Instructive thespic contrasts in ‘Dolce Amore’

Cherie Gil in “Dolce Amore”

Now that “Dolce Amore” is about to fold its storytelling tent, it’s time to evaluate the plus and minus effects it’s had on its key players.

The fact that the show has been a hit with viewers means that more of its featured stars and starlets’ careers have benefited from being identified with it.

On point of thespic impact, the series has enhanced Cherie Gil’s reputation as a versatile actress who can be credible even in “foreigner” parts.

All too often, other tisoy stars stumble and fumble when they portray non-Filipinos, but Cherie’s approximation of Liza Soberano’s Italian foster mother in “Dolce Amore” is more convincing.

Newer player Ruben Maria Soriquez, as Liza’s dad, has also more than passed muster, so we hope to see him on local screens again after the show’s conclusion.

As for second-lead player Matteo Guidicelli’s own portrayal of Liza’s Italian best friend and most ardent suitor, the young actor similarly did well.

For a long while, he had to blandly bide his time as the story focused on Liza and Enrique Gil. Towards the show’s second half, however, Matteo’s character took a disturbing and even shockingly “darker” tone.

This gave him an opportunity to play his “villain” card for attention-calling contrast, and he ended up as more than just a “third leg” in the series’ stellar support structure.

In our view, Matteo’s unexpectedly textured portrayal here has enhanced his reputation as a thespic comer, so we hope his handlers will expeditiously follow up with even more challenging TV-film vehicles for him this season. People quickly forget, you know.

As for the show’s leads, Liza is clearly the biggest beneficiary of its success.

Her combination of telegenic beauty, youth, charisma and increasing stellar “confidence” has made her the young-adult female star du jour and on the local TV screen.

To underscore and challenge her stellar promise, “Dolce Amore” gave her many different moods and styles to vivify—making her thespic task more difficult, but also enhancing its impact and success.

In instructive contrast, Enrique hasn’t done as swimmingly, shiningly well because he’s generally opted to play it appealingly cute and boy-next-door for too much, too long in the show’s run.

He is charming, frisky and cute as all get-out, but viewers eventually wondered if there were other strings he could strum?

Much later in the series, Enrique did get a chance to show what else he could do, when his character was made to turn hard and rich and cold-hearted.

Unfortunately, the main thespic adjustments he’s made so far for this new screen persona have been to cut his hair, put on a cold, scornful look and break Liza’s heart to avenge what his character mistakenly thought was her own, prior deception and cruelty.

These relatively superficial shifts have fallen short of showcasing him as a versatile performer, so we hope that he can still turn things around before the series wraps up its storytelling.