KC-Richard's second teamup in "When I Met U" a success

As popcorn movies go, When I Met U succeeds without getting syrupy or maudlin. Director Joel Lamangan gets the credit for this. With Richard Gutierrez and KC Concepcion as lead stars, the temptation is to squeeze as much emotional juice from the two. Fortunately Direk Joel was discerning enough not to fall into this trap.

The result is When I Met U strikes a romantic chord that resonates throughout the film and gives it that particular charm.

The story is admittedly predictable. From the very first reel you know that Richard and KC will, against all odds, end up in each other’s arms. Yet somehow you want to know how they will overcome those odds.

For starters, each of them is going out with someone else – Richard with Iya Villania and KC with Alfred Vargas. Their relationships are not perfect, however. Iya pampers Richard (and his gambler of a dad, played by TonTon Gutierrez), while Alfred is a taskmaster to KC who wants her to always look presentable to his friends.

All it takes is for Richard and KC to get stranded on an island (after the seaplane he was piloting made a forced landing somewhere in Palawan) to make each other realize the flaws in the relationships they are in. The two are drawn to each other as they drift away from their partners.

The partners, however, got wind of the budding romance and conspire to nip it in the bud. Iya takes Richard with her to visit her supposedly sick mom in Canada. Alfred shows KC their finished dream house and proposes marriage.

The ruse works. Or did it?

The film succeeds because of Direk Joel’s firm hand and fine acting performances from Richard and KC. I expect it to be an early box-office hit.

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Speaking of KC, she and Piolo Pascual are scheduled to leave for Paris right after the showing of When I Met U for the taping of Lovers in Paris. And in April, John Lloyd Cruz, Gov. Vilma Santos and Luis Manzano fly abroad to do a movie with a gay theme.

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Challenging When I Met U at the box-office is You Changed My Life, the sequel to the last year’s monster blockbuster, A Very Special Love, starring Sarah Geronimo and John Lloyd. But will the sequel be better? A Very Special Love was feted by SM Cinemas as the Top Grossing Movie of 2008. Not only that, Sarah and Lloydie were supposedly voted by SM as the Box Office Queen and King, and Star Cinema, the producer of A Very Special Love, as the Top Grossing Film Producer.

Star Cinema is going all-out in promoting You Changed My Life. It launched the movie’s music video last week. The film opens in cinemas on February 25.

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Joanna Ampil took a two-week break from playing the role of Christmas Eve in the award-winning musical comedy Avenue Q in London to do a solo concert on Valentine’s at the Music Museum. Joanna has made a name for herself in London’s West End and on Broadway.

Joanna was 17 when she was chosen to play Kim in Miss Saigon on West End. She impressed Sir Cameron Mackintosh who starred her in the premiere of Miss Saigon in Australia.

Back in London she joined the cast of Jesus Christ Superstar before resuming as Kim in Miss Saigon, a role she played for 10 years.

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A group of young celebrities last week did their bit in the fight against the drug menace. They trooped to the Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame to have themselves tested for banned substances. The group included Mark Herras, Rainier Castillo, Iwa Moto, Paolo Avelino and Kaye Alipio.

That was an admirable thing they did. A lot of them are being looked up to by the youth as role models.

Drugs destroy lives. We all should help fight illegal drugs.