'FOR THE FANS' TREATMENT DILUTES
INTENSITY OF CENTRAL CONFLICT
by Nestor U. Torre, Philippine Daily Inquirer, March 4, 2000

WE watched the Sharon-Richard starrer, ''Minsan, Minahal Kita,'' on its opening day, hoping that the movie would be at least as good as ''Madrasta,'' the previous collaboration between Sharon Cuneta and director Olivia Lamasan, which got the megastar her first ''grand slam'' of acting awards.

Alas, ''Minsan…'' turns out to be not as substantial as ''Madrasta.'' Perhaps we can ''blame'' some of its lapses on the fact that it's a ''reunion'' project for Richard and Sharon, so the movie has had to increase its ''kilig quotient'' to keep viewers in fans' heaven.

This ''cute'' approach dilutes the intensity and gravity of the film's handling of its serious and relevant central issue: marital infidelity. In particular, the movie seeks to make viewers understand why an otherwise responsible wife and mother (Sharon) would finally agree to have an affair with a married man (Richard).

The production does get in some helpful insights, but its ''for-the-fans'' thrust makes it difficult for its otherwise focused scenes to add up to a truly enlightened and enlightening view of the problem.

The film gets off to a lively start with its playful handling of chronology, mixing up different periods of time in order to make interesting connections between events on point of character change or the significance of those plot developments.

Soon, however, it becomes clear that the movie is more interested in Sharon's character than in Richard's. He has enough scenes to make a strong impression, but her sequences are simply more textured and interesting than his.

This could be par for the course for romantic dramas like this, which are usually canted in favor of women (their primary market). But a Richard-Sharon reunion film would require a more even treatment, since both stars are major luminaries.

Unfortunately, the movie gives greater detail to Sharon's side of the story, effectively ''explaining'' her decision to cuckold her husband (Edu Manzano) because he's a shameless womanizer and a wife-beater, to boot.

Richard, on the other hand, is shown to have married ''above'' his station, and his snooty, demanding and neurotic wife (Angel Aquino) makes life hell for him, thus driving him into Sharon's hesitant and guilty embrace.

Of course, their affair cannot be allowed to last forever. Sharon's mother (Rosemarie Gil) finally learns that her otherwise dutiful daughter has been flouting God's law, and she insists that Sharon should concentrate on saving her floundering marriage, despite the fact that she's desperately unhappy in it.

The mother insists on this because she has another ''wayward'' daughter (played by Carmina Villaroel), who has broken her heart by opting for a Lesbian lifestyle, and the matriarch is not about to put up with another ''lost'' offspring.

Thus does the movie present a sub-theme related to another ''unacceptable'' behavior-but oh, so gingerly. The sub-issue is soon dropped, so one wonders why it was brought up at all.

The rest of the movie then concentrates on how miserable Sharon and Richard are apart, how they almost get together again at the airport as Richard is about to fly to the States, and the succeeding events that transpire after that (both married couples eventually separate from each other, and Edu and Angel marry other people).

This sets the stage for the ultimate revival of the Sharon-Richard romance, this time under more ''acceptable'' conditions. Once more, the movie shifts to its ''cute,'' ''whimsical'' mode, and the supposedly much more mature ex-lovers meet under ''accidental yet fated'' circumstances, to pick up from where they left off, now older, wiser and freer to give full vent to their love for each other.

We say ''supposedly'' because, while Sharon makes some concessions to looking older after a lapse of 10 years, Richard pretty much refuses to age. Well, by this time, the movie has already compromised its seriousness of purpose, so not much further harm is done…

On point of performance, Sharon paces the other members of the cast with her textured portrayal of the loyal wife who is practically forced to cheat on her husband. It's just too bad that this otherwise informed and felt performance is compromised by ''cute'' touches that seek to lighten the drama in order to make the material more accessible and popular.

Richard also works hard to make his performance more perceptive than usual, but his commitment to his character isn't as strong as it should be, so he doesn't completely succeed in subsuming his Richard Gomez persona to his screen character.

Edu Manzano is given even less screen time to limn his character, more's the pity. Angel Aquino gets a stronger focus but manages to come up with a merely serviceable portrayal of Richard's rich and neurotic wife. Angel's characterization here is a departure from her usual sweet-and-lovely roles, but the character is a bit out of her reach.