From losers to winners

VELASQUEZ AND MUHLACH.More than the sum of their separate portrayals.

At first blush, Joyce Bernal’s “Of All The Things” would appear to have a lot of factors working against its success: Its three-year, off-and-on shooting stretch, the relative plumpness of its lead actors, Aga Muhlach and Regine Velasquez, etc.

We’re happy to report, however, that the film has turned out to be, against all odds, a winsome winner—the best Filipino movie we’ve seen this quarter, in fact.

What makes it work so well? Some aces up its ample sleeve: Most local rom-coms are about idealized and pluperfect lovers, but this one is about two losers (for a change!).

Challenge

To their credit, instead of resisting playing imperfect types, Aga and Regine embrace the challenge, and give it all the sourness and pain they can summon up—which turns out to be a lot! Aga’s character is particularly frustrated because he flunked the bar and has to scrounge up a sheepish living as a fake notary public.

For her part, Regine plays an all-around fixer and wheeler-dealer, who “hires” Aga to “legalize” her shady schemes. Eventually, Aga wants out, but it’s too late—he’s fallen for her. —Trouble is, she has verbalization problems when it comes to reciprocating his avowed affection, so their urong-sulong romance still doesn’t pan out.

—Until they both finally face up to their failures and admit that they’ve painted themselves into an increasingly constricted and constricting corner—if they want to have a final crack at any sort of happiness in life.

Director Bernal’s focused control over the development of this cranky and crazy love story is admirable to behold. She also motivates her leads to daringly do their “worst” in making their characters as unphotogenic as possible.

Trouble is, it looks like the director-actor team has left its audience far behind, with some viewers balking at giving up their illusions and delusions about “perfect” screen love.

That’s just too bad, because “Of All The Things” gifts them with much more than the predictable gloss and folderol found in the usual rom-com “escape hatch” productions.

Yes, the characters Aga and Regine play in their latest costarrers are tired and bruised losers, but they end up as winners, because they finally dare to confront their respective demons and help each other make something of their battered lives again. If you at all care about quality and substance in the movies you watch, give this film—and yourselves—a break.