Film review: She’s the One So real, so believable

MANILA, Philippines - Falling in love with your best friend is not a far-fetched idea or situation. Hence, the plot of Star Cinema’s latest offering, She’s the One, is so believable and so real that yes, it can happen to anyone.

Ordinary viewers, those who are in love, those who are optimistic that they can find true love, the love-torn and even the forlorn can easily relate to the film, directed by Mae Czarina Cruz (who earlier megged hits like Bcuz of U, Babe I Love You, Catch Me I’m in Love, Every Breath You Take and 24/7 in Love).

Bannered by the first team-up of Dingdong Dantes and Bea Alonzo (who play best friends Wacky and Cat), She’s the One is a feel-good, romantic-comedy flick. The film, however, weaves a familiar plot used in a number of big screen releases, some even memorable ones, in the past.

Wacky and Cat have been friends for a long time. They look after each other and care for each other, but that’s what makes their relationship complicated. Both of them set aside, or to put it bluntly, ignore, their real feelings for each other. Never mind even if once upon a time, they did “tonsil hockey” while they were both intoxicated.

Enter Enrique Gil (David), a student who chanced upon Cat, his “girl in the rain” while the latter was changing tires of her car one stormy night. He can’t get her off his mind so he sets out a massive “call” on the Internet (with over a million hits) to locate her.

With the help of Wacky who’s a TV personality, David gets to meet Cat in person and immediately falls for her. Wacky, however, initiates the televised David-Cat meeting mainly to boost the ratings of his morning show and saves his sagging hosting career.

David and Cat go out on a date and eventually end up with each other, although their relationship is short-lived. In the end, it was not hard to predict who would end up with who.

Although the film is predictable from the start — you know that Wacky and Cat will eventually end up together and David will unselfishly give up loving Cat — the story is light and easily adaptable.

Bea had kissing scenes with both her leading men, something she can do with ease and not really make it a big deal in her career, unlike other young actresses who complain right away or readily decline any “tonsil hockey-ing” onscreen.

She’s the One is Dingdong’s third successful salvo with Star Cinema, following Segunda Mano (with Kris Aquino) and One More Try (with Angelica Panganiban and Angel Locsin), making him one of the few bankable leading men in local cinema.

There are other actors who were unfortunately under utilized in the story, such as respected thespians Tony Mabesa and Perla Bautista and perhaps even Maricar Reyes, who was relegated to doing casual conversations as friends of Wacky and Cat.

Despite brief roles, however, the ever-versatile RS Francisco made a marked appearance and Garlic Garcia is best remembered for her scenes and comments, both of them as friends of Wacky and Cat.

Even if this is only their first team-up, it cannot be denied that Dingdong and Bea have a strong chemistry onscreen even if both of them are committed in real life. She’s the One is undoubtedly such a huge box-office hit. To date, the film has raked in more than P100M and it continues to make money.

So do we see a Dingdong-Bea reunion in another Star Cinema film next year or maybe a fourth project for Dingdong under Star Cinema? Either of the two is possible.