It’s not surprising that “Ex With Benefits,” the new collaboration film from Star Cinema and Viva Films, is teeming with intimate and sensual scenes, moments that would surely satisfy those who root for excessive display of flesh.
Anyway, you don’t make Derek Ramsay and Coleen Garcia as your lead stars for nothing. Director Gino Santos surely knows that well, as it is evident with how he utilized these talents up to their most daring potential.
Derek and Coleen are equally credible here, as they are both able to pull off their characters with utmost believability, and that’s probably thanks to the movie’s decently-written script. The result of these efforts: a sensual movie with so much heart in it, one that speaks of recognizable sentiments even without being too silly and overdramatic.
The film follows Adam (Ramsay), a successful doctor, who after years of having broken up with Arkisha (Garcia), his former sweetheart, hasn’t moved on yet. So when she comes back to his life, asking some favors for her to get her job done, he knows he couldn’t miss the chance of winning her back. But there’s some consequences, and what comes in the wake of the mess, proves to hold weight to rip their hearts apart.
There’s no surprise in Derek once again proving how he’s a capable as an actor, and he’s brilliant here delivering a commendable performance that goes beyond his lip-biting physique. He’s as believable as his role has required him to be, being able to pull off a character whose inside is embittered by his past and hopelessness.
But there’s much more to commend about Coleen, who has surprisingly delivered some brilliant acting chops here, proving she’s now capable of carrying out a role far bigger than she has previously played. She oozes with her irresistibly sexy appeal, but she never let that take the audience’s focus from her capacity to bring a believable performance, and she indeed does that, making her emerge as an actress who does more than just an intimate body display.
This duo proves a powerful pair in bringing a relatable story to life. It gathers fire with its sensuality, capable enough of immesing us, audience, into the same enjoyable heat, but it also deliver some searing sentiments that are tangible and moving enough to make us hope for love to come again.
RATING: 8/10 (JE)
