Coming from a very successful movie trilogy, expectations are high for the reunion movie of love team John Lloyd Cruz and Sarah Geronimo — expectations from the script, story and especially from the actors. Having seen the previous three, the new movie, Finally Found Someone, is a bit disappointing, although the superstar duo’s irresistible onscreen chemistry made it worthwhile for fans.
The movie centres on the unexpected romance of Raffy Sandoval, played by Cruz, a spin doctor who has mastered the art of lying for a living, and Aprilyn Esguerra, portrayed by Geronimo, an honest girl who has difficulty masking her true emotions. A PR crisis brings the two together, and soon they are drawn to a common ground despite being polar opposites in their quest for a full life.
The movie starts with the misfortune of Aprilyn, who finds herself a trending topic on social media when her supposed groom, a son of an influential mayor, runs away from their wedding. Raffy is hired to do damage control and protect the image of Randy, the runaway groom and the mayor’s anointed successor.This sets the stage for the unlikely love affair of Aprilyn and Raffy.
The movie’s predictability, however, is quite annoying. Some scenes, meanwhile, were just boring, lame and so cheesy - they certainly seemed superfluous to me. For instance, injecting the Dear Future Husband letters and the "kembot kapag malungkot" dance (shaking the hips whenever you are lonely) were way too corny for me.
Also, the characterization of the other players in the movie, for instance Aprilyn's family, was too shallow. You can't feel their real significance in the story and it seemed that they were just spectators.
As expected, Cruz and Geronimo pulled off some great acting. Award-winning Cruz, armed with his expressive eyes, is a refreshing sight as Raffy, a successful public relations executive, but at the same time a sad and conflicted person who harbours a bagful of pain, especially towards his mother. In both funny and heavy dramatic situations, Cruz certainly showed he can deliver. Geronimo was spot-on with her portrayal of Aprilyn, and she has indeed shown that she has blossomed as a dramatic actress.
The duo’s palpable chemistry was the saving grace of the movie. Director Theodore Boborol somehow made true of his promise of letting Geronimo and Cruz to come out as real, authentic and natural as possible.
What I also like about the movie is in how it tackled an uneasy topic — honesty. The value of being truthful is the core narrative of the film. It mirrors a society that is so conscious of public perception and so preoccupied with social media, that people can no longer see what is real and what is fake.
However, there were scenes that felt quite long, especially the opening scenes when Aprilyn was trying to find her run-away groom. The two actors were great in delivering comedic lines, but the supposedly funny scenes featuring other actors lacked imagination resulting in slapstick comedy.
If you are a fan of the AshLloyd tandem and if you’re a moviegoer who just wants to laugh, cry and be in love, then this movie is for you.
