Thoughts on ‘Starting Over Again’

Ever since the trailer came out last January, I’ve been excitedly waiting for the movie to come out. Having Piolo Pascual and Toni Gonzaga as the lead actors, plus the tagline in the form of a very thought-provoking question “How do I unlove you?” are more than enough to pique my interest. Also, I’m such a sucker for Tagalog romance movies. Hehehe.

Before I get into the rest of this post, I would like to say, ANG GUAPO NI PIOLO. His close-up shots made me swoon like a lovestruck teenager.

Yes, Sir Marco? <3

Hahaha sorry, I just had to. :D

Okay, I don’t know how to write a proper movie review, so I’ll just write in bullets what I liked and what I didn’t like. Warning: Spoilers galore ahead!

• The opening scene where Ginny was shouting “I love you, Sir Marco!” was kind of tacky. I know it is a reference to Toni’s “I love you, Piolo!” Sprite commercial years ago. Still tacky.

• I am not exactly a fan of Toni G, but I will say that she is truly a great actress. She does both comedy and drama so well. Her facial expressions and the way she delivers her lines are always spot on. As for Piolo, well, Piolo is Piolo.

• “My love is bigger than your failures.” —  I really loved this line from Patty. This is what TRUE LOVE is all about. Love does make up for a lot of things. And this is why I was happy with the ending she got. Good things deserve to happen to people who love faithfully and unconditionally.

• Winner din yung lines ng friends ni Ginny! “Yang hope na yan. Lason yan. Parang drugs na nakaka-adik.” | “Adik ka na naman sa pag-asa eh. Try mo na kaya lumaklak ng realidad?” I loved Ginny and Wella’s drinking scene. It was filled with truth and tears. And I cried with them.

• The confrontation scene between Ginny and Patty was unexpected, and I actually liked it despite the cringe-worthiness of it all. I get that people sometimes tend to do desperate things just to win the heart of the one they love. But to deliberately attempt to ruin someone else’s relationship will never be acceptable in my book. I hated Ginny when she indirectly told Patty that she slept with Marco while she was away. That was wayyyy out of line. Obviously, I am #TeamPatty! #sorrynotsorry Haha! She is the present un-bitchy girlfriend who did nothing wrong. She was actually a little bit too nice to a fault! Na-balance out ng pagiging calm and collected ni Patty yung inis ko kay Ginny. Hahaha. I loved that she only broke down when she walked out of the kitchen. That was some understated acting at its finest. Galing ni Iza! Ang galing din ni Toni, she very effectively portrayed the role of a desperate woman who would to ANYTHING to get the love of her life back.

• I guess the reason why this movie captured the hearts of millions of viewers because the story is highly relatable. All of us may have fallen in love, went through the pain of a break up, regretted something we have done, faced rejection, and moved on from a heartbreak — all of which we saw in the movie. It showed us love in its rawest form, eliciting raw human emotions.

• I was happy with how the movie ended. Everyone got their happy ending. Yay, Marco and Patty! (Btw, kinilig ako sa term of endearment nila na ‘ga’, as in short for ‘palangga’). I’m glad that Ginny was able to start over again and met Martin in what she believes is a perfect timing. Direk Paul’s appearance was such a nice surprise! It was an effective pampalubag-loob for those who were rooting for Marco and Ginny to get back together. Haha.

photo credit: Star Cinema

It’s a film worth watching again, and would make for a good conversation/debate topic with your friends. I swear, this movie has been discussed in most of my Whatsapp groups. At nakakatuwa kasi ang daming opposing opinions. Talaga naman, basta tungkol sa love! Hahaha. So kids, remember: Don’t just walk away. You’ll never know what a good explanation and an acceptable reason can do in a relationship :)