This Time - "A Cliched Filipino Romance" #Review

[AfsalTouchriver]

This Time - Review
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"A Cliched Filipino Romance"
Rating - 6/10 [★★★☆☆]

Detailed Analysis
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Discouraging reviews on the opening day for Sarbjit along with inadequacy of better choices and ofcourse the excitement in trying out something for the first time played its part as I decided to opt for a Filipino movie to sum up a beautiful night-out with my friend here in Doha.Eventhough this was the first experience from the big screen,I had watched at least a dozen Filipino movies in the past,predominantly being romantic comedies like 'A Very Special Love','Crazy Beautiful You and 'She's Dating The Gangster',to name a few.

Directed by Nuel Crisostomo Naval with screenplay written by Mel Mendoza-Del Rosario,"This Time" was a so-so experience for me,being filled with all those cliches that one would associate with a Thai/Filipino rom-com.The less than 2 hours movie offers nothing new as such and cashes upon the on-screen chemistry between real-life couple James Reid and Nadine Lustre who does their best to cover-up the loopholes in the storyline convincingly unto an extent.

The movie tells the story of childhood friends Coby and Ava who are destined to meet only in summers as Coby is staying with his Grandpa away in the west.The impact of distance in their relationship forms the crux of the story and director Nuel Naval has tried to include social commentary of the timeline along with the romance but with partial success to be precise.

Freddie Webb playing the role of Coby's grandfather was a show-stealer and surprisingly it was the impactful performance by the 70 year old politician turned actor and his long-lost romance that looked more convincing than the cliched romance between the lead pair of Reid and Lustre for the most part of the narration.

A major issue I felt was the silliness of various issues towards the hurried second hour that leads to the conflict between the lead pair and eventually gets solved in the most predictable manner that one could imagine.Notably quiet a few sub-plots like the romance between Freddie Webb and Nova Ville were left under-utilised.

The music and song-bits were impressive and played its part well along with colourful visuals of philippines and Japan by renowned Filipino cinematographer Anne Monzon.

Overall,This Time is a passable romantic comedy that may appeal to the fans of the genre,especially teen girls who are into rom-coms.

Some +Ves
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|| Lovely Chemistry Between The Lead Pair || Good Musical Score & Cinematography ||
Some -Ves::
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|| Cliched Sequences || Predictable Plot || Confusing Narration ||

Verdict::The first experience of a foreign movie from big screen proved a mediocre one for me,because of the predictable storyline that's filled with cliches borrowed from numerous romantic comedies in the past.Having said this,I must admit the fact that 'This Time' is a decent feel-good watch for a relaxed afternoon if you are a fan of filipino movies or romantic comedies in general.
_Afsal
|| Theatre::Cinema City Center,Doha || Date:19/05/16 || Showtime::12:00 AM|| Status::50%
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[ClubAns]

Thanks for the Review.........