Review of WISH YOU WERE THE ONE: Daring Destiny

 August 23, 2023

Astrud Estrellado (Bela Padilla) had a successful business making curtains and uniforms. One night, she wanted to surprise her chef boyfriend Jordan (Kean Cipriano) with a birthday cake, but walked in on him making out with a pretty cook in his kitchen. They broke up. That same night, geeky landscaper Ellis Perry Sumilang (JC Santos) was rejected by his high-society girlfriend Zoey (Franki Russell) when he proposed to her with a diamond ring. They broke up. 

Four months later, Astrud learned that Jordan was the chef of a gay wedding reception in Tagaytay. She decided she needed to go in and talk with him there. By coincidence, Ellis was also in that party but his date stood him up. Desperate, Astrud walked up to Ellis and asked him if he could name her as his date so she can enter the venue. Ellis agreed, on the condition that he can introduce her to Zoey and her friends as his new girlfriend. 

Bela Padilla and JC Santos played screen partners four times before: "100 Tula ni Stella" (Jason Paul Laxamana, 2017), "The Day After Valentines" (Laxamana, 2018), "Vodka, Beers and Regrets" (Emma Villamor, 2020) and "366" (Bela Padilla, 2022). Despite the potent chemistry between the two stars, things did not exactly go too well for their onscreen relationships in all of these movies. Will things go any better between them in this new one?

Because of marital issues between her parents (Romnick Sarmenta and Che Ramos), Astrud grew up promising herself that she would never be the one to be left high and dry by her partner. As before, Padilla played bitter Astrud in her usual winsome style, such that it was inevitable for us to like her and root for her. It also helped that Padilla, in her copper (or was that gold?) cocktail dress and long wavy hair, looked positively stunning. 

As Ellis, JC Santos kept pace with the effusive energy of Padilla's Astrud all throughout. Ellis was a young man who dared to court Zoey, an upper-class girl clearly out of his league, despite ridicule he received from her snobbish friends Louisiana (Kaladkaren), Georgina (Peach Caparas) and Rowan (Itan Magnaye). Santos can play this familiar underdog character like the back of his hand by now, but his Ellis still had secrets to spare. 

Writer Enrico C. Santos came up with a refreshing scenario of how romance can bloom between two people with chips on their shoulders. He intertwined their paths three times before without them knowing it, making a strong argument for how destiny worked for them. Director Derick Cabrido told the story with a dreamy filter, which heightened the emotional connection with his audience, many of whom may be left teary-eyed by the finale. 8/10.