The family that ‘rom-coms’ together

MANILA, Philippines – The phenomenal Be My Lady exits on Nov. 25 while Langit Lupa enters, both with Mel Mendoza-del Rosario as creative manager, on Nov. 28.

From family to a friendship story, both are light stories that take comedy in a literal sense. They are romantic comedies or rom-coms colloquially — light narratives based on the code that love conquers all.

Mel has a personal reason for specializing in the genre. Her mother, Luningning, and father, Manolo, are regular viewers who watch to read the “Mendoza” in the credits.

Mel never dropped her maiden surname due to their unwavering loyalty in watching her features and series for this touching reason. Familial love pushes Mel to write: “My mom had a stroke in June 1975. Motivation niya lang lumabas para manood ng movie na ako ang scriptwriter.”

“But the happy part was the sickness made our family solid. There was one goal to make her well. Seeing my father devote his life to caring for us and my mother probably is the happiest part. We were able to laugh about serious stuff,” she shares. 

Mel Mendoza-del Rosario

Mel beats around the bush when asked if she popularized the rom-com in local cinema, “‘Yung mga old movies nila Nida (Blanca)-Nestor (de Villa), Gloria (Romero)-Juancho (Gutierrez) or Pancho (Magalona)-Tita (Duran) parang the rom-com of that time. Romantic ang Pinoy. Hindi na mawawala sa atin ang rom-com.”

Can she claim to incept rom-com? “Dyahe namang i-claim. (Laughs.) Di ba si Joey Reyes did light love stories din? I can only claim na marami akong rom-com sa filmography ko  from Jolina (Magdangal), Judy (Ann Santos), Donna (Cruz), Mikee (Cojuangco), Regine (Velasquez) and up to now JaDine (James Reid-Nadine Lustre).”

She insists, “Joey did really big stuff — mga Oro Plata Mata. He also did romance. Sino nagsimula ng rom-com? Di ko masabi. But naunang siyang writer. I am sure of that. He did May Minamahal way ahead of me. Would you consider that rom-com?

But she backtracks, “Maybe it’s more of light family drama. Pero ayokong i-claim. Baka rom-com din ang ibang movies ni Mother Lily (Monteverde). Di lang tayo aware.”

“Kasi ‘yung feel ng rom-com dati parang associated more with comedy, tipong Maricel (Soriano)-William (Martinez). I would like to think it is more like the Aga (Muglach)-Regine in my film, Wanted Perfect Mother. Mas captured ang tone na love story with light treatment but also with solid family story.”

How does she see the future of rom-com? “Hindi na siguro mawawala. Maybe mag-iibang label; maybe mag-iibang bihis. Sana nga hindi masyadong dependent sa love teams pero kakagatin pa rin ng audience,” she reads.

Is her love life a rom-com? “I provide the daily comedy in our marriage; my husband is the canned laughter,” Mel wraps up crisply by laughing at herself.