James & Pat & Dave: Movie Review

Lacking the great chemistry between Joshua Garcia and Julia Barretto, "James & Pat & Dave" is the sequel that we didn't want to get. The film has the same pitfalls as its predecessor without the charm and creativity that at least made the first one quite enjoyable. This is harsh but true - the film is a definite step down in every aspect.

James (Ronnie Alonte) once again finds himself in trouble leaving his mom no choice but to punish him. He becomes an employee at his grandmother's resort needing to earn a living for the first time. He is trained and managed by the young hardworking hostel manager Pat (Loisa Andalio). The two hate each other but when Pat's former ex-boyfriend Dave (Donny Pangilinan) arrives at the hostel, she is forced to work with James to avoid Dave at all cost. As the two get to know each other more, they develop feelings for each other as Dave tries his best to make amends with Pat.

If the first film was predictable but creative, "James & Pat & Dave" was predictable and none of the creativity. The film felt like it was a forcing things a lot just to have some depth, brevity, and conflicts but having not a significant one by the time the credits roll. They were forcing a story about James wanting to go to Barcelona with his Basketball coach, forcing Pat to have an absent mom come out of nowhere, forcing Dave as a son of a politician who is hell-bent to get his way at all cost. The film was over-complicated and unnecessarily long and quite predictable at that. It didn't help that the three leads simply lacked the charm, the chemistry and talent that their predecessors had. We never felt connected with the characters especially when it came to the emotional moments within the film. The only saving grace for the film would be its comedy. We were laughing all the way through which mostly came from Awra Briquela. Without the comedic aspect, this film would have been a complete and utter disaster.

Rating: 1 and a half reels





Why you should watch it:
- the comedy was at least extremely funny

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- it is a step down in every aspect