April 4, 2024
Directed by HF Yambao
Writer: Nigel Santos
Head writer: John Carlo Pacala
Lanna (Vern Kaye) was constantly having tense arguments with her husband Joaquin (Rash Flores). Rudy (Albie Casino) just broke up with his girlfriend Tricia (Mia Cruz). One day, both of them wound up booking the same car on the online app Kasalo. When the car they were sharing had a flat tire, the two of them decided to go into a nearby bar to drown out their respective relationship problems. From the bar, the two ended up in a motel.
Both original pairs here -- Kaye and Flores, and especially Casino and Cruz -- had absolutely no chemistry. They were so mismatched, you can easily see why their characters were not compatible at all. Try as she may, Kaye cannot do much to salvage her inherently problematic character. Casino does not seem to take his acting seriously here (or in any of his Vivamax films), coming across as lousy as ever. 1/10.
Directed by Jay Castillo
Written by Rijel Reyes
Head writer John Carlo Pacala
Brenda (Jenn Rosa) was the most productive agent in her team. When she was bypassed for a promotion to the SME position, her OM Joem (Manu Respall) recommended her to vie for the same position in the team led by TL Carl (Nico Locco), known to be a loyal family man with an environmental advocacy. While she still had daily trysts with her boyfriend Phil (Armani Hector), Brenda decided to butter up her TL to earn her promotion.
Since its inception, Vivamax has certainly made a point of telling its audience that anyone, especially women, could always use their bodies to get a leg up in their careers. From real estate agents and cosplayers before, "TL" now brings us into the world of call center agents. Aside from Brenda, there were two other girls who were being rumored to be sleeping with their TLs, so this film does not exactly enhance their moral reputation of this profession.
As the lead actress, Jenn Rosa is a pretty girl, but she clearly still a neophyte actress. The unnaturally affected way Rosa spoke English to her American clients went against Brenda's supposed commendations for eloquence and speaking skills. These are nothing that a good acting workshop could improve. Nico Locco's Filipino language skills were much better, he looked ill at ease as TL Carl. His acting here was painfully mediocre. 2/10.
Directed by Dustin Celestino
Written by JC Pacala
April (Angeline Aril) was architect working in the firm of her boyfriend Mark (Jhon Mark Marcia), the son of the owner. In her desperation for a promotion, she thought she had to use her feminine wiles to land clients, with disastrous results. Meanwhile, Jonie (Aerol Carmelo) was the head chef of a restaurant owned by the company of his rich girlfriend Mae (Kara Fernandez). One day, April and Jonie met each other in a bar, and got along too well.
Since they were written by the same writer JC Pacala, "Cheaters" was practically a reworking of "Kasalo." Two individuals having problems with their significant others hook up for a secret affair, and then they contemplate whether they are doing the right thing or not. As before, Carmelo had a natural easygoing vibe in his acting. Aril is quite attractive, but her playing April as a dumb bimbo a bit too well may give viewers the wrong impression about her. Fernandez did not look like the type who'd bare in a Vivamax film.
Director Dustin Celestino had just proved his excellence as a director with "Sa Duyan ng Magiting," my #1 best Filipino film of 2023. However, this new project of his was a disappointing follow-up. There wasn't much he could do with this lame story and script. During their few dramatic scenes (in between the numerous sex scenes), the limited acting skills of his neophyte cast here cannot save the pretentiousness of the script. 4/10
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