I went into the theatre knowing I was going to watch one of the Philippines' top grossing movies of all time. I wanted to find out if it was all hype or if the movie is really worth it.
No Other Woman is your typical Filipino love triangle, although the power cast are beyond typical: Derek Ramsay, Anne Curtis and Christine Reyes.
Ramsay plays the furniture designer and salesman Ram Escaler, who is also a devoted husband to Charmaine, played by Reyes. Everything is all roses between the couple until resort heiress Kara Zalderiaga, played by Curtis, steps into the picture.
Kara is beautiful and sexy, with brains to match, so it takes a huge effort for Ram--who is trying to land a furniture deal with Kara's dad's resort--to keep his self-imposed fidelity. It finally falls to shreds when he falls for the resort heiress even though he admits he loves his wife very much. Men are so contradictory!
"Kiss me but don't you dare fall in love with me," Kara tells Ram before he finally gives in to her seduction.
When Ramsay's chiseled body or Curtis' curves, or Reyes' angelic face are not distracting you, the movie's plot takes you on a roller coaster ride into the fiery love triangle that follows after Charmaine learns about the affair and decides to fight for her man.
The acting is convincing, though Curtis could've done more. Some parts of her acting felt a little bit restrained to me. The cat fight was another thing - definitely not the typical fight you'd expect in real life and not reel. But overall, the movie is well-written and well-directed, with a lot of memorable and catchy lines to make it entertaining.
In one scene, Charmaine's feisty mother, played by Carmi Martin, gives her a pep talk after she finds out about the affair.
"Ang mundo ay isang malaking Quiapo, maraming snatcher. Maaagawan ka, lumaban ka! (The world is one big Quiapo, lots of snatchers. You might be victimised, fight!),” exlaims Charmaine's mother, livid with anger. "Panahon na para i-pack mo na yang Lucy Torres mo, ilabas mo na diyan si Gretchen Barretto, anak ako na ang bahala sa red stiletto mo! (It is time to pack up your Lucy Torres persona and bring out the Gretchen Barretto in you. I'll take care of your red stillettos).”
Curtis' character, Kara, also delivers her own memorable line, especially in the scene where she is confronted by Ram's housewife, who has undergone a fashion metamorphosis to match her rival head to head.
“You can call me whatever you want… snake, bitch or other woman, but I promise you, I will never be a pathetic, boring housewife!” Kara tells Charmaine. You can hear the contempt in her voice.
The movie is scheduled for screening at the Ibn Battuta cinema from November 3 to 9.
