As fun to watch as the first version

Last year’s biggest film surprise was A Very Special Love from Star Cinema and Viva Films. The movie project was an experiment because it was the first time John Lloyd Cruz (very much identified with perennial screen partner Bea Alonzo) was paired off with Sarah Geronimo. The gamble paid off and the movie became a blockbuster hit — installing both John Lloyd and Sarah as the current Box-Office King and Queen.

But the bigger surprise was that here was a romance comedy and it didn’t follow the usual trite formula of most other love stories. And the public obviously loved it because word of mouth brought in the crowds who appreciated something new in local movies. Even the critics were happy because A Very Special Love got rave reviews and even earned an A grade from the Cinema Evaluation Board (CEB).

The currently showing You Changed My Life (now co-produced by Star Cinema with Viva Films) is a sequel to A Very Special Love. For those who didn’t get to watch A Very Special Love, here’s a little backgrounder: John Lloyd Cruz is the illegitimate son of a tycoon (Dante Rivero) and has difficulty trying to fit into his father’s first family. The biggest pressure on him is when his brother (Rowell Santiago) puts him in charge of some of the family’s businesses and being young and inexperienced he fails and learns his lessons the hard way. It is while he is facing the battles in life that he meets Sarah, who starts out as his employee. They fall in love and You Changed My Life picks it up from here.

In the sequel, John Lloyd and Sarah are happily in love with each other, but — like in real life — there are bumps along the way and all these test their love for each other. Their problem begins when John Lloyd is given a new business to run and he becomes ambitious and bites more than he can chew. Since all his time is devoted to work, Sarah feels neglected and John Lloyd is threatened by the presence of Rayver Cruz, his girlfriend’s old buddy from high school. The rest of the movie shows us their struggles to keep their young romance intact and the highs and lows of their relationship.

You Changed My Life is more than just a love story because it traces a young man’s journey (John Lloyd’s) to maturity. But it’s not necessarily the feel-good type that we see even in most Hollywood movies. In this movie directed once more by Cathy Garcia-Molina, the viewers become witness to the lead actor’s frustrations and disappointments that come as a result of some of his bad decisions. But there are lessons to be learned here, too: Treat your people well and they will bring in the profits.

Of course, moviegoers expect love to overflow in this romance comedy and it comes in large doses — but still tightly-controlled by the director who makes sure she doesn’t go into excesses. That entire sequence, for instance, where John Lloyd gets jealous of Rayver is so realistically staged that anyone who has been through young love would be able to identify with it and would have his and her kilig moment.

I also appreciate Molina’s attention to details because all those little things sum up to one great production that boasts of a fine screenplay (with nice and realistic dialogues), technical elements that work properly and direction that knows discipline.

With regard to performances, Sarah may have to be reminded to cut back a bit on playing it cute. She was already almost perfect in A Very Special Love where she was very raw, but natural. But over-all she is still very effective in You Changed My Life and has some very good comedic and dramatic scenes in the film. She just needs a little bit of tempering, but otherwise she does very well. In contrast, John Lloyd is better here in this sequel (maybe because the focus is more on him) than in the first one. He excels in practically every scene he does in You Changed My Life.

The supporting cast also delivers wonderful performances — especially Sarah’s barkada: Matet de Leon, Gio Alvarez, Kalila Aguilos, Joross Gamboa and the new addition, Rayver Cruz. Dante Rivero as the patriarch, of course, is brilliant as always and so is Rowell Santiago as the brother who has no sense of fun and humor.

Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski also gives a fine performance in a guest role as Rowell’s ex-girlfriend. She is luminous in her scenes and it’s a pity she didn’t continue with her acting career that already got off to a good start in some of her Viva movies in the ‘90s.

Just like A Very Special Love, You Changed My Life is also graded A by the CEB. Nothing beats the original, but You Changed My Life is still a very good sequel. It’s still as fun to watch as the first one.