Jolina and Marvin reunite after 25 years as ‘Ex Ex Lovers’
MANILA, Philippines — Jolina Magdangal and Marvin Agustin are proving that some love teams are built to last.
They are set to rekindle their onscreen chemistry in the upcoming film “Ex Ex Lovers,” directed by JP Habac, which promises to bring back the charm of classic romantic comedies that defined an era.
Jolina and Marvin, whose last film together was “I.T.A.L.Y. (I Trust And I Love You)” in 2008, first became popular as a reel pair in the ‘90s with films like “Hey Babe!” and “Flames: The Movie.”
Surprised that they still have a following, even though they went on separate ways and career trajectories, the stars are grateful to have never become a couple in real life. Otherwise, the kilig over their partnership wouldn’t have lasted long enough to generate interest if not clamor for a reunion project.
“Ex Ex Lovers” also tackles a theme somewhat inspired by the Philippines being one of the last places in the world — the other one is Vatican City — where divorce is not legal. Set in Malta, one of the last countries to legalize divorce, the film adds a unique backdrop rarely explored in Philippine cinema. In the film, Jolina is Joy, who travels to Malta to ask her estranged partner Ced, played by Marvin, to walk their daughter down the aisle. However, with the exes still harboring hard feelings from the past, both chaos and chemistry resurface in unexpected ways.
The project, which has been in the works since 2018, underwent several changes before taking its current form.
According to direk Tonette Jadaone of Project 8 Projects, one of the producers with Cornerstone Entertainment, “It wasn’t ‘Ex Ex Lovers’ in the beginning because it was a completely different story. Before, hindi pa siya rom-com na rom-com. May pagka-sexy, hahaha. But it seemed their schedules didn’t align and then, finally, everything fell into place. I feel like the timing is just right.”
The film also pays homage to the era of ‘90s love teams, which direk Tonette fondly recalled: “We really miss Marvin and Jolina because they represent that era — the time of ‘Gimik,’ Judy Ann Santos-Rico Yan, Mylene Dizon-Bojo Molina — they were love teams without specific names like we see now.”
She further described how the romcom genre back in the ‘90s was very different, a “classic” example where romance and comedy intertwined seamlessly.
Tonette added, “I think Marvin and Jolina have a unique brand of rom-com. Their comedy, even before in ‘Labs Kita, Okay Ka Lang’ and ‘Gimik,’ was very physical. Because they came across as best friends, their playful teasing felt relatable. For us, as rom-com fans, we missed that kind of film where you watch a movie to feel kilig and laugh.
“Yes, there’s a bit of drama, but the lightness of the romcom (genre) of the ‘90s, we want to relive that in ‘Ex Ex Lovers.’”
For Jolina, returning to this genre was a challenge, especially after coming from a more serious project like the series “Lavender Fields,” which became her comfort zone.
She said, “Medyo nangapa ako kasi sa acting galing ako sa ‘Lavender Fields,’ ibang-iba talaga siya. Dito, paano ko ibabalik yung saan ako comfortable talaga.”
Marvin, nevertheless, stressed their trust in the creative process: “We know that we’re working with great people so that’s the reason why we have to let go kasi yung acting na ginagawa namin ni Jolina, that’s our (type of) chemistry and style.
“Then, it’s up to them how they want to shoot that. Of course, the material, we really talked about it and during the shooting, alam na namin and nagkakaintindihan na kami kung ano gusto namin na ipalabas at iparating sa tao in terms of material.”
Working together again made them also think about how they are as a pair — then and now. “Ang mga naalala ko, kung paano kami before pag nagtatrabaho, kung paano kami nag-aaway, nagtatampuhan,” said Jolina.
“But now, sobrang connected kami ni Marvin.”
There were some surprises as well. Marvin shared that when they were young, Jolina would make him feel like she was jealous, but he thought she was just messing with him.
“I thought, this girl is really good at playing games, it felt like jealousy,” he recalled.
“But you know, I only realized now that she was really the jealous type. Honest ‘to, I felt it last night when I was talking to someone on the phone about work.
“Tapos bwisit siya: ‘Pwede bang ‘wag may kausap sa telepono kasi ngayon lang tayo magkikita tapos next year na ulit? Pwede ba ‘pag shooting shooting?’
“So parang syota (acting like a girlfriend). Syota ba kita? Hahaha! But ramdam na ramdam ko yung friendship na hinihingi niya kasi matagal kaming ‘di magkikita. She really considers me a true friend. Kaibigan niya lang ako (I’m just her friend) hahaha.”
As for Jolina, if she had something to say to her younger self as one-half of their love team, it would be: “Bakit pa ako nagdadalawang isip na gawin si Marvin na bestfriend? Kasi ngayon ko talaga nakita at nararamdaman na totoo talaga siyang kaibigan.”
According to her, there are many things she shares with Marvin that she doesn’t tell others. “And I’m happy when he shares about his life with me. I used to think, ‘Can I really trust this person?’ Even though we’ve done a lot of movies together. But I shouldn’t have thought that because he’s a good friend. There’s forever with Marvin.”
For Marvin, it was the right decision to stay friends. “Whatever we did and the decisions we made in our lives were just right because I don’t think mag-wo-work talaga kami kung kaming-kami. But this kind of friendship, I don’t think it’s something that can be taken away from us.”
For both Marvin and Jolina, their main goal now is to entertain audiences, from those who grew up in the ‘90s to the younger ones who are into the ‘90s vibe.
“It’s so fulfilling to make a film with the simple goal of making people happy,” said Marvin.
They also steer clear of making any comparisons between today’s loveteams to theirs.
Jolina said, “It’s different now compared to before, starting with the platforms we have today. I don’t want to make that comparison because Marvin and I are doing this dream project because... we just want to enjoy our friendship, partnership and spark. Or that magic between us that we can’t even explain.”
Since this is a romcom, they were asked about a possible kissing scene. Marvin joked, “Wala. ‘Di pa siya pwede. Bata pa siya.”
He added, “If you watch the film, you’ll see it’s not necessary.”
Jolina said, “This movie doesn’t need to be super heavy or sexy just because the roles are mature. It can still feel like before, but you’ll see the growth in these two characters.”
“Ex Ex Lovers” will be showing as Valentine’s offering in February.
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