Star Cinema‘s post-Valentine offering, Always Be My Maybe is probably the bravest rom-com movie in recent local rom-com history. For me, it does not try to impress. It doesn’t have complicated backstories. The characters don’t have complicated family problems. There are no product placements (at least that I caught). Minimal unnecessary cameos. It just keeps everything simple and that’s how it became effective to keep the audience applauding and wanting more.

It stars Arci Muñoz, fresh from A Second Chance, and Gerald Anderson. A super-duper random pairing if you ask me. Coming from nowhere, you see a movie teaser showing Arci doing a make-up tutorial viral video, and Gerald down on his knees, proposing to an unknown girlfriend but ultimately rejected. This is enough to make me go line up and watch this movie. Thankfully, I did.

Seeing Gerald and Arci on the big screen feels refreshing like when I saw Jennylyn and Derek in English Only, Please, which coincidentally was also directed by Dan Villegas. Their chemistry is undeniably natural. Arci Muñoz as Tintin is Arci Muñoz being the reliable actress that she is. Ever since Starstruck, she has always proven that she’s competent to handle any role. And as Tintin, she does it again. She’s effortless (and super funny too!). Gerald Anderson (Jake), on the other hand, may have just found a new career in romantic-comedy. He makes the audience kilig even as a “dirty” playboy with a beard and lots of bad tattoos. He gives the depth and maturity required by the scenes. As an actor, he is effective and, as Jake, he is as lovable as ever. (And his laugh is cute!)

The film tries to steer away from the conventional style of storytelling. It has many scenes where the characters just have long conversations like in the Before Sunrise trilogy. Conversations you think are irrelevant to the development of the story but, subtly, these effortless dialogues form the almost invisible puzzles at the end. The slow build-up is worth it in the end. You’ll find yourself watching two strangers meeting each other, going on friendly dates and hanging out early in the morning. And as they fall in love, unknowingly, you also fall in love with the movie.

If you’re looking for a simple, funny and a little sexy feel-good movie that makes you want to hope and love again, I recommend watching Always Be My Maybe. If you’re going on a date, DTR muna! Watch the trailer below:

Have you seen Always Be My Maybe? What do you think? Sound off in the comments below.