Gays now have a new battle cry from Happy Hearts – review
JOCELYN DIMACULANGAN, PEP for GMANEWS.TVÂ
Wendell Ramos: “A bakla is always a bakla!” Review
Members of the so-called third sex now have much to be happy about in Regal Entertainment’s latest flick, Happy Hearts. For one thing, it stars Rustom Padilla, the icon for gay pride, and the hunky Wendell Ramos as an equally convincing homosexual.
Wendell’s portrayal as Rustom’s gay lover was well appreciated and his funny antics drew rounds of applause during the March 11 premiere of Happy Hearts in SM Megamall. This Regal Entertainment film also marks the first time that Rayver Cruz and Shaina Magdayao have been paired up as a love team. Despite the title Happy Hearts, their love story is far from being a happy and perfect one.
Alvin (Rayver) is a balikbayan who comes back to the country with his mother, Sarah (Jean Garcia), who hopes to hook up with her longtime email buddy (Lauren Novero). Sarah is the ex-wife of Enrico (Rustom), a closet gay teacher living with his lover Louie (Wendell).
Enrico tries desperately to hide his true nature from his son Alvin but, instead, ends up lying to him and hurting his feelings. To complicate matters, Alvin falls in love with Kristine (Shaina), the daughter of Mr. Ricafrente (Tirso Cruz III), the owner of the school where Enrico works.
Wendell’s acting is noteworthy—just by raising his eyebrows, he can convey a whole range of emotions. Rustom’s mannerisms were just as endearing but there are times when Wendell seemed even more than gay than Rustom.
Judging from the wild cheers of the crowd, the Shai-Ver (Shaina-Rayver) love team is a sure winner. Shaina proved her mettle especially during the confrontation scene with veteran actor Tirso. Meanwhile, Rayver got a chance to show off his dancing skills and seeing him all dolled up and wearing a tutu is absolutely priceless!
My biggest complaint about Happy Hearts is the sound quality. There were times when you could barely understand what the actors were saying. Hopefully, Direk Joel Lamangan can do something about this problem before Happy Hearts premieres this Wednesday, March 14.
