Poster of “Ang Mga Kaibigan Ni Mama Susan” starring Joshua Garcia. Image from Regal Entertainment, Inc.
I am coming in blind for this one as I was unable to attend the special screening and press conference for “Ang Mga Kaibigan Ni Mama Susan,” which will be the latest movie offering from Regal Entertainment, Inc. and will be shown on Prime Video (Philippines) starting on May 18, 2023.
What I did, though, was to immediately purchase and read the book that night. And boy, what a fascinating, imaginative, and well-crafted book this “Ang Mga Kaibigan Ni Mama Susan” is, a mystery-horror told from the first-person perspective in a journal entry style. Now, I have realized on my own why this book has remained popular and relevant and why its jump to the big screen was bound to happen sooner than later.
I will not reveal the stories of the popular fictional book by outstanding and prolific author Bob Ong because I am assuming a lot of people have already read it. But for those who have not yet, maybe you will want to watch first its onscreen adaptation starring Joshua Garcia because that would be a great way for you to do your own comparisons between the book by Bob Ong and how “Ang Mga Kaibigan Ni Mama Susan” was translated on the big screen.
Better yet, watch the movie and then read the book because I have a strong feeling that under the expertise of an institution and legendary showbiz figure like Ms. Roselle Monteverde from Regal at the helm of this, this would surpass expectations or at the very least meet the demands of the readers of the book in capturing its essence.
Joshua Garcia with Roselle Monteverde for “Ang Mga Kaibigan Ni Mama Susan”. Image from Regal Entertainment, Inc.
The movie version of “Ang Mga Kaibigan Ni Mama Susan” is directed by Chito S. Rono who is one of the all-time greatest directors in modern Philippine Cinema. I find that it is the right call for him to direct this highly anticipated movie starring Joshua Garcia because when it comes to directing younger talents and helping them unlock their hidden potential, the name Chito S. Rono comes to the forefront. His long track record speaks for itself. Likewise, he has discovered a few then-unknown young actors who are now household names.
In terms of casting the titular lead, it was the best choice to have Joshua Garcia for this one because you need a young male actor who is still innocent-looking and one that people will most likely believe that this is how the main character would have been and looked if “Ang Mga Kaibigan Ni Mama Susan” would be turned into a movie.
Additionally, Joshua Garcia has improved significantly as an actor and this movie I am hoping will further lend credence to that because I am going to watch it as all of you will when it begins streaming on Prime Video on May 18, 2023.
To all the fans and supporters of Joshua Garcia, get to watch him in a way you have never seen him before because if the book “Ang Mga Kaibigan Ni Mama Susan” is this imaginative, interesting, and entertaining, then imagine how much more its movie version could be. I am hoping they can capture lightning in a bottle in this book-to-movie adaptation.
I will want to mention as well that this movie is significant for another reason. It was already in pre-production when the pandemic hit and obviously, it was abruptly halted because of that. And now, to see that “Ang Mga Kaibigan Ni Mama Susan” is going to be released and available for streaming beginning on May 18, 2023, is a most positive sign that things are truly getting back to normal in showbiz.