Flicks and Reruns: It Takes A Man and A Woman

The much-awaited third installment to the Laida Magtalas and Miggy Montenegro love story which began in 2008 (A Very Special Love) and in 2009 (You Changed My Life) 2013's It Takes A Man and A Woman caps off the successful cinematic pairing of Sarah Geronimo and John Lloyd Cruz.

Much of the successful partnership can be attributed to JLC, he has the versatile ability to mold with the personality of his leading ladies ( Kaye Abad, Bea Alonzo, Angel Locsin, Toni Gonzaga, Sarah Geronimo even Solenn Heusaff) sparking that much-needed chemistry, a trait not shared with a present generation of matinee idols whose screen pairings are a hit-and-miss thing. In fact you can compare him to great leading men like  Christopher de Leon, Dindo Fernando, Aga Mulach and Richard Gomez.

The film takes much reference to the trilogy's first film, the more successful "A Very Special Love," sort of going back to the roots. The Montenegro business empire is crumbling with the death of the patriarch Luis Montenegro (played by Dante Rivero) and the burden of saving the family's hold on the empire hangs on the shoulders of a Montenegro bastard, Miggy Montenegro (John Lloyd Cruz) whose sole mission is to secure the license of a popular international magazine enough to impress a board and prevent a take over of a corporate rival.

Laida Magtalas (Sarah Geronimo) returns after a stint in a publishing company in New York, to serve as a consultant to the Montenegro's publishing company, hoping to make it palatable to the publishers of the international magazine. However things aren't as rosy as it seems as the former lovebirds have long separated in not so good terms.

If you like A Very Special Love then this is a wonderful follow-up film. A feel-good romantic comedy whose over-arching theme of moving on and taking second chances is a perfect evolution to the Laida-Miggy love story. Though I wish the movie could have ended during the airport scene. And I felt Sarah Geronimo acted like much a tourist rather than a jaded New Yorker during their scenes in the big apple.