"You can call me anything you want...
A snake, a bitch, the other woman...
But I will never be a pathetic, boring housewife..."
- Cara Zalderiaga
I just came home after watching Star Cinema's latest offering "No Other Woman" with my officemates / friends Arian, Chelle and Juvi. And I must say, I enjoyed watching this movie. I'm not much of a fan of those mushy movies that Star Cinema sometimes offers (perfect example: "You changed my life", I loved "A very special love" but the sequel was just okay I guess, except for the catchy lines).
Main Characters:
Anne Curtis - Cara Zalderiaga
Derek Ramsay - Ram Escaler
Christine Reyes - Sharmaine Escaler
The movie revolves around the perfect marriage of a former playboy who is now committed to the timid, loving housewife. The husband (played by actor Derek Ramsay) has his own furniture business loves his wife (played by actress Christine Reyes) but his world suddenly turns upside down when he got his big break by supplying the furniture of the upcoming luxury resort owned by the wealthy Zaldariagas. He got involved into a "no-string's attached" relationship with the heiress (played by actress Anne Curtis). Love, Life and Marriage is tested by the characters entanglement in the web of lies, hurt and deceit.
For me I would honestly say: BRAVO! The actors were great and they did meet my expectations. I honestly heard good things about this movie since it premiered last Saturday, I think (?) I was afraid that it was overrated, but the reviews were not wrong. It was my friends' idea that we try to watch the film and I was glad that I did. I thought the story was a typical marriage vs. mistress thing, but it was more to that. Yes, it involved cat fights between the wife and the mistress, the "no-string's attached" theme (*ahem* "No Strings Attached" + "Friends with Benefits"), witty lines that is a trademark by all the films of Star Cinema; but it was much more to that. The involvement of the characters made the story a much more deeper feeling.
It was Ram's dilemma on his deep love for his wife versus the irony of loving someone outside of the marriage, how Cara played around only to realize that the joke is on her and that one day she would finally meet her match, how Sharmaine stopped being the timid, perfect housewife and fight for what is rightfully hers.
These three people's different persona made the story work. Added to the story was Ram's problem with his father, his problem with his stepfather (although both of these side stories were left hanging that it left me wondering what happened to it)
Cara's friends who were both encouraging her to stop her nonsense of being the mistress but also tells her that she has so much more to offer than the wife because she is THE Cara Zalderiaga, Cara's dad who was disappointed with her but in the end protected her.
And of course Sharmaine's mom who was hurt by Sharmaine's dad because he was having an affair (that did coincidentally happen to his daughter and that made the mom blurt out witty comments that made my night; those witty comments that only Filipinos could follow LOL~ Filipino puns... Hands down to Carmi Martin, who was playing Sharmaine's mom ^^)
I am not a mushy type of gal but the scene that got me all teary-eyed was when Sharmaine's character was crying and wanted to give up on her husband (this was the scene after Cara and Sharmaine's poolside encounter) it was the line when she said she knows she isn't like this but she ate all her pride and fought even though her pride was on stake because that was how she loved her husband. Kudos to Christine Reyes for doing such a wonderful job!
I was also sympathizing on Cara's character on the part when she was begging Ram to come back to her side and choose her not his wife. The way she begged and pleaded was so real that I find her pathetic. Imagine a woman with such class, grace, an heiress pleading a man just to choose her. I love how Anne Curtis portrayed her character well.
The ending was great, (although I know in real-life situations, most of the people who had this kind of situation would rather crash and die before becoming civil with the other woman) but I'm not going to spoil in case people out there would want to watch the movie, and I definitely recommend it!
All in all I wasn't disappointed with the film neither it had a dull moment. The storyline was flawless and it made me want to go scene after scene to find out what happened next. I would definitely encourage everyone to try and watch this. Kudos to everyone who worked hard to make this movie.
