GMA Films’ “My Kontrabida Girl” is one movie we will not hesitate recommending as it opens today nationwide.
As the practice of the film arm of GMA, nagbigay ang GMA Films ng advanced screening for the press last Monday sa cinema 3 ng SM The Block prior to its VIP screening yesterday.
We always find the press screening a lot better than premiere nights at wala kaming kasabayang fans na sumisigaw the whole screening wala na kaming maintindihan sa dialogue and this is specially good for this movie but we will tell you why later.
With the press screening though, expected din that not all stars are in attendance so we’re happy to see some of them like Aljur Abrenica, Enzo Pineda, Sef Cadayona and Kevin Santos to give them our immediate reaction pati na rin si direk Jade Castro and scriptwriter Aloy Adlawan.
“MKG” is all about Isabel Reyes (Rhian Ramos), TV’s current primera kontrabida na biglang nagbago ang pananaw at attitude nang muntik na siyang mapahamak kung hindi lang nasagip ng isang basurero.
Suddenly, she sees the good in everyone and everything but this does not work for her bilang isang kontrabida dahil lumambot na siya.
Say nga ng kanyang manager Nanay Lilet (Manay Lolit Solis) and the network head (Wilma Galvante), she has to take a break and get her mojo back.
Following the internet advise of the queen of all the kontrabida Ms. Bella Flores (as herself) as recommended by the other kontrabidas playing themselves na sina Ms. Cherie Gil, Maritoni Fernandez and Gladys Reyes, binalikan ni Isabel ang unang taong nagpaiyak sa kanya para manumbalik ang galit niya sa mundo and that is elementary classmate Chris Bernal (Aljur).
With assistant Charity (Chariz Solomon) in tow, bumalik si Isabel sa hometown niya para hanapin si Chris at sirain ang buhay niya including the ones sa paligid nito kasama na ang kapatid nitong si Joyce Bernal (Bea Binene) and secret boyfriend Boy (Jake Vargaz), his friends Enzo (Enzo), Kevin (Kevin) and Dex (Sef) and girlfriend (Bela Padilla).
Nagawa ito ni Isabel but with a price to pay including her happiness and so she must unlearn everything she was taught to do to find love if it’s not yet hopeless.
GMA Films scored big on this one thanks to the very clear story, witty dialogues and inside showbiz jokes (that is why best that we saw it without the fans para marinig namin lahat ang lines) and most of all, winning performances from everyone.
Manilaw ang pagkalalahad ng kuwento, walang paliko-liko at pasali-pasaliwa at wala ring bulagaan which we like and we’re speaking as a scriptwriter.
Act one moves to act two and ends with act three seamlessly at walang butas.
The dialogues are funny at hindi pilit so we don’t know which is adlib and which is in the written script.
Even the side comments, funny, like the female fan who thought nakita na niya si Isabel palabas ng hotel pero cabinet lang daw yung nakita nito sabi ng katabi niya. Irreverent but funny.
The inside jokes are relevant too like Aljur being named Chris Bernal (as in Kris Bernal, ang original loveteam niya) and her sister named Joyce Bernal (as in the female director so nang nanligaw formally si Jake sa kanya, tinawag niya itong Binibining Joyce, ang tawag kay direk).
With a good script and a very competent director who hasn’t disappointed us yes since “Endo” and “Zombadings” and “My Kontrabida” certainly maintained this.
Too, he has a knack for making his actors act that is why naka dalawa na siyang Best Actor, kay Jason Abalos sa “Endo” and now Martin Escudero sa “Zombadings”.
With “My Kontrabida Girl”, he made everyone act specially si Aljur.
Aljur’s face is really for the screen, big or small.
Mahal na mahal siya ng camera and with a body to die for and a bukol na finally ay pinasilip niya sa beach scene nila ni Rhian, we can proudly say that Aljur was able to act too and not just serviceably but very well, thank you.
It must have been the role or the motivation of direk Jade but whatever it is, it did help him big time.
We like Aljur’s confrontation scenes first with Bea nang nalaman niyang syota na ito ni Jake, with his aunt nang sumagot-sagot na ito and finally with Rhian when he confronted her in the standard rain effect moment.
He was able to play cute too like noong ipinapakita niya ang mga “batis pictures” niya kay Rhian, how he reacted and what was actually on the pictures.
As to Rhian, she is indeed back with a vengeance she fully vindicated in this movie.
Now we know why GMA Films insisted that she finishes the movie during the heat of her bad experience because Rhian fits the role to the T.
Napakanatural umarte ni Rhian, be it light or heavy. Just like Aljur too, Rhian’s very beautiful on screen and so they have a very good chemistry.
Hindi rin naman nagpahuli ang mga supporting. The tandem of Enzo, Kevin and Sef give good support to Aljur.
Ditto, the second loveteam of the movie na sina Bea and Jake are deserving of their roles.
Special mention though kina Chariz and Gwen who know how to play overacting and under-acting respectively.
As the funny assistant, Chariz is a riot and can steal scene from her co-stars.
We hope that like the leading comediennes today na sina Ai Ai delas Alas, Pokwang and specially Eugene Domingo, ma-elevate din si Chariz to funny lead roles.
Si Gwen naman, we were impressed how she can under-act in several levels makikita mo na ang character niya talaga ang mas sutil kaysa sa character ni Rhian.
May kulang ba sa movie? May mga eksena kaming hinanapan ng musical scoring and we’re very interested what happened to the three maldita girls na umuurot sa mga batang Rhian and Aljur but that’s just about it; no fault of the movie at all.
Some trimming and some editing will also help the movie tremendously but as is, we’re not surprised if Cinema Evaluation Board would at least give this a B or even an A grade.
We hope “My Kontrabida Girl” opens well in the box-office. Vindication “in your face” ito for Rhian and to you know who and it could make GMA Films consider to specialize in comedies and romantic comedies dahil we remember best this genre as the ones we like tulad ng “My Best Friend’s Girlfriend”, “Temptation Island”, “My Valentine Girls” and “You To Me Are Everything”.
Personally speaking, “My Kontrabida Girl” is the best of the lot.