I Love You to Death is a movie that mashes up elements of romance, comedy and horror into one very strange and unique package. It has a real capacity for surprise, the film often making unusual choices that lead to distinct comedic possibilities. Unfortunately, the film also keeps a foot in more familiar comedic waters, at times leaning hard on the same jokes we’ve heard from practically every local comedy in the last few decades. I Love You to Death contains real promise for the future of local comedy, but it kind of cancels that out with its moments of laziness.
Back when they were kids, Gwen and Tonton (Kiray Celis and Enchong Dee) promised to each other that when they both came of age, they would marry. But Gwen would later spurn the bullied Tonton along with her mean girl friends. In present day, Gwen makes a birthday wish to finally find the person to love her forever. And soon enough, Tonton returns out of the blue, and immediately proposes to her. Gwen can't believe her luck, but as it turns out, there is something not quite right about her old friend. Her engagement soon leads to violent consequences.
The plot is shaky at best, but the film kind of makes up for it with a pretty distinct sense of humor. It plays well within the realm of the romantic comedy, but often bends elements in surprising ways. Unfortunately, the film goes to the well of making fun of its lead actress' looks a little too often. This is stock in trade for the Filipino comedy, of course. If you aren’t conventionally attractive in showbiz terms, you are an object of ridicule. But that doesn’t make it okay. It is 2016, and we can find other jokes to make. In fact, the film does just that. When it isn’t just making fun of how Kiray Celis looks, it has a lot more going for it.
The film offers up a very strange mix of genres. It is all at once sweet, goofy, and terribly violent. It is kind of bizarre that the film got a PG rating, given how gruesome it is. This combination creates something pretty unique when all is said and done. It feels fresh in its irreverence. This is a movie that might break out in a pretty ridiculous dance battle scene, and then immediately into a genuinely sweet moment. It uses the staginess of a prenup shoot as the necessary contrivance of a romantic montage. The film exhibits a comedic intelligence that makes the lazier, looks-focused bits feel totally unnecessary.
Visually, the film isn’t particularly exciting. It gets points for the use of practical effects in displaying much of the violence. The visual effects are also pretty good for a local release, though it’s unlikely to impress mainstream audiences inured to blockbuster cinema. There is the occasional bit of dead air in conversational scenes that cut into the pace of the comedy. The film does get a lot out of its actors. Kiray Celis throws everything she’s got into this role. Enchong Dee is perfectly enjoyable in this role as well. The supporting cast mostly goes broad, but it all fits within the film’s off-kilter tone.
I Love You to Death doesn’t entirely hold together, but it almost doesn’t need to. It functions on a level less beholden to the demands of narrative, the film basically able to run on the momentum of its sustained comedic energy. The problem here is that at times, the comedy skews lazy and easy, falling back on old, tired jokes about how people look. When it goes beyond that, when it plays around with genre tropes and builds something new, it feels totally refreshing. There is plenty of fun to be had here. One just has to get through some tired material.
My Rating:
