Movie Review: No Other Woman

To be honest, I wouldn't consider No Other Woman as an excellent piece of film making - it's not even the best film I've seen about infidelity - but there was something incredibly refreshing about it.  

Maybe it was because the film didn't take itself too seriously, despite the "unfortunate" premise. I mean, just from the script alone, which I thought was insanely delicious, No Other Woman already sent a clear message that this shouldn't be taken too seriously. It was about infidelity, moral dilemmas and it's repercussions, but most of it was played out in an intentionally exaggerated way - from the dialogues to the acting - giving the movie a tone different from it's contemporaries.

Of course, that's not to say the story was anything groundbreaking because it wasn't. It was pretty much what I expected. It was predictable, sometimes uncomfortably trite, and the resolution was too convenient. However, the way the story was handled and executed to produce a nice tension notwithstanding predictability was quite impressive.

On a technical standpoint, it was a mixed bag. The editing lacked fluidity, especially in the earlier parts of the film, the scoring was overbearing, and the pacing could've been better. The direction was decent, the cinematography was good and the writing, while over-the-top, was impressive if a bit incomplete - whatever happened to Derek Ramsay's subplot with his father?

As for the casting ensemble, most them nailed (no pun intended) their performances. The movie was slightly heavy on beguiling the viewers of pre-judgements, so the choice of actors to play the wife and the other woman was crucial. Good thing, the film chose the right people for each role.

Christine Reyes had some seriously good moments. She wasn't consistent all through out, but she pulled off the role surprisingly well. Anne Curtis, on the other hand, unleashed her full dramatic chops. It wasn't perfect and I got a little distracted with how she over enunciate her words during the first half, but she earned my respect with this film. Her last few scenes were incredibly heartbreaking. As for Derek Ramsay, he was decent though he seemed to be little more than a decoration.

Ultimately, No Other Woman was an amusingly campy film that delivered the goods and then some. I didn't exactly think the film was a mirror of realism as it employed a couple of dramatic undertones, but it still made an impact with an understandably relevant premise.

 RATING: 8/10