#SevenSundays : #TheKneeJerkCritic Movie Review

It was a date da jowa along with da mudra day when I saw #sevensundays sa Glorietta. Pila-galore at umuwi kaming tatlong luhaan… but in a good way.

Honestly I i would have gladly paid for the movie ticket if only to see Dingdong Dantes and Aga Muhlach do their stuff in together in a single frame. Kebs ko na sa kwento at the ibang artista.

Pero ‘day, the movie delivered and more.

Ganito ang kwento. Fudra de pamilya ang silver fox widower Ronaldo Valdez. Keri naman ang buhay except wala-i sa balur ang kanyang children.  Ang inaanak lang niyang si Ketchup Eusebio ang kasama  niya dahil na may kanya-kanya nang concerns and familial issues keme ang mga bonakis nitish.

At the start of the movie, wake up happy ang lolo niyo dahil birthday niya, hoping na the bonakis would make the effort naumapir sa balur dahil kabirthdayan nga de ba, Kaso isa-isang tumawag with some excuse-me-i-have other-priorities. Just like the previous years.

Ouch de vah?

Syempre feeling neglected ang lolo niyo though up to the last minute humohopia siya. Kaso talagang waley bonakis na umapir sa balur niya at ang  humabol instead at midnight ay ang kumpareng doctor niya, just to informed him na may cancer siya and have 2 months to live.

Panalo sa timing si doc de ba? Pwede naman sigurongg kinabukasan i-deliver ang mensahe pero humabol pa ng dis-oras ng gabi para sabihing “Happy bithday pare, last mo na yan kasi matetegibams ka na in 2 months”. Fabulous de ba.

Nyeta.

Pero yun yata talaga ang birthday gift for fudra dahil imbes na mangulutoy na lang siya sa kwarto, he made lemonade out this particular lemon, at ginamit niya ang balitang taning sa buhay  to get what he really wants, what he really really wants: ang mag-uwian ang mga bonakis nang sabay-sabay sa balur to be one big happy family again. *cough* Tanging Yaman * cough*

(Which is not a bad thing, huh. Hindi naman rip off ang Seven Sundays eh, may similarity lang ang premise. And diffinitely this movie has it’s own charm, thanks to some clever writing, amazing performances, at hindi nakakairatang product placement ng lata ng biskwit.)

Fudra’s emotional blackmailing brought back together ang rich, trim at slim second son Dingdong na may issues pala with droopy-cheek pero havey pa ring eldest son Aga. Along  with the two were only girl Cristine Reyes na may angganda magdala ng losyang shirts pero may marriage issues,  and mapintog na bunsoy Enrique Gil na may acting issues, charot, abandonment issues pala.

One would expect na dahil casting coup ang Dingdong-Aga, the filmakers would make a dramatic fight to the death between the two.

Wisely, they were made to play second fiddle to Ronaldo Valdes.  Ronaldo was more than up for the task, delivering a myriad of layers sa role niya.

And i got what i paid for: Dong and Aga in a single frame. Hunggaling. Walang bombastic histrionic, quiet emotions lang. Walang lamunan. Walang pasiklaban. Achullee parang nagbibigayan pa nga sila para magshine lalo yung performance ng kaeksena nila rather that smagsapawan. Bungga Cathy Molina-Garcia. Bungga.

Bukod sa interaction ni Ronaldo with his “children”, worth watching rin ang interaction ni Ronaldo with Ketchup Eusebio, who reminded me of the young Dolphy noong support pa lang ang comedy king na kinaklaro ko lang eh napanood ko sa numerous replays ng old movies noon sa RPN 9 ok.

Ketchup served a multi-dimentional support character without overtly calling attention to himself, unlike *insert your favorite or unfavorite perky panbansang bff name here* In short hindi siya nang-aagaw ng eksena. Pero if you watch his face, laging may nangyayari, maski wala sa kanya ang focus ng scene.

Cristine Reyes is a revelation for me here dahil lumevel-up siya. May gravitas na ang lokah! The way she acted, aba wala takot ang pohtah. She projects as if at par na siya sa stellar presence nina Ronaldo, Aga at Dingdong. This confidence served her and the movie well. Ituloy mo yan gurl, pa-A-list ka na.

At dahil kapatid at hindi syubit ng Dong ang role ni Cristine, safe ka sa possible wrath of we-all-know-who.

Which leaves Enrique Gil.

Ayyy how perfect the sentence, dahil naiwan talaga siya. Charot.

Sayang kasi. The movie would have been a great oppurtunity to learn and maybe get out of his comfort zone, kaso the usual Enrique Gil pa rin ang napanood ko.

Usually blow by blow ang accounting ko ne pelikula but since i’m writing this while showing pa ang movie, at gusto kong ma-experience niyo rin ang the joys of walang humpay ng luha habang nakangiti, waley na munang spoiler.

Basta bring panyo, tissue, bimpo or bath towel. Otherwise humandang lumabas ng sine na basa ang sariling kwelyo or ang sleeves ng t-shirt ng jowa niyo. Get ready for a good cry. Ansaya niya.

*** (Dedmahin niyo na lang yung closing sequence and pretend na na hindi siya nangyari, ok?)