'Stuck on You' REVIEW: Far from a perfect romcom
'Stuck on You' REVIEW: Far from a perfect romcom
Xyriel Manabat in Stuck on You / Courtesy of Puregold CinePanalo
Puregold CinePanalo broadened the competition when it announced that it would be removing any restrictions on the submissions. With this, filmmakers were given freedom as to what script they could submit for the festival. Mikko Baldoza submitted his script for his film Stuck on You and was one of the few chosen individuals to enter the festival. The restrictions being lifted didn’t make the film go in a very serious tone. Instead, it took a route that managed to blend the darkness of the situation and the romcom of it all in a way that felt right in most of the directions it took.
The film follows Sheryl Bunga (Xyriel Manabat), a manicurist longing for a better life for herself, as she supports her family and their business. The film opens with her and her brother going to a police station, describing a man she claims stole something from her, which later is revealed to be a lie told only so she could have a sketch of him to admire.
The very formula of Stuck on You’s story has been replicated from time to time again. Girl meets guy, but never crosses paths again until, eventually, they finally meet again. Another trope that Stuck on You used is the “misunderstanding” trope, but it was used creatively to heighten the stakes of the film. This is where the grim part of the story enters, as Sheryl was mistaken for the hitman tasked with killing Max. That one character hilariously misinterpreted Sheryl’s client as the person she killed when, in reality, she really is just an expert manicurist.
We then finally meet Max de Dios (River Joseph). He's not just a police sketch anymore. However, reality slaps Sheryl hard as she realizes that he is not what she envisioned. His arrogant stature turned her off quickly, but as she gets to know him (for she is forced to stay to kill him in exchange for the safety of her family), she realizes how complex this guy is, which makes her even more conflicted about whether to kill him or not.
Xyriel Manabat and River Joseph in Stuck on You / Courtesy of Puregold CinePanalo
Xyriel Manabat is truly a generational actress. The charm she brought in her role ultimately made the film tolerable to watch. In her recent acting stints, she’s only given supporting roles, most notably in ABS-CBN’s Senior High and Antoinette Jadaone’s Sunshine, as opposed to her start in show business when she played young Agua and Bendita Agua Bendita and the iconic young Anna Manalastas in 100 Days of Heaven. With this and 18th Rose, she is finally given the chance to be in the spotlight yet again. However, we could only wish for better scripts to come her way because her recent projects, while being great in them, do not really do her skills any justice.
River Joseph has his looks and charisma to rely on, which is the very factor casting directors need for a male lead in a romcom. However, acting alongside Manabat has made his subpar acting skills more evident. While their chemistry works due to his insane charisma and Manabat’s innate charm as an actress, his performance is so stiff that it will have you begging Star Magic to hone his skills more for future projects. At first, it works on his character, but as we get to know him more, his character demands to be more open and vulnerable to the audience, and sadly, Joseph failed to do so.
In many such cases in films made for film festivals, there is only an allotted budget and time given to the filmmakers to execute their film. For Stuck on You, there are a lot of scenes that made it past the cutting room floor that should've made the cut, had they had more time to fine-tune the film and edit it to its best quality. This resulted in an uneven film that took too much time making moments that should’ve been cute but ran for too long. Honestly. The trailer told the film’s story even better and made it seem more entertaining.
River Joseph and Xyriel Manabat in Stuck on You / Courtesy of Puregold CinePanalo
What saved the film was its ending, for it bounced back the energy the second/thirds of the film should’ve had. The hilarious commotion that ensued resulted in the protagonists winning in the end. However, I wish it didn’t need the extra scene of them going back to the house, for it would’ve felt more cathartic for Sheryl to finally burst into anger with her frustrations she had with her family, yet proving another wasted couple of minutes of the film.
When I wasn’t nitpicking over the decisions made for this film, I found myself being entertained and enamored with Manabat’s performance, catchy “Reyna ng Quezon City” needledrops, and the absurdity of it all. It may make you wonder: has the identity of the wholesome CinePanalo Film Festival really left despite the lifting of restrictions (which is a topic for another time, I guess)? Nevertheless, Stuck on You remains a far-from-perfect romcom that has a heart that sadly never saved it from being a mess of a film.
‘Stuck on You’ is one of the selected full-length feature films for the 3rd edition of the Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival, where it won Panalong Actress (Best Actress) for Xyriel Manabat and Panalong Awitin (Best Song) for “Reyna ng Quezon City” by Juana.
