The art of scene-stealing

Film review: My Valentine Girls

Opening just in time for everyone’s favorite Red-Letter Day, My Valentine Girls is a light-hearted romp through the perils, pitfalls and travails of falling in love. With leading man Richard Gutierrez as our guide, the film is structured as a triptych — three stories that are loosely bound as creations of a writer. Of course, Richard plays the writer, and ably takes on the role of leading man in the three romantic vignettes. Handling directorial chores are Dominic Zapata, Andoy Ranoy and screen playwright Chris Martinez. While the first two stories are more straightforward treatments of love stories and quandaries, it’s the third story, set in some post-Holocaust Manila and played for laughs, that steals the film and evinced the strongest audience reaction... and pleasure! 

In the first episode, Rhian Ramos is Richard’s leading lady, with elements of ghosts and unrequited love; while the second story has both Lovi Poe and Solenn Heussaff positing the age-old dilemma of when are best friends destined to be best of lovers. Lovi is a wonderful revelation in the episode, with her earnest, heartfelt acting as the one who has to face the truth of what is not meant to be. And of course, with the unflappable Eugene Domingo playing the role of the last woman on Earth in the third story, we have the episode that had people laughing like there was no tomorrow!

We open this story with Aidan (Richard) worried that other than radioactive-infected zombies, he is the last person in the world. Running away from said zombies and seeking sanctuary in a church leads him to be discovered by Ivy (Eugene), a bank manager who was down in an underground bank vault when Armageddon descended. Playing man-hungry to the hilt, Eugene is a wonderful foil to Richard’s cool screen persona. And while rejecting her advances is what makes for the comedic elements of the episode, tables are turned when Aidan insists on looking for other survivors and they stumble upon an all-male community who treat Ivy as goddess and savior! Where this amusing premise will lead our two protagonists is what made the episode so satisfying. Kudos to Chris and the cast for the entertaining episode. And while the first two stories do have their respective merits; hands down, it’s comedy and the interplay between Richard and Eugene that made this film an unqualified winner!