Review of THAT KIND OF LOVE: Coaxing the Coach

July 11, 2024

Milagros "Mila" Maharlika (Barbie Forteza) was a therapist who specialized in love affairs. She earned extra cash by extending her services as a love coach or dating adviser. She believed that she can make love happen. She loved love and she knew she was good at it. When she entered a room, she would immediately scan all the people and figured out their personalities based on how she read them.  

Adam de Dios (David Licauco) was the CEO of their family-owned shipping and logistics company. He was not inclined to commit when it came to matters of love, setting very stringent expectations from girls. At his wedding, his cousin Noah (Ivan Carapiet) introduced Adam to his love coach who happened to be Mila. Adam proposed to Mila that he will hire her as a personal assistant to help him with his relationships.  

This film, written by Ellis Catrina and directed by Cathy Camarillo, was a rom-com in the most typical sense. Two people with very different lifestyles had a meet-cute, with a slight twist. Even if they initially hated each other's guts, they had to spend a lot of time together. The whole audience already knew they were falling in love with each other, but then, in comes a third wheel Sofia (Kaila Estrada).  This was very familiar plot indeed.

Even if we can already see the ending from afar, audiences will hang on through its entire 2 hour-18 minute running time mainly because of the romantic chemistry between the two lead stars. As expected, Barbie Forteza was sassy and funny as Mila, especially in her scenes with Divine Aucina (as her BFF Aya). Not surprisingly, David Licauco effortlessly fit into the rich boy mold to a T as Adam, who conceitedly extolls his own perfection. 

We are treated to scenes showing off Adam's rich and famous lifestyle, with the seaside restaurants, golf courses. yacht cruising and private jets, as well as pretty and picturesque locations in Seoul, South Korea.  Mila gave the impression that her parents (Al Tantay and Arlene Muhlach) led a hard life and she dreams of giving them a dream home. However, when their "old" house was shown, it looked so grand and dreamy already.  7/10.