Movie review ‘Five Breakups and a Romance’ fast-forwards to the big moments

CEBU, Philippines — Anyone familiar with director Irene Villamor’s filmography knows that her lead actors don’t necessarily come from traditional loveteams such as “Sid & Aya: Not a Love Story” starring Dingdong Dantes and Anne Curtis, and “Ulan” with Nadine Lustre and Carlo Aquino, to name a few.

It wasn’t a surprise then that her latest flick would once again have an untested pairing, this time with Alden Richards and Julia Montes, not having appeared on the big screen since 2019 (Hello, Love, Goodbye) and 2016 (Padre de Familia), respectively.

“Five Breakups and a Romance” focuses on aspiring doctor Lance (Richards) and career-oriented designer Justine (Montes) who have a chance encounter in Singapore where their romance began. We don’t see the entire relationship develop in this five-chapter story. Rather, it focuses on the highlights of their relationship.

It starts from a casual-turned-long-distance dating, which suddenly escalates to a huge fight two years into the relationship. The third chapter sees them in the renewal of vows of Justine’s parents during their “break” four years in. The penultimate chapter is set during the COVID-19 pandemic when Lance and Justine are at a breaking point in their relationship, which leads to the finale of where they are now post-pandemic.

This kind of storytelling works well, discarding the mundane moments in favor of showing the big parts that showcase the evolution of one’s relationship. But it has its minor disadvantages. Many romantic films are memorable because of the side characters that help the leads form their perspective of love. By zeroing in heavily on Richards and Montes’ characters, their friends appear as forgettable background characters.

The same cannot be said for the parents of Lance and Justine, especially the latter. Their interactions with their folks explain their perspectives on life and romance and what makes them who they are in the story.

Richards and Montes nailed their performances as they were tasked to play characters that feel like they would be someone we know in real life. Characterization-wise, it’s easier to feel sympathy for Justine than Lance during their lowest moments despite the film’s attempts to make them as complex as possible.

You can clearly tell that Villamor drives this whole movie with her unique voice as a storyteller through her script and direction. While this may be far from being her best movie, “Five Breakups and a Romance” is worth viewing if you are a fan of Villamor’s work, which is sprinkled with the best of what Richards and Montes have to offer with their acting chops. Three and a half stars out of five. — (FREEMAN)