Love-struck audiences all over the country will undoubtedly wish for a love as great as Kenji and Athena’s. It’s a film that is admittedly delightful, and satisfyingly charming, but it’s also a film that doesn’t challenge its material or its characters. But at the end of the day, it’s a love story that doesn’t fight hard enough or dig deep enough. She’s Dating the Gangster is a teen love story peppered with surprisingly mature themes. When challenged, their love bends, then folds, but ultimately breaks. But it turns out that Kenji and Athena are made of less hardy stuff. But while loose comparisons can be drawn between She’s Dating the Gangster and Romeo and Juliet, the lovers in the latter at least stood for love until life itself was robbed from the young lovers’ very lungs. She’s Dating the Gangster is clearly no work of Shakespeare, nor does it aspire to be. But how can any love be great when it’s not held on and fought for with every fiber of your being and with any bone in your body? They are each other’s great love, Kelay so proudly proclaims to Kenneth. But while there is no mistaking the sacrifice of both Kenji and Athena, there is also an alarming sense of disappointment to their love story. Without giving too much away, Kenji and Athena make the noble, arguably harder, decision. The circumstances are as contrived as they are unbelievable, but regardless of their plausibility, it’s also a chink in the film’s romantic armor. Towards the film’s climax, Kenji and Athena are forced to make a decision that inevitably alters the course of their relationship. But when it comes right down to it, the She’s Dating the Gangster doesn’t follow its own advice. She’s Dating the Gangster claims that we are helpless at the whims of time and love, and yet challenges its characters to seize it when they can. But it’s also an opportunity for the two to seize something real. It’s a question challenging the couple’s supposedly fabricated relationship. (For just once in your life, don’t you want to be tough?) “ Kahit isang beses sa buhay mo, ayaw mo maging matapang?” Kenji asks Athena. ![]() Buried beneath the story’s many melodramatic twists is a tale about second chances and missed opportunities. This isn’t simply because of the film’s predominantly ‘90s setting or non-traditional parallel narrative. But as the story unfolds, it slowly becomes apparent that the film isn’t content with delivering a cookie-cutter teen romance. But while it stands close to derailing the film from its initially lighthearted tracks, the film manages to stay on course thanks to its charming cast.Īt first glance, the love story of Athena and Kenji is a typical girl meets boy tale marred by the usual romantic comedy clichés. It’s one unbelievable twist after another. A case of mistaken identity, an ugly-duckling make-over, an ominous heart condition and even a last minute bout of cancer all make an appearance in this clubhouse sandwich of mainstream cinema clichés. When left to her own devices, director Cathy Garcia-Molina shows why Bernardo and Padilla’s reign as the country’s premiere love team is a well-deserved title.īut unfortunately, She’s Dating the Gangster doesn’t escape the usual gauntlet of teleserye-inspired twists. Whether it’s mistakenly sent beeper messages or flirtatious rounds of billiards, She’s Dating the Gangster goes straight for the heart: the kilig factor. It’s a question aimed right at even the hardest of hearts when, during a moment of temporary weakness, they might be so inclined to yell, “ Yes! Yes! Kilig very much!” ![]() “ Kilig much?” Kelay asks the romantically pessimistic Kenneth. (READ: She’s Dating the Gangster earns P15 million on its first day) And though the film is crippled by an unbearable number of soap opera style twists, it at least delivers on its sugar-drenched romantic promise. Its characters are blinded by juvenile naivet é and are undeterred by the prospect of heartbreak. But whether two of everything is better than one of anything is still a matter of debate.ĭespite its lofty romantic themes, She’s Dating the Gangster still beats like a teenager’s heart. It’s twice the love team with twice the story. The novelty here is that both couples are played by Bernardo and Padilla. As we unravel the love story between Athena and Kenji, so do we bear witness to the love story of Kenneth and Kelay. But when Athena and Kenji’s feelings cross the line from make-believe to reality, the conspiracy becomes predictably complicated.īut the new spin to the familiar formula is that the story is enframed by Kenneth and Kelay, two modern day teens searching for Kenneth’s father. Kenji recruits Athena to be his pseudo-girlfriend in an effort to spark jealousy in his former girlfriend Abby (Sofia Andres).
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