Miss You Like Crazy

All those who missed the JLC-Bea love team, please raise your hand.

This review will not dwell on the differences between the JLC-Bea and the JLC-Sarah love teams. But that could be the subject of a separate blog entry. This review will just focus on the sad, sorry state of Filipino A-movies, as portrayed in Miss You Like Crazy.

First of all, the title. Miss You Like Crazy was the title of a Whitney Houston classic. And now it's the title of a Star Cinema flick. And this is not just an isolated incident. A lot of Filipino films take their titles from foreign love songs. I mean, come on, how hard is it to think of a creative, catchy title that isn't the title of a song? Well, the producers might come up with defenses, citing marketing strategies, product recall, and other bull. But seriously, how hard is it to be creative?

Second is subject matter. I'm not a big fan of social stratification, but this film just thickens the dividing line between rich and poor. Like it or not, this film caters to the upper class of Filipino society. It can probably go as low as upper-middle. Or middle-middle. And that is the sad truth. So don't expect any great Filipino films coming out of the woodwork anytime soon, because I don't think any A-movie can tackle subject matter that the average minimum wage-earning Filipino will embrace.

That said, yes this film entertained me. Yes, Bea Alonzo is still beautiful. Yes, John Lloyd is still John Lloyd. But no, this film didn't break any new ground. And I don't think any groundbreaking films will ever come out of Star Cinema. That is unless it begins catering to the poor people of this country.


*pic from asianovela.com


Miss You Like Crazy. Philippines. 2010.


Rating: Six out of ten.