When Sari (Kim Chiu) was a little girl, she was a happy and fearless child. However, one day, she met an ugly witch who told her that all the men who would fall in love with her will disappear. Since then, she considered herself cursed, especially when the boys she had a crush on all vanished from her life. Even her favorite actor went missing when she planted a kiss on his image on her television. She has resigned herself to being single for life.
After his abruptly aborted wedding, Jolo (Paulo Avelino) was on the run from gangster loan sharks Boss Poyo (Bernard Palanca) and Madame Tala (Ruffa Mae Quinto). He went to hide out in a compound which he inherited from his grandmother called Tahanan Homes, which was coincidentally also where Sari lived. When he learned about Sari's curse, Jolo had the crazy idea of making Sari fall in love with him, so he could just disappear.
This romance-comedy-drama film reunites Kim Chiu and Paulo Avelino with director Chad Vidanes, who also directed the Philippine adaptation of K-drama "What's Wrong with Secretary Kim?" where their Kim-Pau loveteam bloomed. The romantic chemistry between the two leads was very easy and relaxed. They were clearly comfortable working with each other, as the film went from scenes of slapstick comedy to emotional drama and vice versa.
That the basic premise of the film was based on a so-called curse did make the film feel quite whimsical. However, Kim Chiu was able to make us empathize with her Sari, who had long been socially crippled by cruel words. She maintained her good nature, even as her being single had long been a joking matter with her friends. Chiu carried over the goodwill of her public persona to make Sari likable, even if she tended to overdo her sweetness.
Paulo Avelino had a tougher time making his character Jolo likable. He started out as some sort of a walking red flag with his selfish personality and shady backstory. He had wanted to sell Tahanan Homes in order to get him out of a huge debt. His initial reason for courting Sari was to use her curse to solve his problem. Of course, this was a rom-com and Jolo just so happened to possess Avelino's natural charm, so everything gets smoothed out in the end.
To add to the fun and the chaos, Sari had a host of friends at work (Frenchie Dy, Charm Aranton), and at home (Peewee O'Hara, Wilma Doesnt, Nico Antonio, Lovely Abella-Manalo, Benj Manalo, Migs Almendras, Martin Escudero). Sari had a pet hamster named Cookie (voiced by Melai Cantiveros) who served as the narrator. There were also cameo appearances by Piolo Pascual, and PBB alumni Ashley Sofia "Fyang" Smith and JM Ibarra.
I had reservations about certain scenes of a sensitive nature. Sari's accidentally-pregnant teen sister (Karina Bautista) was very rude to Sari, as if her condition was something to be proud of. Also, Jolo seemingly took advantage of Sari's vulnerability on the day she finally gave in for her first kiss. Having that sweet moment go all the way to a romp in the bedroom on that very same night did not feel right. Sadly, this made Sari look too impulsive and desperate. 7/10.
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