On the Film Hello, Love, Again
Review: Hello, Love, Again (2024)
I love it. Do I think it surpasses Hello, Love, Goodbye? No, but everyone seems to think that just because it doesn't rise to the level of HLG, it sucks. Far from it. I have a hazy recollection of what happened in HLG, but it didn't stand in the way of enjoying HLA. It works as a standalone film.
The screenplay is good, though it tends to go crazy with monologues. It also relies too much on coincidence - is the Filipino community in Canada that small? Of course, the film would not work without these "lucky encounters," but I think the script can do better. Nevertheless, there are a few useless scenes (though why they have to show that Bernardo was scammed by her Filipino boss at the beginning of the film, I don't know), though with a two-hour run time is still quite tight. For a film that I believe was rushed after Kathryn Bernardo's breakup with Daniel Padilla, it's pretty good.
Speaking of Bernardo and her on-screen partner Alden Richards, they're good. Their baseline has always been spectacular, and they are spectacular in this film, too. I don't like Alden with that stupid beard of his - he also had the same look in Five Breakups and a Romance, and I think he looks better without it - but both are terrific actors. As usual with Filipino films, the side characters are amazing, with Joross Gomboa as Alden's best friend shining through like a diamond.
Everyone seems to have a problem with the cheating angle (and if you take a look at my review of Un/Happy For You, I don't like adultery as a plot, either), but they handled it quite well. There's nuance to it, from its commission to lingering effects and eventual forgiveness.
It's a great film. Don't believe the detractors or people who let perfection be the enemy of good. Everyone who loved HLG should watch it.
5/5.