MOVIE REVIEW: A SECOND CHANCE by STAR CINEMA #ASecondChance (Features Hugot Lines or Movie Quotes)

I’m a big fan of ONE MORE CHANCE. Okay, who isn’t? 🙂 We have waited a long time for the continuation of the Popoy-Basha Love Story. One More Chance is definitely one of my most favorite Filipino Movie of all time!

One thing that really stuck with me was the confrontation scene between Popoy and Basha near the end of the film.

Another of my favorite scene from the movie ONE MORE CHANCE was the scene with Trisha. I really felt sorry for Trisha and I’m sure a lot of the fans of ONE MORE CHANCE are wondering if Trisha would make a surprise appearance in the new installment, A SECOND CHANCE.

I love Popoy and Basha but I would be reviewing the movie honestly and please note that this review is based on my own taste and opinion. We all have different preferences so if you don’t agree with my review, please remember that we are entitled to our own opinion. Also, IF YOU DON’T LIKE SPOILERS, please stop reading NOW.  You have been warned! If you don’t mind minor spoilers or have already watched the film, then go ahead and read on. 🙂 Here are the bad sides of  A SECOND CHANCE – Movie by Star Cinema:

• A major problem was left unresolved. Although there seemed to be an open-ended solution to the problem, there are just too many questions running on my mind. Would they be able to recover from their problem? What would happen to their business? Will they be able to make it? Why didn’t they at least show them slowly recovering from their losses?

• Unlike the first movie, there aren’t a lot of major conflicts because they focused too much on the “business side” of the story but then again, there was no real connection with the people in the office, which is sad because most of the story revolved around the business. There was a dedicated member of their personnel (played by Khalil) but I think there isn’t really any genuine connection with the viewers because there isn’t much attention give to his role. What’s even sadder is that the highlight of the connection between Khalil’s character and Popoy involved an advertisement.  Perhaps, this part of the movie was too underplayed?

• The “third party” or the other woman story line was half-baked and forced. Unlike the first movie wherein a lot of us could relate and felt sorry for Maja’s character, TRISHA (rebound girl), the “third party” in A SECOND CHANCE is too fake. Their “accidental meeting”, her boasting of her career abroad and her half-hearted efforts to steal the guy (Popoy) seemed like eating a flavorless ice cream. The “what if” and “what is” play of words is also forced in some scenes related to the third party and the lost opportunity (abroad) but I couldn’t even feel that she was a threat to the Popoy-Basha relationship.

•  The “surprise” ending is similar to dozens of other chick flicks that are related to one-half of the pair leaving or going to the airport. Sounds familiar? I know right?! Oh well.. at least we got to see Popoy and Basha again. 😀

Was I disappointed? Yes and No. YES because I expected a LOT and I had a different version (in my mind) on what the sequel should be like. Perhaps the movie needed more unforgettable and confrontational scenes that people can relate to and play over and over again. The first movie had too many great moments and spunk (“Pare, malaki lang katawan mo pero di mo ako kayang patumbahin” dinner scene; “Ako na lang ulit” scene; Trisha’s heartbreak scene, Basha moving on without Popoy; Popoy hoping and counting 10 seconds while looking at Basha’s window; Even the beginning of the film was very interesting) that it’s difficult and perhaps more painful to even compare it to the second movie.

I won’t be surprised though if the second movie becomes a success, surpasses its predecessor, ONE MORE CHANCE and would be considered as one of the country’s TOP grossing film. A lot of fans missing the Popoy-Basha love story, social media and online hype, viral videos and trending hashtags, all of these are not available back then.

Going back to whether I was disappointed, I could also say that NO, I wasn’t or at least I was before I realized that the movie offered MORE positive points and lessons that we really need right now to keep marriage and/or love alive. Below are some of them.

 

If there are bad sides to the movie, I’m quite sure that you would overlook those bad sides because you’ll definitely savor the good parts. I should know because, despite the bad parts of the movie, I still enjoyed watching the movie and wouldn’t mind watching it at least a couple more times. Some of the most notable “good parts of the movie” are as follows:

• The whole gang is back! I know that most of us loved the gang in ONE MORE CHANCE, they’re back in A SECOND CHANCE but with a couple of additional characters. 😉
• Bea Alonzo and John Lloyd’s onscreen chemistry is super effective and their dramatic scenes are carried out in such a way that you feel they are not acting. The crying and hot temper seemed too realistic and natural. I think their combination plus the “magic” of Cathy Garcia-Molina definitely worked wonders for the whole film.
• There are a lot of emotional moments between Popoy and Basha that are very familiar especially if you’re married. I even thought that most of the lines were vaguely familiar (something I may have said or heard before).

• The movie teaches us about honesty with our spouse.
• A SECOND CHANCE shows us that forever is indeed possible but ONLY IF we work on the relationship together because only one person working hard to preserve a relationship isn’t enough.
• We are taught that problems between couples are meant to be SHARED and not handled alone.
• We are also taught that we would only know who our true friends are in the darkest moment of our lives. This also applies to work, we’ll only know who’s really sincere and who’s just ‘staying for their own benefit’ if we reveal something dreadful and challenging.
• I’ve learned that we shouldn’t judge people’s sincerity based on their tenure (at work) and the length of time we’ve known each other. Some people only stick with us only during “happy times”. We can’t blame them though because most of them have families and future plans to think about.
• A SECOND CHANCE also shows us that we will encounter the happiest moments in life with our soulmate, we would also encounter the worst parts in our lives with them, and it takes a strong person to stick with people they love even if the world seems shattering around them. Also, there’s always hope in all kinds of situations, we just need to lower our ego and ask for help.

If you’re looking for “kilig moments” or the usual “heartbreak” movie, then you’re going to be disappointed.

A SECOND CHANCE is a movie that deals with what’s really happening and what we should expect if we are to get married.

Married life isn’t just about love.

Marriage is about holding on and being there not because you are required to; but because your heart is telling you to be there for the one you really love.

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I understand that they’re aiming to educate their viewers (us) about married life. Like marriage, we expect things to be always happy and full of “kilig” moments but in reality, married life usually don’t end up like we expect it to be. That’s the reason why we have a lot of “broken families” and single parents.

The real challenge to being married is sticking with your partner THRU THICK AND THIN… …there should be no room for what if’s, just WHAT IS. 🙂

So yes, I enjoyed watching the movie even if it’s not as perfect as I expected it to be. The awesome magic in One More Chance is hard to replicate and I understand how the director wanted a different way of presenting Basha and Popoy to the public.

There are also some quotable quotes (hugot lines) in the movie which I’m sure will trend in social media after more people have watched the movie.

Would it be okay to not watch this movie? Definitely NOT if you’re a fan of the Popoy and Basha love story.

My rating for this is 8/10 because I appreciated the acting of both John Lloyd and Bea. They didn’t exaggerate and I felt that their characters were real people. The story needed some work but overall, it was definitely worth watching the movie.