Regal Films and Star Cinema brings together some of it’s biggest teen stars in the biggest barkada movie event of the year, WALWAL.
The film centers on a group of four friends – Dondi (Elmo Magalona), Intoy (Jerome Ponce), Marco (Kiko Estrada) and Bobby (Donny Pangilinan), who have forged their unbreakable friendship in high school and are now sophomores in college. Dondi, Intoy, Marco, and Bobby are bound together by the wealth of their past experiences and their natural love for the good times.
The boys share a bond so great that they will do anything to protect each other as they traverse the most critical period of their adulthood.
Unbeknownst to them is that sophomore year in college is the pivotal phase in their lives. Each of them will be confronted with a major dilemma that would determine their sense of direction.
Together, these boys will give “walwal” a whole new meaning as they define it as means to show each other unconditional support, especially during rough times.
That at the end of the day, they have each other’s back – kung WALang-WALa na sila sa buhay, karamay pa rin naman nila ang isa’t-isa.
WALWAL also stars Kisses Delavin (Ruby), Devon Seron (Trina), Jane De Leon (Carla) and Sofia Senoron (Shelby). The film is directed by Jose Javier Reyes, from Regal Films and Star Cinema.
It’s been a while since we had a really good local barkada themed movie, with last year’s highly acclaimed “Bar Boys” from director Kip Oebanda. And now, this year we have WALWAL.
Jose Javier Reyes’ teen comedy weaves together some real-life issues that young adults face during their college years effectively, resulting in an absorbing and highly entertaining film. One of the best things about this film is the writing.
The dialogues come fast and slick, mostly comical yet smart. There are some that come off a bit cringe-worthy, especially when the characters try to use modernized words like “petmalu” and “fake news” which aren’t that really necessary at all.
But for the most part, the witty screenplay is one of the film’s biggest strengths as it gives each of the characters their own identity.
As for the story, they’re all familiar to us since they’ve been used dozens of times in other films or shows. But what I’ve noticed is that the conflicts of all four main characters mostly have some “daddy issues”. Dondi (Elmo Magalona) is having a hard time moving on from his ex-girlfriend Carla. To add more to his dilemma, his father is pushing him against his will to take law and become a lawyer. Athlete Intoy (Jerome Ponce) is struggling with his grades while trying to find his long-lost father. Playboy Marco (Kiko Estrada) just found out that he got a girl (Devon Seron) pregnant and is about to become a father. Bobby (Donny Pangilinan) is being forced by his father to give up on his course and his dream of becoming a film director for him to manage their business.
These stories are mostly told separately, with each character facing their own conflicts. The stories were pretty much okay, but the one that really stood out was Marco and Intoy’s. The conflicts of Dondi and Bobby with their fathers weren’t really given enough focus or time to grow.
Instead, the focus was put into their relationships with Carla and Ruby. To his credit, Elmo Magalona nailed his role as a guy trying to recover from his obsession with his ex. His moments were mostly the source of jokes in the film, and he was very effective and quite funny. Bobby and Ruby’s (Kisses Delavin) moments mostly involve their characters asking trivia questions about movies, which comes out awkward but cute most of the time.
Intoy’s story is the one that really pulls out all the emotions in the film. His scenes with his mother (in an amazing portrayal by Angeli Bayani) will definitely touch everyone’s hearts. Angeli Bayani brings out the best in Jerome Ponce in their mother-and-son moments, allowing the young actor to show off his acting prowess.
Marco ’s baby dilemma is the one that provides all the kilig in the film as he plays cat-and-dog with the girl he got pregnant, Trina (Devon Seron). Kiko Estrada proves that he is a leading man in the making, and Devon Seron was the perfect match for him. Their scenes together are oozing with palpable chemistry, and their moments look so natural and effortless.
I am actually hoping to see more of them together in future Regal projects because they’ve got something in them as a pair.
The only problem I had was that most of the character’s conflict wasn’t given an actual resolution. Most of the character’s stories just jumped into a resolution which apparently fixed everything.
For example, Marco understandably doesn’t want to be a father at first, but all of a sudden, without any explanation, he has a change of heart and accepts the responsibility. But this was compensated by the overwhelming chemistry he shares with his co-star Devon.
Jose Javier Reyes’ WALWAL is a highly entertaining, feel-good teen comedy that everyone will surely appreciate. It’s full of laughter and heart and will leave a smile on audience’s face long after the credits roll. WALWAL is undeniably a witty, wacky, wild winner.
RATING: 5/5
