You Changed My Life

♣♣♣♣/♣♣♣♣♣

What they could have done was to shorten this movie, shorten A Very Special Love, and then combine them. Voila! One movie. I think AVSL was all "kilig" moments and sacrificed any plot complications necessary for character development. As for this sequel it is less mushy and concentrated more on introducing conflicts to drive the plot forward. It is like making two movies when you could just make one.

I think what is good about this movie and its prequel is that the chemistry between John Lloyd and Sarah is not forced. The audience was not swooning like colegialas in this sequel as they were in the first movie, but they were laughing all the way. So I think the love team still has its charm. It is also good that the movie is not over hyped and that it is not claiming to be anything more than it really is.

Sarah was funny. You do not know if the character is just naive, too optimistic, or plain "loka-loka." Her "pa-demure" acting made the audience cringe, perhaps because they were embarrassed on her behalf for being head over heels in love with on screen boyfriend and not being able to hide it. There were some awkward drama scenes and a few singing but the rest are mostly "pa-cute."

I think the movie is a bit boring compared to the first one. Maybe because it is a sequel and we no longer needed any introduction to the characters, except for the third wheel newcomer. I think it dragged on a bit. I admit I enjoyed the first one more but in terms of plot development I think this one is better. Like I already said, they could have just made a shorter version of the two and combined it into one complete movie.

The movie is still funny. The first one had girls screaming every two minutes. As for this one they were just laughing. Supporting cast had a lot of negative "pang-asar" comments which drew laughter from the crowd every time they threw their punch lines. Some passé text quote overload present, but delivered in a funny way. Special participation of Mikee Cojuangco, who was channeling a less annoying version of cousin Kris Aquino.

Rayver as the third wheel, well they had chemistry too. They are trying to salvage his career after the love team with Shaina flopped. The problem with this kid is that he looks like an eternal teenager. He grows taller but his face remains the same, which to some people comes off as strange. Peter Pan? Hahaha. And because of that in this movie it seems like two freshmen are competing for Sarah's attention, one from college and the other from high school.

As for John Lloyd, congratulations. He managed to break free from the love team curse and could now make blockbusters of his own regardless with whom he is paired. Let us see if Bea Alonzo could do the same. As for Sarah I think she should add more to her acting repertoire. She cannot do pa-cute roles forever. Neither could she sing on screen in lieu of acting. But I still think she is a legit triple threat, just needs to hone her skills.

Conclusion, still an enjoyable movie to watch. Movie could stand on its own but better seen right after watching the first one again.