Pick Flicks: I Love You, Goodbye

Gabby Concepcion, Angelica Panganiban, Kim Chiu, Derek Ramsay

Yet another movie named after a song. Napaka-consistent talaga nang mga Pinoy. Consistent at tamad mag-isip ng title para sa mga pelikula. AB and I watched the last full show screening of this movie at Robinsons Metroeast. Original plan was to watch it at Sta. Lucia but then the memory of that rat on the cinema floor is still fresh in my mind albeit that was already two months ago.

From all the movies included in the Metro Manila Film Fest, I've only considered watching three movies, this being one of them with Mano Po 6 and Shake, Rattle & Roll. Buzz is I Love You, Goodbye is actually good and worth watching. I was warned not to watch Shake, Rattle & Roll. I think I've had it with all those Mano Po chinese chuva eklavu but I just want to watch it just to see Sharon Cuneta's performance and why it won her a Best Actress award. I read somewhere else that Angelica Panganiban's performance was Best Actress material. I want to see if Sharon really deserved her award or if Angelica deserves it more.

Eleven Things about I Love You, Goodbye:

1. Ysa (Kim Chiu) invites Gary (Derek Ramsay) over for dinner. Adrian (Gabby Concepcion), Ysa's father, just like any father, suddenly became overprotective of his daughter and started to interrogate Gary with motive of scaring him off, to the point that it was actually bastos. After Gary leaves, Adrian fumes over the age difference between Ysa (20) and Gary (28). Well, well, well, he's one to talk. Actually, the age difference between him and Lizelle (Angelica Panganiban) must be even bigger.
   
2. Gabby's Have-you-MET, Twilight-inspired whiteness/paleness is distracting. But this movie is so much better compared to Gabby's tv series with Claudine Barretto. In said drama, everyone looked like they OD'd on gluta. At least in this movie, they didn't look mumu-white. And Derek Ramsay's tan is just tantalizing.
3. It was never mentioned why Adrian and Valerie (Angel Aquino), his ex-wife, separated in the first place. It looked like they got along just fine. There was one scene when Adrian told his friend that he didn't want to burden Lizelle with his work-related woes like he did Valerie. Yun lang ba? Dahil lang ba dun kaya sila naghiwalay? Ang babaw ha.
   
4. Gary and Lizelle gets into an argument because of what has happened (or didn't happen) which means their plans couldn't be executed as planned. He was miffed. He packed his bags, boarded the cruise ship and left her without a peep. And for two years there was no communication whatsoever. After two years, he returns and wants her back just like that? Unfair. Super unfair. Parang let's pick up where we left off lang? Ganun lang?
   
5. What's with the need to have love scenes in every single effin' love story? There were three love scenes in this movie and in my opinion, only one was actually needed by the story. Are love scenes the new fillers? Uy, kulang pa ng ten minutes ang pelikula. Sige, lagyan natin ng isa pang love scene. Before, it was song and dance numbers by the beach. Now, love scenes.
6. Kim Chiu's arms are freakishly thin. During her scene with Derek, I can't help but notice how four of her arms are needed to make an arm as big as Derek's.
   
7. I always thought KC Concepcion got the built of her body from Sharon's side. Turns out she also got that from Gabby. Looking at Gabby, AB said she's feeling the urge to dress him up in a strapless evening gown and choker. Bahaha!
8. Ysa is the quintessential rich spoiled brat. She buys Gary a camera that he couldn't buy himself even after two years of working in a cruise ship.
   
9. Which leads me to the question: What did Gary do with all the money he earned during those two years? His apartment/condo belongs to a friend who is kind enough to let him use it. He drives a borrowed car. Plus, he couldn't buy himself a camera that he might actually need for work. Well, yeah, cameras are expensive and lens could cost thousands but still... two years working a cruise ship? Kaya niya na bumili ng Nikon D90, panigurado.
10. Perfect timing, as always. Why can't real life be like that? Fate makes the decision for Lizelle. She already made her decision, but fate is convinced she didn't make the right one so kill off Tantalizing Boy. So Gary lies there on the road, dead, in a YMCA position.
11. Kawawa naman si Derek. He always gets killed off in movies.
    

Ayyy, happy ending? Happy na happy kasi may eatery din siya. Pero in fairness, Angelica's acting was good. Compared with her acting in Iisa Pa Lamang, her performance here is so much better. All in all, it was a good movie. Sure, you may have seen or read something like it before but still is good. How many twists and turns can you make in a love story, diba? I liked it. Not a tearjerker though so don't expect to cry buckets of tears here.