Review: ‘A Second Chance’ has a hopeful message

Eight years after their box-office hit One More Chance, Bea Alonzo and John Lloyd Cruz proved once again that theirs is one irresistible tandem for Philippine movie fans with A Second Chance. In less than a week since its release, the movie has already garnered Php300 million (Dh23.3 million) from cinemas in the Philippines.

On Thursday, the movie hit UAE theatres and the reception from fans here was just as strong. It was actually my first time to see a jam-packed crowd line up for a Filipino movie here in Dubai.

While not a fan of the Alonzo-Cruz love team, I have to admit that the two have a palpable on-screen chemistry. Plus, it helps that they are two of the finest mainstream actors in the country today and that the film was helmed by acclaimed director Cathy Garcia Molina.

Continuing from the Popoy (Cruz) and Basha (Alonzo) love story from One More Chance, the couple have decided to settle down in A Second Chance and the movie thus starts with scenes of frantic wedding preparations and the wedding itself.

Overcome with love for his new bride, Popoy passes up a high-paying engineering job in Europe and instead decides to start a construction company with his architect wife. They dream of building their own house where they can raise their family.

After a blissful start to their marriage, signs of trouble start to emerge when Popoy’s stubborn idealism constantly clashes with Basha’s more pragmatic approach to managing their business. The relationship then takes a turn for the worse after Basha suffers a miscarriage and is forced to take a leave from work. Without Basha, Popoy struggles to manage the company. Their problems are compounded when Popoy hides the company’s misfortunes from his wife, and by the time Basha discovers the truth, the firm is already Php80 million in debt.

There’s really nothing special to the story. It deals with common marital problems, which have been the subject of many a movie before. But this is a Cruz and Alonzo film. Thus, apart from the fine acting, fans have a certain degree of expectation and excitement when the two team up for a sequel to a blockbuster hit.

In particular, Cruz and Alonzo’s films have been known for their hugot lines (words that draw emotions from deep within one’s self). And this movie did have plenty of it. While in many other dramatic films, conflicts between couples often involve physical confrontation to dramatise pain and suffering (a slap to the face is a Filipino movie staple), this one has none of it. Instead of physical pain, the movie deals with deeper emotional pain and this is where all the hugot lines come into play.

I felt the film lost steam towards the end... perhaps it was being forced or rushed, which is a common pitfall when a movie tries to resolve a conflict. I definitely feel the ending could have been better. Also, the movie could have added a little more depth to the characters. Engaging as it was, there was just a little too much focus on the two main characters, whose presence dominated almost every scene and conversation in the movie.

But overall, Molina did a good job putting the movie together and keeping Popoy and Basha fans happy. For those in rocky relationships looking for reassurances that there is hope at the end of the tunnel and, well, a second chance, this is one feel-good movie they should watch. A Second Chance definitely doesn’t hide its partiality to second chances.

In an interview we did with Alonzo, she said everyone has a small Popoy and Basha within them. And that, perhaps, is what makes the movie painfully honest, but at least it has the courage to make us think that there’s always a second chance to rectify a mistake.