The magic of happy-ever-after

Don’t look now but Philippine cinema has found a new heroine. She’s the would-be spinster. Four recent movies had for a female lead a single woman faced with the possibility of spending the rest of her life without a partner.

Sharon Cuneta’s character in Pagdating ng Panahon belonged to a family of spinsters. Jolina Magdangal’s perky persona in Kung Ikaw ay Isang Panaginip was a boyfriend-less gal who fell in love with a handsome face on a billboard. In Ikaw Lamang Hanggang Ngayon, Regine Velasquez played a lonely mail sorter who vented her frustration by carving a message on a park bench. And in Got 2 Believe, Claudine Barretto is an eccentric wedding coordinator who dreams of walking down the aisle very soon.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems we haven’t met this much lonely women in such a short time. If attractive, personable women in movies like Sharon Cuneta, Jolina Magdangal, Regine Velasquez, and Claudine Barretto have difficulty finding Mr. Right, what more the regular-looking women in real life?

But back to Got 2 Believe... The story starts with the tempestuous relationship between Toni (played by Claudine), owner of Ever After Wedding Store, and Lorenz (Rico), wedding photographer. Commitment-phobic Lorenz unwittingly photographs Toni during her awkward wedding moments and has her pictures published in a bridal magazine.

A crucial assignment prompts Lorenz to seek Toni’s help. To appease her, Lorenz offers to find Toni a boyfriend. Toni adamantly turns him down. Even if Toni fears ending up an old maid like her aunts, she isn’t about to overlook the humiliation that Lorenz has caused.

But love conquers all and opposites do attract. The girl who believes in "happily ever after" and the guy who doesn’t believe in "forever" are about to find out they’re perfect for each other.

Got 2 Believe is an entertaining love story. It also tastes as sweet as candy. Cinematography has a kind of glistening quality and in almost all of the scenes, the characters are dressed in pastels like fuchsia, aqua, yellow, mint green and purple, lending a hint of fantasy.

The only time the picture turns dark is when Lorenz has dreams that reveal his fears, and later, his realizations.

Vhong Navarro, as Lorenz’s assistant, Rudolf, lights up every scene he’s in with his perfect delivery of dialogue and rib-tickling antics. Carlo Muñoz and Nikki Valdez, who play friends and business partners of Toni, have their memorable comic moments as well.

Dominic Ochoa may have played the "na-basted" suitor a hundred times before but his take in Got 2 Believe is his most endearing to date. As Perry, a lawyer, Dominic gives new dimension to the phrase "losing with dignity and grace."

Claudine is admirable for letting down her guard and being very "game." In keeping true to the Toni character, Claudine allowed herself to trip, fall on her knees, be dragged across a bowling alley and cry unabashedly. Rico deserves equal praise for playing the wacky situations very well. But in the dramatic scene where Toni confronts Lorenz at his studio and his expression shifts from vulnerable to detached, that moment was among Rico’s finest.

What do I like best about Got 2 Believe? It’s the key. "Huh? What key?"

In the film, Toni became close to three men. The first was locked out of the wedding store, Toni’s private sanctum, because he left his key. The second gently handed Toni her key just as he was dropping her off from a date. This guy never got a chance to come in. The third was the only one who easily entered the store and the only one who stubbornly clutched the key, refusing to surrender it to Toni. Symbolically, it was guy no. 3 who held the key to Toni’s heart. Pretty special and clever touch, I should say.

As you leave the theater after watching Got 2 Believe, you’ll feel light and giddy and maybe even hopeful. Worried about spending the rest of your life alone? Well, fear not. As the movie shows, whoever you are, even if you’re getting older and nearing the so-called finish line, thin as a reed or plump with illusions of fitting into a sleeveless gown with a high-slit, o kahit makapal ka pa mag-make up... don’t fret, you’ll find true love. Just believe.