househusband

while i didn’t have any choice when it came to the movie since the poor malaysia airlines already chose this one, i did have a choice between watching this movie or reading a book or sleeping. i opted to sit thru its 1 plus hour or so. since i’ve seen kasal, kasali, kasalo, the first judy ann santos – ryan agonocillo/joey javier reyes outing, i thought my househusband shouldn’t be bad since that movie actually had enough depth and fun to entertain me. unfortunately for me, i was wrong with this one. definitely wrong.

the premise actually had some promise. a light movie about how traditional roles could be changed by losing a high paying job and the issues this would bring. after a bank merger, rod (ryan agoncillo) was offered a not-so interesting package and because of pride, resigned from his post. he then found it harder to find a job since he’s already in his mid-30s. his wife mia (judy ann santos), who happens to be a part-time insurance agent then decided to take a full-time role in the firm to support the family. rod had to take over the domestic chores and this was where the conflict and comedy should have come from. reyes and his co-writers added nosy neighbours and super-friendly character, aida (eugene domingo).

one major issue is that rod and mia rarely spoke with each other, contrary to what the movie was trying to show. instead of making deeper realization of this modern phenomenon called househusband, the movie opted to concentrate on trivial matters like doing household chores. after some quick ticktacks on him being househusband, the movie pans away to eugene domingo’s aida, your typical loud mouth neighbour who’s actually a kept woman. sitcom type was done, obviously wanting to make each scene as crisp as possible. it didn’t do its magic as it only became like a hodgepodge of several un-memorable scenes. one would definitely labor their way thru the movie, throwing very few intelligent lines, mainly courtesy of aida.

after all these serious issues, it was just a matter of time before the movie ended on a happy note. after all, this is light family drama – there should not be any negative vibe on it. rod finally landed a new job, mia will keep her career as well and aida is now on her way to become a successful trader. if only real life issues can easily be resolved, we won’t have much troubles!

making ryan agoncillo the typical macho pinoy husband supposedly not doing wifey chores was a stretch. he just doesn’t come off that way. it could have been successful had another actor played the part. while eugene domingo did quite well, it was a bit hard to believe that she really is a kept woman. reyes probably didn’t want to have the stereotypical pinay kept woman (slim, faux blonde, with southern accent), that’s why they’ve put eugene domingo in the role. judy ann santos is her usual dependable self, having that right click with her lines and was effective in the role of a strong but family oriented wife.

i’d have to skip any future joey javier reyes fare.