THE CHEATING GAME

The Cheating Game (2023) Directed by: Rod Marmol

A girl, who has been cheated on, tries to navigate her life.

The movie is lost in direction.

There’s no central topic. It’s barely about cheating nor moving on. The genre abruptly switches from romcom to crime drama to sitcom. The sound and the scoring are excessive. The flow is not smooth. The narration is sometimes spoon-feeding what’s happening.

The lines are not realistic and heartfelt. Some conversations are dragging, intentionally making the scenes longer for the sake of drama. The script has flaws that disrupt your movie experience.

The main character is a digital content creator, but you never see how she creates, conceptualizes, and uploads them. There are viral videos all of a sudden. The word “anatomy” is loosely being used. Video recording, privacy invasion, and basic research were not even tackled. Quite a bummer and an irony for a film under GMA Public Affairs.

The acting of Julie Anne San Jose and Rayver Cruz were decent, but not enough to move you. Them being real-life partners and singers are also not utilized. The OST was not even sung by them. Their love story in this movie had a weak foundation, making you unfazed with their characters. The movie relied on its soundtrack to bring out the romance.

Some major and minor characters appear only to say a few lines. The talent and presence of Yayo Aguila, Candy Pangilinan, and Phi Palmos were not put to good use.

There’s an effort to make this movie more than just a regular romcom. But the more it tries to be edgy and different, the more it becomes unrelatable.

Masyadong nilaro ang kwento at ang pagkwento. Nawalan na ito ng puso.

THE CHEATING GAME ⭐️

Cast: Julie Anne San Jose, Rayver Cruz, Martin del Rosario, Winwyn Marquez, Candy Pangilinan, Thea Tolentino, Paolo Contis, Phi Palmos Presented by: GMA Public Affairs, GMA Films Date Released: July 26, 2023 in Philippine cinemas nationwide A Movie Review by: Goldwin Reviews