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If (like us) you grew up in the ’90s, then it’s a no-brainer that you know who Candy Pangilinan, Carmina Villaroel, Janice de Belen, and Gelli de Belen are. These renowned actresses/real-life best friends were near-constant fixtures of TV and the silver screen, as well as being magnets of controversies of varying degrees. There is no denying the indelible impact that they have left in their field. Now, Viva Film’s newest offering offers a somewhat autobiographical take on the foursome’s friendship, but is it worth the “trip” to your local cinema?
Written by Pangilinan in her screenwriting debut, Road Trip follows four friends who’ve known each other since high school and embark on a journey to honor a friend who has recently passed away. Along the way, they’ll get to know things about themselves and each other and set about healing many emotional wounds from the past that have almost been buried deep in their collective memories.
The great thing about having real-life best friends portray reel-life friends is the near-automatic transplanting of the chemistry that they have with each other into their celluloid camaraderie.
"The script by Pangilinan is written with their acting strengths in mind, deriving jokes and tears from the way we’ve known these four as actresses and as off-screen individuals."
There are some meta winks to their real individual histories embedded into each character’s backstory, and it’s a fun little mini-game while watching trying to guess whose real-life issues were given to which on-screen persona.
Certain elements could’ve been excised, though, to give the film better pacing, like a 3rd act revelation that feels unnecessary in idea and execution; however, knowing that this screenplay was completed under the tutelage of National Artist Ricky Lee tells us that a bit of leniency must be given to the final work. We’re keen on seeing where Pangilinan goes next in terms of her screenwriting career, as her work here certainly displays a certain handle on the craft that not many of her peers (some a lot more tenured than her) do not have.
It’s such a treat, then, to see the four of them play off each other beautifully, with particular praise given to Gelli de Belen for being the most natural of them all.
"While all of them have their own standout moments in the film, it’s Gelli who gets the most shine as she’s asked to give a multi-layered performance as a woman masking many secrets with a sheen of near-constant jubilation."
Another strength of the film is its placidly beautiful cinematography, capturing picturesque vistas with some truly technically impressive camerawork. We have Director of Photography Joshua Reyles to thank for this. However, it seems that a trend has been forming lately involving films like this where it serves a dual function as both a new project and a working vacation for all the actors involved. Whatever the case may be, this movie’s stock is certainly furthered by Reyles’ work.
It's nice to have movies like this where we just get to see meta-character work play out against beautiful vistas. This film feels like both a work of fan service for long-time fans of the quadrumvirate, as well as a sign of evolution towards more challenging, dramatic work. This film won’t move any needle, though, but it’s still worth your time.
Roadtrip opens in cinemas nationwide on January 17.
Cinegeeks rating : B
Watch the trailer here :
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