I admit my initial impression with Must Be...Love is that it's
simply a vehicle to cash in the popularity of a teen love team but to my
surprise it's actually more than that. While it still has all the
cutesy stuff to generate “kilig” moments, the movie surprisingly touches
on more personal and emotional themes that makes it more than just
fluff.
Patchot (Kathryn Bernardo) and Ivan (Daniel Padilla) have been best
friends since they were kids. Now that they are teenagers Patchoy
realizes that she does not see Ivan as a friend anymore but the problem
is, he is now courting her cousin. For once, boyish Patchoy wants to
explore her femininity in hopes of winning Ivan's heart but it won't be
easy as the change she wants contradicts how her father (John Estrada)
raised her.
Star Cinema romantic movies usually adds a sad family background to
their characters to justify why they are behaving that way in the
present and usually it doesn't work out because the inclusion of those
back stories are often too contrived with no reason but add a
melodramatic effect. In Must Be...Love, the two teens grew up
with a broken family and this time around the back stories of the
characters are more believable and easily relatable. The element of
family drama was seamlessly integrated to the romantic story. It gave us
a solid foundation to understand the characters' apprehensions and
insecurities. The lead characters are more well-rounded especially
Patchot as she isn't just a helpless girl hopelessly devoted to her best
friend but an adolescent discovering a lot of things about herself for
the first time.
The main plot is still predictable and did not add any new angle on the
“best friends falling for each other” love story and as usual did not
give that much dimension to the third wheel other than simply being a
hindrance for the destined pair to be together. Also, the movie's
portrayal of a girl's boyishness and the subsequent “girl
transformation” is tired and formulaic. However, the direction exudes a
youthful and lighthearted vibe that it's hard to not to smile on its
very sweet nature. Padilla and Bernardo's chemistry is so good that the
target demographic (and maybe some adults as well) will surely find
themselves rooting for them to be together. However, Padilla still needs
to work on his dramatic skills especially that he is paired with such a
strong young actress. Bernardo just sells every emotion from
infatuation to awkwardness to pain effectively.
Must Be...Love is a pleasant surprise. Just as I thought that
this is a typical flash in the pan romcom, it gives an honest look on a
young person's struggle with one's self and how it affects her
relationships as she grows up. It doesn't exactly offer a fresh insight
but it wore its heart on its sleeve that is simply hard to dismiss.
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