4 Philippine Showbiz Today
Cover Story
March 22 - April 7, 2018
My Perfect You, a new romantic dramedy
Director Cathy Garcia-Molina
is back with a brand new romantic
dramedy, this time, trying a new
pairing with Gerald Anderson and
Pia Wurtzbach playing Burn and
Abi respectively. “My Perfect You”
is mainly presented from Burn’s
perspective following a humiliating
series of events that leads him shut
off from the world. During his darkest
times, he coincidentally meets Abi -
a quirky resort-owner who is trying to
revive her dying business.
Admittedly, many were skeptical
about “My Perfect You.” The trailer
doesn’t offer anything really new
from what we’ve seen before in
classic Star Cinema rom-coms, and
without a proven combination of
stars, it’s perhaps viewed as a non A
grade project. But the film is a breath
of fresh air in a genre that seems
to thrive on the popularity of love
teams more than the film’s narrative.
Tackling several new concepts
intertwined with the traditional rom-
com tropes, it explores the sensitive
issue of mental health in a way that
it’s not too on the nose.
Anderson has proven time and
time and again that he has the acting
chops of a caliber actor. But it’s been
quite a while since we’ve seen him
offering this kind of performance,
perhaps its due to a series of lackluster
projects that didn’t necessarily
capitalize on his abilities. “My Perfect
You” is a great reminder that he
has earned his right to be called an
actor. The way he can easily navigate
between his cheesy sequences and
dramatic takes is impressive. If it
wasn’t for his believable portrayal of a
man genuinely in love with a figment
of his imagination, the film would’ve
not worked as well as it did.
Wurtzbach, on the other hand,
handled her dramatic scenes really
well, although some of the comedic
bits didn’t pan out as good as it
could’ve been. Her chemistry with
Anderson was questionable at the
start, but their tandem, boosted by
their three other friends, eventually
found its footing that by the end that
their farewell was so heartbreaking.
“My Perfect You’s” attempt
at a rom-com that delves deep
than just your usual meet-cutes
is commendable. Garcia-Molina
handled Burn’s special condition well
that it eases the stigma on mental
health without being too preachy.
Instead, it presents it in a creative
fashion with its cinematography
and the subtle voices that Burn
supposedly hears.
At the same time, the story didn’t
glorify it as nothing more than a third
element in an otherwise formulaic
love story. Instead it shines a light not
just on Burn’s struggle to cope with
it, but also his family’s in-denial and
eventual acceptance of his situation
that led to his betterment.
My Perfect You tackles the many
adversaries life has to offer, and how
the power of optimism and love can
counter just about anything.
Cathy Garcia-Molina has proved
yet again that when it comes to
local romantic comedies, her status
remains superior. She gives us the
usual formula in her films, all while
offering something new to the table
with a darker, yet heartfelt twist. See
poster on Page 14-15.●
- Itchon, Pep
Pia shares experience in shooting My Perfect You
With her first romantic movie
“My Perfect You” now out in theaters,
Pia Wurtzbach said she wants to
prove to everyone that she was
deserving of her Best New Movie
Actress win for “Gandarrapiddo: The
Revenger Squad” in last year’s Metro
Manila Film Festival. “I would think
bago pa rin naman (akong artista)
kasi ‘yung mga ginawa ko nung bata
pa ako literal na isang eksena lang
naman ‘yun.
“So hindi naman ‘yun ‘yung
role na mabibigyan mo ng best mo.
‘Yung ‘Revengers’ talaga ‘yung una
na mahaba. Laking tuwa ko naman
na na-recognize ako for that. Parang
na-feel ko din na kailangan ipakita
ko na deserve ko ito, na hindi lang
ako binigyan nun dahil maganda
si Kweenie sa ‘Revengers’ or ‘yung
Miss Universe ang gumanap ng role.
Parang lalo pa akong ginanahan,
actually,” she admitted.
She said shooting in a remote
area in Zambales for “My Perfect
You” was a very different experience.
“Malayo talaga siya so ang ginagawa
namin sinusulit na namin na tuwing
nandun kami, mga naka-one week
continued on PAGE 7