One More Try Movie Review

It’s been three weeks since the Metro Manila Film Festival 2012 movies were introduced to the movie viewing public. My friends and I only got to watch it this week. Apparently, it’s never too late for a good ol’ Pinoy formula drama-love story movie. 

Talking about the formula, the movie One More Try starring Angel Locsin (Grace), Dingdong Dantes (Edward), Angelica Panganiban (Jacq), and Zanjo Marudo (Tristan) reminded me of previous movies I’ve watched with the same friends. Here are links to reviews I’ve written about those movies:

The Mistress

Secret Affair

Unfortunately, I don’t have a review for No Other Woman; the film which I believe started this trend about mistresses and secret affairs; although I was able to watch it already in the past.

Plot Summary

Going back to One More Try, you’d notice the same formula: married couple troubled by infidelity from one party (in this case, the male). But the trouble only surfaced when the other woman, a ‘pechay Baguio’ as Agot Isidro’s character (Angelica’s boss in the movie) calls her, approached the couple to seek help for her dying child who is suffering from Severe Aplastic Anemia. It was a refreshing surprise from the married couple because they have been longing for a child but never had any except for a supposed eldest child who died due to the workaholic mom’s miscarriage. She was workaholic because she wanted to give the best for her child.

It gets more complicated as the child needs bone marrow transplant. That’s strike one. But the father isn’t compatible. So the child needs a sibling from where the bone marrow will be harvested from. Strike two! But in vitro fertilization attempts didn’t work so they need to manually work for conception. Strike three and goal! It had to happen because Botchok’s (the child) condition is getting worse. The married couple made love and the guy simply dumped his semen to a waiting ex-secret affair. But she didn’t conceive. The wife will not have her husband borrowed again, even for a night despite pleas from the other woman.

The career oriented wife left for Singapore which was timely because the couple needed space. Grace split with Tristan who called her names out of jealousy when the old flame couple was getting close again due to their child. What was expected did happen and so the secret lovers of the past made love. She conceived this time; makes me think the movie’s title ‘One More Try’ was derived from their need to do the deed again. But Edward obviously loves his wife despite cheating on her. He even called her name in his sleep.

What created a turning point for all four of them was Jacq going home from abroad and hearing about Grace conceiving. She heard the news from Grace’s physician whom she loathed; being paranoid that the two friends were plotting to steal her husband. So Jacq stormed Grace outside her husband’s building and assaulted her until her belly hit a traffic pole. Grace was raced to a hospital and miraculously, the unborn child survived. Edward and Jacq were reunited and accepted the possibility that they may never have their own child anymore and are contented with each other’s company till they grow old. But actually, Jacq became pregnant at the end of the movie which was shown during a Christmas celebration reunion. Tristan and Grace were also reunited and were engaged at the culmination of the film with the second child (Grace and Edward’s) with them.

Movie Review

The movie’s theme is quite common these days but with the plot incorporated, it’s actually unique. Although the film attempted to touch movie viewer’s hearts as it actually did, some supposedly painful moments were relieved in laughter. In fact, the audience at that last full show we’ve watched with were laughing to their heart’s content during the first sexual try when Edward simply released his semen to Grace after already making love with his wife beforehand. That One More Try of making love back in her home city finally realized the need to conceive a second child to save the first.

Speaking of the child, she loved her boyfriend but loves her son more. Thus, she can become a whore just to save his life. It hurts the most to hear the truth she already knows from her boyfriend so she broke up with him prior to the ‘One More Try’ part. This chapter in the film reminds me of the film The Mistress and how we can easily jump to conclusions and hastily judge other people’s actions when we don’t really understand the motive behind their poor choices. It’s also easy to assume when you’re not in someone else’s shoes. Everyone responds to life’s troubles differently.

In this film, it’s a question of morals versus life and death. There’s no justification for immoral deeds but to save a life and it’s even your own child at that, it will be worth it being judged and ridiculed at. The end doesn’t justify the means but to watch your child die because you’re bothered by what people will say is unforgivable. This can be applicable not only to the child’s mother but to the father’s wife too. Although there was really no implication that Botchok was medically healed after his younger sibling’s birth, we can assume that he will be.

But the ending was quite awkward. People can forgive but it’s not easy to forget unless we can assume that people have some form of higher wisdom that we can’t understand and puts us to shame. This enables the characters of the movie to move on and move along. They all became friends despite everything they have gone through.

Despite that happy yet awkward ending, the entire plot per se can at least be comparable to a good book you can’t delay reading. It’s like a page turner where you can’t hurry up enough to move from one chapter to another. Every part of the movie is relevant to its theme and story. There was no filler and unnecessary scene whatsoever. Even the sensual scenes were not made erotic and teasing. They were quite short each time and although there were teasers like cleavages and the male stars’ revealing butt, those didn’t look provocative or seductive.

Quotable Quotes

Facebook posts of people I know which were used in the film made me curious about it. So here are some of those either to die for or to laugh about death quotes:

Jacq: "I try so hard, so hard to be the perfect wife."
Edward: "I don’t need a perfect wife. All I want is a happy family."

"When you have sex, hindi lang katawan nyo ang magsasanib; it's your hearts, soul, and everything!" - Grace’s OB

"Ang alam ko ang mga OB, eksperto sa matris, hindi sa puso." – Grace

Tristan: "Kaya kong tiisin lahat para sa taong mahal ko."
Jacq: "Pero hanggang kailan?"

Tristan (Zanjoe Marudo): "Hindi ko alam. Kasi kung alam ko, hindi na pagmamahal ‘yun.”

"Iba yung pumapayag sa nakikisama. Iba din ang nakikisama sa nagtitiis." –Jacq

"Anak tandaan mo, no trespassing. Matuto kang kumatok bago pumasok. Huwag kang sugod nang sugod." – Grace's mom

"Ang anak ang maglilibing sa magulang, hindi ang magulang ang maglilibing sa anak!" –Grace

Grace: "Trinato mo ko na parang asong pinasahan mo ng buto matapos mong lawayan!"

Jacq: "Kung nilawayan ko man ang buto, akin yun. Asawa ko yun!"

"Minsan kaya tayo nasasaktan kasi may mga gusto tayong hindi nangyayari; may mga pangarap tayong hindi natutupad. Hindi pagkakamali ang magkamali. Ang mahalaga, natuto tayo.  Pero yung pangalawang pagkakataon, pwede ka ng pumili." -Jacq

Grace (Angel Locsin): "May babalikan pa ba ako?"

Tristan (Zanjoe Marudo): "Ikaw lang naman naligaw…”

But this I believe is the quote which has been immortalized:

"Ang pera naten hindi basta basta mauubos! Pero ang pasensya ko, konting konti na lang!" –Jacq

Cast and Characters

Angel Locsin as Grace

Dingdong Dantes as Edward

Angelica Panganiban as Jacq

Zanjoe Marudo as Tristan

Gina Pareño as Grace’s mom

Carmina Villaroel as Botchok’s doctor

Agot Isidro as Jacq’s boss

Edward Mendez as Edward’s boss/friend

Miguel Vergara as Botchok

Official Theme

Without You by Angeline Quinto (remake from Joey Albert)

Official Trailer

MMFF Nominations and Awards

Awards:

Best Picture

Best Actor for Dingdong Dantes

Best Child Star Miguel Vergara

Best Editing for Vito Kahili

Best Screenplay for Anna Karenina Ramos, Kriz Gazmen, and Jay Fernando

FPJ Memorial Award for Excellence

Nominations:

Best Actress for Angel Locsin and Angelica Panganiban

Best Director for Ruel Bayani

Best Supporting Actor for Zanjoe Marudo

Best Supporting Actress for Gina Pareño

Rating and Ending

I can rate the film with 8/10 stars.

If you haven’t watched One More Try yet, you might still catch it in theaters near you!