‘Love You So Bad’ REVIEW: Panoorin Mo Lang Kung Trip Mong Marindi
‘Love You So Bad’ REVIEW: Panoorin Mo Lang Kung Trip Mong Marindi
Dustin Yu, Bianca de Vera at Will Ashley sa Love You So Bad / Still courtesy of Star Cinema / Regal / GMA Pictures
This review is written in Tagalog. An English translation is provided.
Aaminin ko na agad na hindi ako fan ng alinman sa dalawang love team na binida sa pelikulang ito. Hindi dahil ayoko sa kanila, pero dahil hindi ako nagkaroon ng pakialam o interes pagdating sa love team culture dito sa ‘Pinas.
Pero bilang mambabasa sa rebyu na ito, mapapatanong kayo: bakit ko pa piniling panoorin ‘to kung hindi ako ang target demographic?
Ang sagot ko lang diyan: wala naman sa target demographic kung magiging maganda ang pelikula sa paningin ng manonood. Oo, pwede siyang mag-udyok sa’yo na panoorin ang palabas, pero hindi dapat yun ang rason. Minsan, trabaho mo din mapanood ang kahit anong palabas, kahit na ‘di mo alam kung magugustuhan mo ito o hindi.
Subalit sa unang minuto pa lang ng pelikulang ito, nagsisi na ako.
Will Ashley at Bianca de Vera sa Love You So Bad | Still courtesy of Star Cinema / Regal / GMA Pictures
“My name is Savannah. My life is a vibe.” Ito ang nakakarinding opening line ng Love You So Bad, noong ipinakilala agad ang karakter ni Bianca de Vera na si Vanna. Siya'y isang college senior na merong dala-dalang problema sa pamilya, at dinadaan niya na lang ito sa inom at party. Isa din siyang influencer na merong hugot: pagdating sa pag-ibig, ibibigay niya ang lahat ng meron siya, kahit na napapabayaan na niya ang sarili nya.
Ang unang love interest ni Vanna na pinakilala ay si LA (Dustin Yu). Isa siyang typical na bad boy. Meron din siyang pinagdadaanan na may kinalaman sa pamilya at direksyon sa buhay, kaya doon nagkaroon sina Vanna at LA ng intindihan, koneksyon at suporta sa isa't isa. Pero dahil pareho nilang dinadaan sa bisyo ang mga problema nila, naging mapait ang kanilang pagsasama, at sa hiling ng estranged mother ni Vanna, humiwalay si LA sa kanya.
Bigla namang pumasok sa eksena ang pangalawang love interest naman ni Vanna, si Vic. Siya'y isang student campus president, at responsableng mag-aaral. Lider din siya sa thesis group ni Vanna. Nagsimula ang relasyon nila sa isang scandal na namunga sa isang ‘di pagkakaintindihan, pero agad nilang tinotoo pagkatapos ng isang maingay na alitan sa harap ng maraming estudyante.
Sa maikling salita, maraming gustong gawin ang Love You So Bad. May mga problema sa pag-ibig at may mga problema sa pamilya. Ang malaking kaso nga lang, masyadong mabilis ang pagbabahagi ng lahat ng relasyon, karakter at storyline. ‘Di man lamang hinimay-himay, basta bato lang ng bato; bahala na sa audience kung sasapul ba sa ulo nila o hindi. Nung umalis nga ako sa sinehan, wala akong dala-dala na galing sa pelikula, maliban lang sa naririndi kong mga tainga.
Hindi rin nakatulong na walang dimensyon ang mga tauhan. Kasing nipis ng plastik ang karakterisasyon. Mas inuna pa ang mga eksenang pampakilig, pero ‘di naman kakilig-kilig kasi ‘di naman kapani-paniwala ang mga pangyayari. Merong drama sa pamilya, pero gaya ng sinabi ko, wala siyang nabuong matibay na pundasyon para sa mga eksena na yun, kaya wala silang impact. Kung may talento ang mga aktor at aktres sa pelikula, hindi ko nakitaan sapagkat mababaw at bara-bara ang iskrip na binigay sa kanila.
Bianca de Vera at Dustin Yu sa Love You So Bad | Still courtesy of Star Cinema / Regal / GMA Pictures
Pero kumpara sa Rewind mula rin kay direk Mae Cruz-Alviar, mas katawa-tawa itong Love You So Bad. Maliban sa kakornihan nya, meron ding siyang isa pang subplot kung saan nasa thesis era itong sina Vanna at Vic. May moment na na-late silang dalawa sa thesis proposal defense nila, at galit na galit ang propesor nila, pero pagkatapos ng presentasyon nila, hindi naman sila ginisa. Palakpakan pa nga sila, walang tanong o kahit ano. Maya’t maya, nagsabi pa ‘tong sila Vic na gusto nilang mag-best thesis; pinili pa nga nilang area of study ang hacienda ni Vic sa South Cotabato. Pero pagdating naman nila, wala naman silang ginawa kundi maglandian at mamasyal ang magjowa habang todo-hiyaw naman sa tabi-tabi ang mga kagrupo nila
Kung ang biggest takeaway ko sa Rewind ay: "Mas mabuti nang mamatay na si Dingdong kung gaganda naman ang buhay nila Marian." Sa Love You So Bad naman, "Okay lang sa mga kagrupo mo sa thesis kung jojowain mo yung marupok na lasingera sa grupo mo, dahil hacienda mo naman ang research locale niyo.”
At kung isipin niyo na parang nilaro ko lang ang rebyu ko sa pelikula, eh parang nilaro lang kasi ng pelikula ang oras ko. Walang katuturan, walang bahid na katotohanan.
Kaya ang payo ko lang sa mga manonood: mas mabuti pang alagaan mo na lang ang sarili mo kaysa panoorin mo ‘to nang may kasama pa.
Ang ‘Love You So Bad’ ay huling ipinalabas bilang bahagi ng lineup ng 2025 Metro Manila Film Festival.
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I’ll admit it right away: I’m not a fan of either of the love teams featured in this film. Not because I dislike the actors, but because I’ve never really cared for the love team culture in the Philippines.
So, as a reader of this review, you might be wondering: why did I even choose to watch this if I’m not the target demographic?
My answer is simple: a film’s quality isn’t determined by its target demographic. Yes, it may encourage you to watch it, but that shouldn’t be the sole reason. Sometimes, it’s also your responsibility to watch films you’re unsure you’ll like—because that’s how you find out whether they actually have something to say.
Unfortunately, within the first minute of seeing Love You So Bad, I already regretted my decision.
“My name is Savannah. My life is a vibe.” This grating opening line introduces Bianca de Vera’s character, Vanna. She’s a college senior and influencer who’s also dealing with family problems, which she copes with through drinking and partying. She lives by a mantra when it comes to love, where she’s willing to give everything she has to a person her heart belongs to, even if it leads to neglecting herself.
We are then introduced to Vanna’s first love interest: LA (Dustin Yu), the typical “bad boy.” LA also has his own struggles, particularly with his family and his direction in life. These shared issues bring them together, creating a sense of understanding, connection, and mutual support. However, because both of them rely on vices to escape their problems, their relationship turns sour. At the request of Vanna’s estranged mother, LA reluctantly breaks up with her.
Soon after, Vanna’s second love interest enters the picture: Vic, a student council president and a responsible, model student. He is also the leader of Vanna’s thesis group. Their relationship begins with a scandal that leads to a misunderstanding and LA confronting her and Vic, but they soon make things official after a loud and public confrontation in front of many students.
In short, the film tries to do too much. The major issue is how quickly everything unfolds. The relationships aren’t given time to breathe or develop. They’re simply thrown at the audience, not caring if it sticks or not. Personally, I walked out of the cinema with nothing but irritated ears.
It doesn’t help that there isn’t a single likable or engaging character. The characterization is plastic-thin. The film prioritizes romantic scenes, but they fail to be swoon-worthy because the events themselves aren’t believable. There is family drama, yes—but as mentioned earlier and similarly to the central love triangle, there’s no solid foundation for these moments, leaving them emotionally hollow.
But compared to Rewind (the previous film directed by Mae Cruz-Alviar), Love You So Bad comes off as even more unintentionally laughable. Beyond its corniness, the film includes a thesis-related subplot involving Vanna and Vic. There’s a scene where they arrive late to their thesis proposal defense, enraging their professor. Yet after their presentation, they aren’t grilled at all. Instead, they’re applauded—no questions, no critique. Later on, they aspire to win the best thesis in their batch, even choosing Vic’s hacienda in South Cotabato as their research locale. But once they arrive, all they do is flirt with each other, while their groupmates cheer them on.
If my biggest takeaway from Rewind was: “It would’ve been better if Dingdong’s character had just died, since Marian’s life turned out better anyway,” then my takeaway from Love You So Bad is: “It’s fine for your thesis groupmates if you date the emotionally fragile drunk in your group—because the research locale is your own hacienda.”
And if it seems like I didn’t take this review seriously, that’s only because the film didn’t take my time seriously either. It’s pointless and devoid of any honesty.
So my only advice to the people who are considering checking this one out: you’d be better off taking care of yourself than watching this film—especially with someone else.
‘Love You So Bad’ was last screened as part of the 2025 Metro Manila Film Festival’s lineup.
