By: Nestor Cuartero
JUST A THOUGHT: “Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes clean to the bone.” – Dorothy Parker
FORMULA UPDATED: The formula is old. But the players are new. The element of novelty seems greater.
Poor, plain-looking, simple girl meets rich, handsome boy. He saves her in a moment of distress. She likes him instantly, then falls in love with him.
“Pinoy Big Brother” grand champion Maymay Entrata realizes her life-long dream to make it big in show business by way of a rom-com film that promises to launch her big-time. In the movie “Loving in Tandem,” she is paired with her PBB love interest, Edward Barber.
Maymay, known for being charming and winsome, is also known for her self-deprecating sense of humor. People see in her another Melai Cantiveros, who also found her way to fame via PBB.
Melai and Maymay are living proof that beauty standards in local show business has changed (improved? Upgraded?) considerably. The standards are also attuned to Filipino sensibility with premium on local color.
Gone are the days when only foreign-looking faces can make it as stars (bida) in the local firmament. The industry now also offers room for the likes of Filipino-looking actors who could well be representations of our men on the streets.
“Loving In Tandem” also features in second lead roles Kisses Delavin and Marco Gallo, also from PBB.
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EXTRA-ORDINARY PLOT – Here’s the plot in brief of the romcom.
“Loving in Tandem” kicks off on an ordinary day turns into a nightmare as the cheerful and hardworking Shine (Entrata) faces a thief in a dark alley in Manila. Fortunately, fate sends a prince charming in the guise of the stoic half-American Luke (Barber) to save her.
Upon learning that her prince is her new neighbor, Shine does everything to make Luke feel at home in their community. Luke then starts to build an unlikely bond with Shine, Shine’s best friend Jayzel (Delavin), and his half-brother Tope (Gallo).
But unknown to Luke, Shine is hiding something that can make or break their relationship.
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FIRST FILM – “Loving in Tandem” is the first full-length movie directed by Giselle Andres whose previous credits includes “The Mistress,” “Starting Over Again,” and “Barcelona: A Love Untold.”
“Loving in Tandem” also stars Ryan Bang, Thou Reyes, Ketchup Eusebio, Cacai Bautista, Xymon “Onyok” Pineda, and Carmi Martin. Now showing.