I just recently watched the movie Love or Money starring Coco Martin and Angelica Panganiban and although both actors are respected in the industry and are well lauded for their talents, what made me watch the film is that because it was shot in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. I wanted to see what part of the emirate they will include in the movie and how they would depict the lives of OFWs living in Dubai.
Disclaimer: I am not a movie critic of any sorts. This post is just my opinion as a movie enthusiast and as an OFW who calls Dubai her second home.
The characters
Coco Martin as Leon
Coco Martin is a talented actor, but I’ve got to say, he’s become too mainstream now for my liking. He chooses his projects now based on what would sell which is not necessarily a bad thing. After all, who wouldn’t want to star in a movie that would make tons of money? But, seeing he started from doing indie movies, I wish he’d go back to doing one or two indie movies from time to time.
As for his character as Leon Antonio, it’s a cookie cutter role for him that he’s done and played a hundred times before. He is always the good guy who would do anything and everything for the people he loves even if it means he would need to sacrifice himself. He also came from a poor family and (surprise, surprise) he is the breadwinner. Granted, most OFWs who became OFWs are breadwinners or those who wanted to support their family and provide them a more comfortable life, but they could have changed his backstory a little bit for it to differ on characters that Coco Martin played in his previous projects. Case in example his character in his movie “You’re My Boss” with Toni Gonzaga. He was also a breadwinner from a poor family from Batanes. His character from his film with Sarah Geronimo “Maybe This Time” is also the same; a guy from a small town who wanted to board a cruise ship to fund for his family’s business. If you would check Coco Martin’s filmography in his Wikipedia page, you’d see how his earlier projects were competing in international film festivals or how the films garnered international recognition and even won international awards. I just hope he’d go back to his roots every once in a while, and show again his acting chops.
Angelica Panganiban as Angel
What makes Angelica Panganiban stands out from her peers is how she acts naturally and how she manages to evoke emotions from her viewers. With that said, I’ve always enjoyed her films as well but, same with Coco Martin, it seems that Angelica has been typecast into roles where she plays a loud and foul mouthed, “I don’t give a f*ck what you think of me”, bimbo character.
In this movie, she is an OFW who used her brain (and body) to experience the comforts of lavish life that she did not have while living in the Philippines. Even if she used her wits to get ahead, she is still depicted as someone irresponsible or imprudent. She could have been someone who stayed with Enrique for a couple of years but managed to be free and independent of him because she worked her ass off to be successful on her own. But this was not the development her character had until the end.
Matet de Leon as Mima
Of all the supporting characters, Matet de Leon was the most underutilized. Honestly, here talents were wasted in this movie. Sure, she mostly plays supporting characters in her movies but more often than not, she steals every scene she was in. Sadly, she was not able to do that in this movie because she was not given hefty screen time and her dialogues are just to contradict that of Gellie de Belen.
Gellie de Belen as Tita Faye
I liked how Gellie de Belen played the character of Tita Faye who is the voice of reason for Angelica’s Angel. Of all the characters, she is the most realistically written although some might think she was a villain or someone who wants to hinder Leon and Angel’s love story. But the truth is, she is actually thinking of Angel’s future (well that and of course, their business which is the source of income not only for them but also for the employees that depend on them). She even talked to Leon because she knows that Angel would have a hard time following her advice. She knows how Enrique would react if he finds out the relationship between the two. She tried to talk some sense to them because in the end the things that she was afraid of happened.
Ketchup Eusebio as Juniver and Cai Cortez as Cat
It’s hard to dislike Ketchup Eusebio because most of the characters he played are likeable. But in this movie, prepared to hate him (which means he is a very effective actor). I would not spoil the movie for those who did not yet watch this, but the story arc for Ketchup and Cai is what most OFWs would be able to relate to. Ketchup and Cai might not seem to be a compatible or agreeable pair, but their rapport and chemistry would have you invested in their story.
Norm McLeod as Enrique
The villain. When I think about the movie, it’s difficult to find any traces or evidences that Enrique loves Angel. I think it is more of he considers her his possession or a trophy. He did informed her of his intention to marry her after his divorce with his legal wife but perhaps he only intended to do that for him to be legally allowed to do anything to her.
The plot
If it isn’t still obvious from the trailer, or from the title of the movie, the main leads, Leon and Angel needs to choose between Love or Money. Of course, Leon chose love while Angel chose money. But this is a Pinoy movie so of course, in the end, you could guess that they both chose love and ended up in a happily ever after.
The verdict
I enjoyed the beginning of the movie especially when they began showcasing Dubai and how they portray the lives of OFWs and the issues OFWs typically face. We often times have money problems, visa issues, marital and relationship concerns and employment and employer troubles which the movie highlighted. People often have a glamorized perception of OFWs that we are lavishly living abroad and rolling in money but “Love or Money” showed this is not always the case. I specifically approved when they showed that OFWs here in Dubai live in cramped spaces and share a bathroom with six people or more just so they could save some money on their housing expenses. Although the part where they showed a laundry room might be a bit exaggerated since I have not been to a shared flat where there is a designated laundry room. We usually hang our clothes to dry in the living room (if there is space and the other housemates would not mind), in the balcony (if there are no any sandstorms) or inside our partitions or above our heads for those renting bedspaces.
But, I did not like the ending. I felt like the writer/s and director played it safe. Or maybe my opinion is a bit colored by the ending of “Hello, Love, Goodbye” (which I just recently saw as well before “Love or Money”) which is more believable and not the typical ending for a Pinoy movie. I would have preferred for Angel to fought back and to stand up for herself and go against what Enrique, her provider (and abuser) wants. She actually managed to free herself from Enrique’s clutches (temporarily), but she still went back to him when Enrique had Leon as hostage and when she started experiencing the difficulty of not having a wealthy provider. She also did not leave Enrique after Leon is already safe back in the Philippines; Enrique dumped her because she wasn’t as submissive to him as before.
Angel’s character development is non-existent. For someone who hit rock bottom, I expected she would pull herself together and managed on her own. She would already have a vast network and years of experience managing their events organizing business that she would not need Enrique anymore. She could have started from scratch, away from Enrique’s money and influence and even if it is not as successful as the one supported by Enrique, at least it is her own. Instead, what the movie gave us is that she went back to the Philippines after two years and followed Leon who at least managed to make his dream come true.
Still, I would recommend this movie for those who haven’t seen it yet because of the visuals but I would tell them not to expect so much. Like I said, I have enjoyed the movie but it’s not something I would watch again.
An Overseas Filipino Worker since 2008, Yvette is back in the Middle East after a brief stint in a first world country in South East Asia. She is a binge watcher and is part of numerous fandoms. She writes to keep her sanity (read her rantings on Wattpad @yvette_dc) and is happiest when she's in a bookstore. If given the resources, she would see the world.