02/21/2026 03:20:24 PM
Maybe people are expecting a Jericho Rosales-Anne Curtis romance movie to be a feel good one for the Valentine's season, considering how the actors crusaded for a more affordable ticket pricing?
Turns out, they're wrong, because romantic relationships – and love, in general – are not all fun and games, especially if a partnership has already been running for a very long time. Hell, getting past a couple of years would be a roller-coaster ride, too.
You expect everything there to be a fucking honeymoon in eternity? Ha, good luck with that, because The Loved One exposed everything about long-term relationships, which basically tells you something: the roads eventually get rocky and that includes fallout from the journey of Ellie and Eric, who for once became together for a decade, crossed paths after a long period of separation. And the more they reminisce about every single possible thing, the more they uncover their wounds to its farther depths; on how salvaging what once-a-blossomed-bond was is not an option 15 years later amidst conflicting characteristics between the two of them.
And moviegoers got a hard, bitter-tasting slap of reality check out of it for only 275 pesos in SM Cinemas* (hey, that's a sweet, good steal, buds). Again, a flick depicting a long-term relationship doesn't guarantee high jinks from time to time, sweeties.
Maybe it's just the editing that had its full savoring glory. I mean, imagine if The Loved One was showcased in a very traditional linear paced storytelling? The film may wind up being predictable-yet-bland. Great job to seasoned writer-director Irene Villaflor and especially editor Benjamin Tolentino for weaving all the 'he said-she said' fragments into a film full of series of colorful flashbacks, the occasionally switching to the black-and-white present time and perspectives, and all that said – the answers to the questions: Whose narrative prevailed in your eyes? Was the typical good-yet-poor guy Eric (Rosales) the real actual lover of them two, or did the bourgeois-yet-free-spirited Ellie (Curtis) make a compelling enough case to say she did her part?
Also, The Loved One showcased two Cup of Joe songs which I thought wasn't enough to showcase this group's massive appeal as of late. But I guess because Multo has become the most-streamed Filipino music song recently, that would suffice enough to keep the band's high-tiding wave going.
The Verdict: 8/10
*of course, prices may vary per movie operator and location in accordance with the producers' initiative of discounted ticketing.
P.S. I miss writing my thoughts about anything I see on the screen. And also, yeah, I didn't take photos of their posters in Megamall. My bad.
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