My Amnesia Girl

♣♣♣♣/♣♣♣♣♣

No. It is not really a rehash of 50 First Dates, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, or any other amnesia film you could think of. The similarities end with the amnesia issue. There is a big twist at the end which somehow resembles the twist of another Toni Gonzaga movie. Although not exactly the same, they are almost similar in terms of the chain of events leading to the revelation, and the irony of it all.

The thing about watching John Lloyd movies is that no matter who his leading lady is, there will always be that throng of screaming fans making their presence felt on every close-up, and their laughter is quite contagious. It is a communal experience linked by a happy ambience where everyone is just having fun. This is always advantageous for the movie. Sometimes you no longer know if it is the scene or the line that is funny or just the fact that the audience is so much affected.

Generous display of Toni’s legs, separate billing please. And Agassi, it’s 2010. Is stripping still your definition of acting? Well at least he is tolerable here. Agassi aside, they have a solid supporting cast. Joross Gamboa is like a male Matet. Every punch line he delivers does not fail in making the audience laugh. Bea Saw is also on the right path to becoming one of Star Cinema’s movie best friends.

It is already obvious from the theme song that they would be banking on cheesy dialogues for comedic effect. The audience’s reactions to them are quite mixed. What is noticeable is that John Lloyd has gotten most of the good ones, as proven by audience impact. Either that or he is just better in delivering his lines than Toni. In terms of acting it is nice to see him portray a more upbeat role this time. Rumor has it that the role is originally intended for Vhong Navarro. John Lloyd, however, does not disappoint.

This is Toni’s genre, no doubt. Shifting from comedy to drama and vice-versa is very easy for her. Her shining moment in this movie is the Bahay Kubo scene. That scene is just full of intense and contrasting emotions. You can feel her anger but still the mood is somewhat kept light thanks to the dialogue. And hearing her curse is a pleasant surprise, adds a lot to the scene.

As for the Rom-Com genre, this is probably the best Cathy Garcia-Molina has come up with. I would not go as far as to say that this is her best work to date because a lot of One More Chance fans would not agree. It is a highly enjoyable movie, and you could maximize the fun if you see it in a full cinema.

Only three films have crossed the 100-million mark in the Philippine Box Office this year, and on top of that is another John Lloyd starrer, Miss You like Crazy (140M+ while the other two are Here Comes the Bride and Petrang Kabayo, both in the vicinity of 120M). And who could better challenge the current top-grosser than a movie starring the Box Office king himself. However, My Amnesia Girl has its disadvantages: its run coincides with Harry Potter and will be cut short by the Metro Manila Film Festival. On the contrary, I believe that 100M is already a guarantee. Enjoyable films like this usually have good legs in the box office and the power of word of mouth.

Love the Post-It house!