Audience Member
Babe, I Love You is yet another fine example of how the mainstream industry seems incapable of living out to the ambition of their stories. Here is a film with themes that go beyond the norm, touching on a potentially heartbreaking conflict that could have made the story one to remember. But of course, all of that gets downplayed as the film churns out all the things weâve come to expect from local romantic films.
Nico (Sam Milby) is a young, straight-laced university professor working his way towards becoming vice-dean of the architecture department. Though relatively successful, Nico has a real chip on his shoulder, and he struggles to gain acknowledgement from his mother. A series of unfortunate events leads him to Sasa (Anne Curtis), a loud, tactless promo girl who seems intent on making Nicoâs life miserable. Nicoâs sense of responsibility makes him stick it out, and he finds that thereâs a lot more to the girl than her loud demeanor would indicate.
On the surface, the film appears to be just another odd couple romantic tale where opposites inevitably attract. But the film breaks from conventional thinking as it centers on its theme. While most fiction will relay the message that people can indeed leave the past behind, Babe, I Love You posits the opposite. That in fact, when something you did in the past resulted in hurting someone, you have to live with the mistake and atone for it, even if it means giving up your happiness. In its finest moments, the film bucks all cliché as it subverts the broken carpe diem mentality of mainstream romances and makes history matter for once.
Again, Star Cinema has stumbled on to a surprisingly mature idea, but the rigors of conventional mainstream filmmaking invariably curtail the storyâs ambition. The screenplay is pretty mechanical, inorganically hitting its plot points with little regard for the overall picture. There are characters that seem to exist solely to explicate the conflict of the characters. Nico has a pregnant co-worker who only appears in scenes to tell Nico that his relationship with Sasa has its risks. The character has no real personality, and no use outside of these scenes, but she exists because of the narrativeâs failure to give focus to the inner turmoil of the characters.
Instead, much more of the film is given to the tired hate-love-hate-love cadence that has come to define this genre of film. They fall in love because they have to, a single act of kindness enough to reverse all animosity between the warring couple, a single mistake enough to break them apart, another act of kindness negating the last sin. The film does have bigger themes to explore, but it canât commit to them, leaving out much of the darkness in the first two acts as the character fall in predictable love-dovey rhythms. The filmâs larger ideas are relegated to the last act, in a messy climax that isnât really justified by the events that came before it, only to be reneged as the film crawls towards its ending, which incidentally, happens âone year later.â The technical package is passable but shoddy around the edges, particularly in regard to lighting and grading consistency.
The filmâs romantic leads do make an interesting pair. I maintain that Sam Milby is one the countryâs most underrated actors, bearing a capacity for darkness and nuance not afforded to most studio stars. Milby still has a tendency to go overboard in big dramatic scenes, but he can act with surprising vulnerability at times. Anne Curtis appears to be having a lot of fun as the outgoing Sasa. The supporting cast doesnât get much to chew on, with their characters existing solely to be sounding boards and conflict elaborators.
There is nothing especially bad about Babe I Love You, as there is nothing especially bad about the scores of disposable kilig films the studios have produced in the last five years or so. But yet again, we have the studios stifling the true drama behind their stories in service of providing the same tired beats and endings that have turned the Filipino romantic film into an exercise in pandering. A little bit of commitment might have made this film last longer in peopleâs psyches. But as usual, it will only last until the next one arrives, with its fresh pairings, its new covers of old songs, the same sunsets and happy endings.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
01/14/23
Full Review
Audience Member
<a href=http://www.rochellesychua.com/2010/04/babe-i-love-you-movie-review.html>Babe I Love You Movie Review</a>
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/15/23
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Audience Member
I like this movie because it's a nice movie of two different person who fell in love in each other.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
02/12/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Expected ending. Typical love story but worth the watch for the comedy! Whahaha! Some dialogue scenes r slow but the lead actors are cute to watch. Worth the wait to watch.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/24/23
Full Review
Audience Member
From the makers of "Bitch, Get a Job"
Rated 0.5/5 Stars •
Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars
02/17/23
Full Review
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