JulieVer shines in ‘The Cheating Game’

CEBU, Philippines — As one of the leading Kapuso love teams, it’s about time that Julie Anne San Jose and Rayver Cruz’s JulieVer tandem star in their first film together, “The Cheating Game”, which is GMA Films’ first release in four years.

It focuses on Hope (San Jose) who is heartbroken that her boyfriend (Martin del Rosario) cheated on her and whose sex video with someone else is leaked on the internet. Quitting his boyfriend’s NGO, she finds a new job as a content creator for a video company. She also crosses paths with Miguel (Cruz) who shares a similar journey as hers. She eventually develops feelings for him, while garnering new observations on how relationships and cheating work.

The film doesn’t lack in heart-fluttering scenes between San Jose and Cruz, the approach of which feels quite mature and doesn’t force out its moments for the sake of a love fest. San Jose’s performance definitely shone throughout the film with her realistic balance between comedy and drama. There’s definitely potential for the singer-actress to star in more movies, whether paired with her love team partner or not.

The cinematography is also another strength of “The Cheating Game”, with specific angling in some shots helping to amplify the storytelling.

Considering that this is produced by GMA Public Affairs, subtle infotainment elements are expected. What makes this film so surprising is how it focuses on revenge porn – a sensitive topic especially for one that’s rated PG. It also tackles how social media has influenced the way we tell stories and how our narratives influence the way we look at people.

Its approach to revenge porn which del Rosario’s character falls victim to had the potential to be thought-provoking, especially with the ramifications of an act that’s considered a cybercrime. Unfortunately, it felt more like a plot device to drive conflict between the characters.

Whatever message the film was trying to convey felt like it was undone in the final five minutes. It seemed like it was trying so hard to do fan service for its target audience. If we wanted a cliché loveteam ending, this film is not the right one for it.

It also doesn’t know what genre it wants to be. There are times when it felt like a romantic comedy, other moments it veered into thriller territory.

Ultimately, “The Cheating Game” doesn’t have a stellar script, leading to a mediocre story with conflicting messages – which is a shame because the lead stars were really impressive here. Let’s hope that their next project together is much better. Two and a half stars out of five. — (FREEMAN)