Nelson Morales

'Ex Ex Lovers' review: 'MarJo' chemistry still effortless, sincere

Article (news)

Fred Hawson

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1739781285859MARVIN AND JOLINA_Ex Ex Lovers 02172025.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Marvin Agustin and Jolina Magdangal"/>Marvin Agustin and Jolina Magdangal </div>Ten years ago, bank employee Joy was left behind by her husband Cedric (Marvin Agustin) to work abroad and he never came back. Since then, she had to raise their only daughter SC (Loisa Andalio) by herself. One Valentine&#x27;s Day, SC&#x27;s boyfriend Joey (Juan Karlos) proposed marriage to her and she accepted, much to Joy&#x27;s shock and dismay. To make things worse, SC told Joy that she wanted Cedric to come home and walk her down the aisle.Cedric just so happened to be working in Valetta, the capital city of the European island nation of Malta, so that was where director JP Habac took us for a short tour around this new unique location. Aside from the scenic natural beauty and its rich aristocratic architecture, Habac also showed us how OFWs worked their hands to the bone over there, juggling one menial housekeeping job after the other, much like OFWs do any other country in the world.As expected, there were a lot of cutesy jokes between Jolina Magdangal and Marvin Agustin for their fans&#x27; thrill and entertainment. The delightful chemistry between the two stars was effortless, genuine and sincere, even if the circumstances between their characters were less than ideal. However, the waterworks are turned on in the final act when they showcase their dramatic chops in full gear in serious scenes so well-written by Antoinette Jadaone.Figuring prominently in Jadaone&#x27;s script is a streak of woman empowerment, addressing important issues among the female millennial and Gen Z part of their audience. Repeatedly mentioned was how women were disadvantaged in broken marriages -- how they are trapped with the surname, and how there was no divorce as a way out. This point was made quite emphatically in that dinner scene with antagonistic ultraconservatives.This film is also a reunion for their co-stars in the teen series &quot;Gimik&quot; which ran every Saturday afternoon from June 1996 to February 1999 -- namely Judy Ann Santos and Mylene Dizon (who played Joy&#x27;s best friends), as well as Dominic Ochoa and G Toengi (who played Joey&#x27;s wealthy parents). Clearly, fans of this show are this film&#x27;s target audience for its nostalgia. I haven&#x27;t seen a single episode of &quot;Gimik,&quot; but I still enjoyed watching this. This review was originally published in the author&#x27;s blog, “<a href="https://said-fred.blogspot.com/2025/02/review-of-ex-ex-lovers-of-malta-and.html">Fred Said</a>.”

As expected, there were a lot of cutesy jokes between Jolina Magdangal and Marvin Agustin for their fans' thrill and entertainment.

As expected, there were a lot of cutesy jokes between Jolina Magdangal and Marvin Agustin for their fans' thrill and entertainment.