mondragon, 1970) which she sang at the senior home talent show certainly turned everyone's head to look and listen to her sing on that stage. The delightful "Kiss Me, Kiss Me" (by Efren Montes, 1971) accompanied a montage of scenes of Odrey joining Jeboy's band in various small gigs.
The magnificent torch song "Forbidden" (by Norma Ledesma, 1969) made sure their TV debut was a big success, and served as the soundtrack of scenes showing Fely's travails as a young widow. The dramatic new original song "Isa Pang Araw" was sang at the Summer Festival under severe emotional duress, and the resulting rendition makes you want to rise from your seat and give her a standing ovation.
For veteran actress Nova Villa, playing Fely was a tight balance between her character's ill-temper and argumentative nature (for which you want to avoid her), with her inner loneliness and depression (for which you want to comfort her). Nonie Buencamino's shining moment as Ramon came towards the end when he spoke with his mother heart to heart. Surely there would be no dry eye in the theater in that scene.
James Reid generously downplayed his own matinee idol stardom to play the supportive guitarist Jeboy. Xian Lim's role as Lorenz was practically an extended guest spot, more memorable for his being attacked with raw fish than its dramatic moments. The casting of Boboy Garrovillo to play Bert was a very inspired choice. Garovillo was funny and charming as Fely's loyal secret admirer Bert.
Bb. Joyce Bernal told her story at a fine pace, just right for the material. There were some plot holes (like how come Bert and Ramon never immediately recognized Odrey as the young Fely?), but these were already part of the original plot that was just adapted in our language and culture. Sarah's dresses (and umbrellas), retro hairstyles and makeup were all so winsome.
Some quibbles may be about the ear-piercing loudness of the shouting scenes, particularly those of Nova Villa (Fely was really a crabby grouch), Angeli Bayani (as Olivia, whose mother had a bad experience with Fely) and Kim Molina (as Bert's possessive daughter Minnie). Of course, some medical details about cranial surgery and blood donation were glossed over, but this was understandable. Also, you also cannot buy Valium over the counter (yellow prescription is strictly required) at only P289 for the whole "banig" of 10.
Many films had been made about an older person becoming young again, like "Freaky Friday", "18 Again", "Big" or "Peggy Sue Got Married." "Miss Granny" adds Asian sensibilities and wonderful retro songs into the mix. It has all the proven ingredients for a hit film, which explains why it had been remade in many countries with success. With Sarah Geronimo making the Filipino version of Odrey so lovely and lovable, this film will surely warm and win your heart. 9/10.
UPDATE August 27, 2018
The Chinese version followed the main story, but played more as a serious drama, with hardly any of the humorous scenes in the Korean version left. It also chose to eliminate that scene where the grandmother was attacked by a disgruntled woman from her past. I personally thought that was an unnecessary scene.
The Filipino version is almost a scene for scene, line for line remake of the Korean with both comedy and drama elements intact, only with some appropriate adjustments to make it more Filipino.
In both the Korean and Filipino version, Hollywood actress Audrey Hepburn was the celebrity idolized by the senior lead character, and the name she took when she became young: Oh Doo-ri in the Korean, Odrey in the Filipino. In the Chinese version, the lead character idolized Chinese singer Deng Lijun (Teresa Teng), and she called herself Meng Lijun when she turned young.
The recipe that caused arguments between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in the Korean version was that the radishes need to be placed on top of the fish when cooking soup. In the Chinese version, it was that the fish had to be friend on both sides before being used to make soup. In the Filipino version, it was that fresh tamarind need to be used to make sour soup (sinigang) instead of a flavoring mix (the lazy way).
The fruit that caused Mr. Park allergies in the Korean version was peaches, as it was the same for Li Dahai in the Chinese version. For the Filipino version, it was chico, which was interestingly translated in the subtitles as naseberry (I never knew that before).
In both the Korean and the Chinese version, the relationship of younger lead character with the TV producer was more well-defined. There was a scene in both these versions where Oh Doo-ri/ Meng Lijun actually confessed to Mr. Park/Mr. Li that she had feelings for Han Seung-woo/ Tan Zhi Ming. In the Filipino version, Odrey's feelings for Lorenz was not that clear, such that his character felt like more minor that it was before.
The character of the grandson was played by a charismatic teen heartthrob in all three versions. In the Korean version, Ban Ji-ha was played by Jung Jin-young, K-pop singer and member of boy band B1A4. In the Chinese version, Xiang Qian Jin was played by Lu Han, Chinese singer and former member of boy band EXO. In the Filipino version, Jeboy was played by James Reid.
Both Shim Eun-kyung and Yang Zishan had already won Best Actress awards in their own countries for their portrayal of Oh Doo-ri and Meng Lijun respectively. I personally thought Sarah Geronimo exhibited more liveliness in her comic acting and more depth in her dramatic moments. Most importantly, I felt Sarah had been the most winsome and magnetic of them all as an interpreter of songs. It was Sarah Geronimo's total performance that made the Filipino version of "Miss Granny" the best version among the three.
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