Customer Reviews

American Adobo

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

One of the things that many of the reviewers here tend to forget is that while this movie was intended to be for a wider audience, only Filipinos would be able to understand the film the way it should be. American Adobo is a film that stands on its own by being the only Filipino film to undertake two cultures and try to blend it as one.

The actors weren't horrible. The story was just like a lot of films today are - predictable. As for over acting, I can name several actors that are not Filipino that overact and yet are praised for it. Jim Carrey anyone? Mike Myers? Just to name a few.

This movie is worth a purchase, but if you were expecting an Americanized film, you will sorely be disappointed. I'm 21 and while my friends who did watch this film disliked it, many others thought it was well worth the watch. Just have an open mind. I did.

I had high hopes for American Adobo. With a well-known cast & director, I thought that we Filipinos had something that can rival Eat, Drink, Man, Woman (one of my favorite foreign films). Sad to say, American Adobo was undercooked.

First, the food theme was not as effective as EDMW: I did not feel like rushing to my nearby Barrio Fiesta restaurant to order adobo (my husband & I went to a Chinese restaurant the night after we watched EDMW). Plus it never seemed like a unifying theme at all --- we are just told that by the characters saying, "no one can make adobo like Tere".

Secondly, the movie branches off into too many subplots, so I didn't feel that each individual story was developed enough. The comic scenes were too contrived, and only one made me laugh (when Gerry triumphantly snatches the misdirected mail from his mother's postman while she was too busy hugging him). As for the dramatic parts of the movie, Mike's daughter summed it up succinctly (I'm paraphrasing because I can't remember it verbatim): "Don't make a scene like one of those bad Filipino movies you & mom love to watch". Unfortunately, I don't think the director & some of the actors were listening. (What's up with Dina Bonnevie's over-acting in one of the scenes? She looked like a 3-year old having a tantrum instead of an emotionally devastated mature woman. Oh...was that supposed to be funny?).

A better movie about the Filipino-American life in the US is "The Debut". While "The Debut" may not be a perfect movie in itself, at least the experiences are more believable, the acting more realistic, and the direction is better. ...And it didn't make me cringe in embarrassment.

In summary, I thought I was going to see a refreshing Filipino movie that departs from the mired ways of movie-making in the Philippines. It turned out to be the same thing, only the location was different.

Habitus, according to Pierre Bourdieu, is the system of "durable, transposable dispositions, structured structures predisposed to function as structuring structures, that is, as principles which generate and organize practices and representations that can be objectively adapted to their outcomes without presupposing a conscious aiming at ends or an express mastery of the operations necessary in order to attain them. Objectively `regulated' and `regular' without being in any way the product of the organizing action of a conductor." (Bourdieu, 1993) In other words, we are not in control of our own cultural production, but I would like to add, we can be self reflective and articulate our productions. Food, by it very nature forms an integral part of the creation of a Habitus - in a way, despite its controlling characteristics, a Habitus also provides one with a sense of being "home." Sounds, sights and smells are all linked together to give one a sense of identity. American Adobo does nothing less than articulate it to us, the Filipinos and to others for their cultural consumption and hopefully illumination. True to its name, American Adobo tries to pack too many ingredients into one small pan. As a Filipino, I find the film to be a warm, good-natured ethnic comedy and like many others it is deeper than then what you would expect after the initial salvo. What is really nice about American Adobo is that it does not exoticize the Filipino culture, which a film like The Debut can at time be seen to do. The film is very entertaining, but it begins to lose itself as the melodrama takes over from its original comedic track. Inundated with clichés and stilted dialogue, American Adobo does offer a formulaic collection of cinematic issues surround movies of this genre at it explores issued surrounding marital status, sexual orientation, and ethnicity. The real highlight of the film is the insight into a cultural milieu heretofore ignored in mainstream cinema - even mainstream Filipino cinema. If there is a clear cut reason to buy, watch and keep this movie that would be one of them. For those in the cross cultural arena and area of interest, I recommend this movie highly. It is a keeper in every collection.

Miguel Llora

This is an interesting movie about Filipinos living in America, and how their living in a foreign country affects their lives. A group of thirty-something friends get together for a regular Filipino meal called "Adobo", and this becomes the focus for the various activities in their lives. One is a closet gay who has mother problems, a gigolo with a problem about a possible HIV infection, a woman who has relationship problems, among others. If you want to see who are among the best Filipino actors in the Philippines (Christopher de Leon, Ricky Davao, Dina Bonnevie, Cherrie Pie Picache, and with a bonus, Hollywood actor Paolo Montalban who is of Filipino parentage), watch this movie. Admittedly there are some references to other Asian and European films on food, but this is among the better made Filipino movies last year, by a woman director, Laurice Guillen.

The infectious "American Adobo" takes its title from the Philippines' national dish, which may be any meat or vegetable marinated in vinegar, soy sauce and garlic. As prepared by Filipino Americans, it acquires other flavors and ingredients, just as the immigrants may find their lives taking on new directions and meanings over their years in the U.S. while still feeling connected to their roots in their native land. It's a feeling that is at once a source of strength and conflict.

This sense of dual identity is also a source of humor for director Laurice Guillen and writer Vincent R. Nebrida. They never lose that sense of humor even as they embrace some wrenchingly painful moments in the lives of four friends who met as college classmates in the Philippines, now live in New York and still stay in close touch 20 years later. The arrival of one college pal, Lorna (Sol Ocoa), for a visit is the occasion for a celebration, and Tere (Cherry Pie Picache) has prepared one of her typically outstanding meals in her inviting Queens apartment, on a street lined with trees and gracious vintage townhouses.

Everyone in the group is doing reasonably well professionally, living in tasteful quarters, but of course appearances are deceiving. Tere is a beautiful woman, ample in the Kate Winslet manner, yet despite her warm, loving nature and unfailing kindness, she has yet to attract a man worthy of her. The brittle and glamorous Marissa (Dina Bonnevie) has a successful career yet is more vulnerable than she would like to be in regard to her live-in boyfriend, Sam (Randy Becker), a laid-back singer-composer and casual philanderer.

Mike (Christopher De Leon) is a New York correspondent for the Philippine Times unhappily married to Gigi (Susan Valdez-LeGoff), whose inheritance has allowed her to indulge in nouveau riche tastes and a lot of grand airs. Mike and Gigi have two children: a little boy, Mark (Jason Verdadero), and a girl, the pretty but sullen Candy (Martha Millan), in her rebellious teens.

Gerry (Ricky Davao) is a pleasant-looking ad agency veteran passed over for a promotion but not giving up. Gerry has unexpectedly and rapturously fallen in love but has trouble admitting to his friends that his lover, Chris, is a man (Wayne Maugans). Gerry's struggles in coming out, especially to his mother (Gloria Romero, a formidable veteran actress) back in the Philippines, are at once the source of outrageous humor and genuine pain.

* * *

This wide span of emotions is handled with a sure sense of control and compassion by Guillen. The shift in tone also applies to the plight of Raul (Paolo Montalban), who is Marissa's cousin, and who arrives at the party typically late and with his latest conquest in tow. Raul is devilishly handsome and proudly callow but may be heading for a fall.

Once set in motion by Tere's dinner party, "American Adobo" unfolds during the course of a year. This span of time provides a perspective that imbues the film with a sense of the eternal human comedy. "American Adobo" is an intimate, good-humored ethnic comedy like numerous others but cuts deeper than expected.

The filmmakers and their wonderful cast are unafraid of emotion, and they catch us up in the lives of their people to such an extent that they can get away with some honest tear-jerking as well as some very funny business, including an amusingly contrived way of wafting a bit of romance in the direction of the lovely and lovable Tere. Not the least of "American Adobo's" delicious ingredients is lots of heart.

Just like soap - it bubbles and then it's gone!!!! This movie reminds me of TV soaps in the afternoon, bad acting and too much melodrama and bad, bad, bad, bad, dialogue. Bonnevie, in all of her scenes, are over acting, very superficial, it made me dizzy just watching her foul up her scenes. The only saving grace in this film is Picache who played Tere and Montalban, the playboy. Deleon and Davao were half baked in the sense that the audience won't be sympathetic for their roles as an unhappily married guy (Deleon) and a closet gay guy who hid his sexuality from his mother (Davao). Haven't they heard of actor's workshops before? We wonder! I've heard that they are very good actors back in their native country but if these two are called great actors in their country, I wonder how they gauge good acting there!? The story starts out right up to about 20 minutes and then it gets too boring, too melodramatic, too much but too shallow dialogues, and then ends up with nothing. DOn't see.

Ok, I was excited for someone in the Philippines to venture into this realm of cinema, the conflicting struggles of adjusting to America, while trying to keep our native culture. Now, to me, that sounds like a very, very emotional movie. I couldn't get passed the horrible acting, I mean, maybe it would have been more intense if the whole movie was Tagalog.

The plot really falls short. It's out of focus and doesn't leave for any character development except for Tere's character. Also, to just add in political and religious dialogue so randomly abrupt doesn't even give any of the issues substance at all. This movie had so much more potential to really push the limits of filipino upbringing in the US, American assimiliation, and the portrayal of deep internal conflicts to balance these two cultures.

Unlike the people in the movie, I thought the adobo was really overated.

Aristottle Marson from San Francisco, I don't understand why Mr. Dorsey had anything to do with your movie review. Frankly, the movie is bland and like most reviews, melodramatic like soap. I am half Filipino but I still didn't like the movie because the acting was superficial, the story-less than mediocre, the ending-however convenient was also inept. I could go on and on. I should keep my mouth shut as I would probably get under attack by other Filipinos and their wrong sense of (film) patriotism. It's in our culture. HAHA!

This movie is showing in the Philippines now, and in other cities in the US (based on news items). It shows the lives of 5 Filipinos living in New York and how they are adjusting to the different stresses. There are good performances by some of the best Filipino actors, such as Christopher de Leon, Dina Bonnevie, Paolo Montalban, and especially Ricky Davao, and Cherry Pie Picache. The director is Laurice Guillen who is recognized as one of two great Filipina film directors today.

The movie takes a glimpse on the lives of five Filipino immigrants in New York.It somehow follows the tradition of Eat ,Drink,Man,Woman or the Joy Luck Club.This is the Asian Big Chill!