“Everyday I Love You” has all the makings of the traditional romance drama.
There is hardly an effort to stray away from the conventions of the formula and it doesn’t bother to bring something new on the table. That does not necessarily mean it is a total letdown, and on this Mae Cruz-Alviar-helmed Star Cinema flick, the strength that primarily comes from the performance of the actors, and the relatable sentiments they are trying to get across, reinforces the film’s extremely familiar storyline with searing and tangible truths, enough to deliver a heartwarming experience.
Liza Soberano is Audrey. She has been dedicating her time caring for the love of her life, Gerald Anderson’s Tristan, who has fallen into a coma after a tragic car accident. In her hopes to present him something beautiful when he wakes up, she decides to record every moment she spends in waiting, documenting her eagerness and frustrations as she struggle to keep all her dreams, including Tristan waking up, in tack within her heart.
The complication starts when Enrique Gil’s Ethan enters the picture. Ethan is a workaholic tv producer. He is dedicated and ambitious, but is lacking compassion for his fellow workers. So when his boss decides to send him to his company’s Bacolod office to produce a new show, his patience is once again tested. His arrival in Negros also marks his first step into Audrey’s life, a critical moment when financial resource is starting to get scarce for Tristan. Ethan is so sure that the beautiful Negrense girl is what his new project needs, and might be the one he needs to get his long-dreamed promotion, an achievement he has been struggling to earn due to his inaffection to his subordinates.
There is a persistent sense of over-familiarity, “wait-i’ve-seen-this” moments that strips off the narrative’s authenticity each time the story moves on with its growing sappy proceedings.
But as it does that, it also allows key moments to shine, allowing the more affectionate sentiments of the characters to speak for the emotional weight of their situations.
The film thrusts itself into attention when it shreds its details, baring all the lead characters side-stories to make their plight relatable. Audrey is torn between keeping his first love, and chasing her dreams.
Ethan struggles for recognition. Tristan finds himself stuck between two difficult choices: keeping the love of his life and making her happy. But what if what makes her happy is letting her go? It’s a persistent question that suddenly comes into view when un inevitable romance seemed to have blossomed between Audrey and Ethan. And what if, the dream she has been chasing after, is Ethan? The dream that has filled up the void when Tristan wasn’t there to take it.
For the most of its part, “Everyday I Love You’s” charm is generated by its actors commendable performances. Though formulaic, the film’s plot is decently executed, its proceedings and backstories seamlessly knitted to provide a coherent, touching storyline. Liza Soberano has grown into a much finer actress from “Just the Way You Are,” a film she also shared with Gil barely a year ago. Gil has a more excellent maneuver over his character, and Anderson showed a commendable delivery, as well.
“Everyday I Love You” barely fits in the realm of cinematic revolution that has recently streaked across the confines of the cliché-stricken local cinema. No this film isn’t to impress the cerebral senses of the critical cineastes, it’s here to deliver killer dosages of “kilig” while also presenting an emotional journey that most of us will surely find difficult to resist, one that might send the tips of our fingers tapping the letters “I LOVE YOU” on our mobile phone’s screen and send them to those who matter to us.
RATING: 8 out of 10 stars (JE)
