‘English Only Please’ adds 17 cinemas as box office appeal picks up

Derek Ramsay and Jennylyn Mercado showed remarkable chemistry in their first film together, "English Only, Please'

As Kris Aquino pointed out during the recently concluded Metro Manila Film Festival awards night that she co-hosted with Edu Manzano at the PICC, films that win awards in the annual Christmas season festival usually draw enough curiosity to prompt more people to see it.

That turns out to be true as far as Dan Villegas’ “English Only, Please” is concerned. One day after it won seven MMFF awards including 2nd Best Picture and the equally coveted Best Actor and Best Actress trophies for lead stars Derek Ramsay and Jennylyn Mercado, celebrated indie filmmaker Antoinette Jadaone who co-wrote the unheralded romantic comedy with Anj Pessumal tweeted the good news to her social media followers.

Happy that ticket sales for #EnglishOnlyPlease are now picking up! Thank you for helping us spread the word! Kayo ang promo team namin hihi

— Tonette, Tonette (@tonetjadaone) December 28, 2014

Jadaone would later tweet photos of the film’s sold out screenings in Greenbelt and Trinoma cinemas indicating its growing following after the awards night. As “English Only, Please” is fast becoming the sleeper hit of the MMFF, it reportedly added 17 more cinemas where it is set to open this Tuesday, December 30.

Signs of sold out screenings for "English Only Please" as posted by screenwriter Antoinette Jadaone on Twitter.

Among these theaters are Newport in Resorts World Manila, SM Megamall Digital Cinema, Sta. Lucia Cinema 7, Walter Mart in Makati, SM Lucena, Robinsons Imus, Robinsons Pioneer, SM Sucat, SM Valenzuela, Robinsons Magnolia, Ayala Center Cinema Cebu, SM Tarlac (two cinemas), SM Cagayan de Oro, SM Pampanga, SM San Fernando and Megacenter The Mall in Cabanatuan City.

Not bad for a film that almost did not get completed in time for the festival. During her acceptance speech for their 2nd Best Picture Award, practicing lawyer and independent film producer Atty. Joji Alonso whose Quantum Films co-produced “English Only Please” acknowledged “Bonifacio: Ang Unang Pangulo” co-producer Eduardo Rocha for coming to the rescue of the film at the last minute.

Now the modestly budgeted film has become the sleeper hit of the ongoing MMFF.

It has also become a huge career boost for both Derek and Jennylyn who took over the roles that was originally announced by the MMFF to be portrayed by Sam Milby and Angeline Quinto.

The unlikely tandem who were never paired together before showed remarkable chemistry throughout the film particularly in their cute and hilarious “Don’t ask” repartees.

For his role as Julian Parker, a Fil-American lovelorn who hired an English tutor to help him interpret the bitter message of a letter he wants to personally deliver to his ex-girlfriend, Derek won the first Best Actor award of his career. More importantly, it also established his versatility as an actor following a villainous turn in the equally acclaimed Cinemalaya feature, “The Janitor”.

Derek will continue his foray into comedy in 2015 with the TV5 sitcom “Mac & Chiz” which co-stars him with comedian Empoy Marquez and actress Bianca King.

In her review of the film, Interaksyon columnist Jessica Zafra noted that Jennylyn “seems overdue for stardom.” Although she first won the 2006 MMFF Best Actress award for Joel Lamangan’s “Blue Moon”, Jennylyn has since become more known for her GMA teleseryes rather than her film projects, the last of which was the rather unmemorable “The Bride and the Lover” in 2013.

Jennylyn Mercado accepting her Best Actress award at the 40th MMFF Awards night at the PICC. (Photo by Rhoy Cobilla/Interaksyon)

But the 27-year old actress showed why she became the first ever winner of the GMA reality talent show, “StarStruck” where she bested an illustrious batch that included Yasmien Kurdi, Nadine Samonte, Katrina Halili and Cristine Reyes.

In “English Only, Please”, Jennylyn delivered the performance of her career as Tere Madlansacay, the English tutor who wears her heart on her sleeve and as a result is often taken advantage of by the men she falls in love with, particularly by her on-and-mostly-off boyfriend played by Kean Cipriano.

“Her Tere is fully believable and sympathetic—you can’t help but root for her. She’s beautiful, but doesn’t seem to know it…She’s not trying to make the audience like her, she’s showing the audience that she is like them. Most actresses think they have to deglamorize themselves to find their Everywoman quality; Mercado projects it by acting natural,” Zafra wrote in her review.

Like Zafra, other film critics have also given “English Only, Please” their glowing recommendations. As with the seven other entries of the MMFF, the film will remain in theaters until the festival ends on January 6. The films that did very well in the box office during the filmfest’s duration, however, are usually given extended runs in several theaters.

‘English Only Please’ adds 17 cinemas as box office appeal picks up

Source: InterAksyon.com (December 30, 2014 at 11:37AM)

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