‘Coming Soon’ review: A road trip to remember
What would you do if the end of the world is near?
Fall on your knees and storm the heavens the whole day long? Hide under a rock and expect the worst? Gather your friends in a protracted road trip and go where your trusty van will take you?
The six friends in the comedy film “Coming Soon” chose option three. And boy, did they get more than they bargained for!
Sikyu (Boy 2 Quizon) drinks a potion that made him do things he would regret to an old woman (Lilia Cuntapay). Nacho (Cholo Barretto) finally reveals his most personal secret to best friend Sikyu. Monica (Andi Eigenmann) grapples with issues surrounding her mother. Their other friends, played by Glaiza de Castro, Dominic Rocco and Carla Humphries, also wrestle with their own demons.
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The fun lies in how the barkada manages to do this in the span of one long road trip. There are no breathtaking scenes one would expect from a road trip movie like this. It’s not a travelogue.
The main hooks come from spur-of-the-moment situations that naturally spin off witty lines.
Secret of the flowers
Does your imagination run wild when someone asks you, “Do you want to know the secret of the flowers?”
“Coming Soon” shows you how the meaning of that phrase can change from “aww!” to “ugh” (clue: it depends on who’s saying it, and you better keep the kids out of this).
Those past their childhood, however, can see pieces of themselves in the six troubled characters who comprise the “Coming Soon” barkada.
Adolescents can identify with the rebel Monica. Red-blooded males can laugh their heads off at Sikyu’s misadventures with the fairer sex. Young people who want so desperately to belong can sympathize with Dana’s (Carla) comic blunders.
Good news
The best part is, the movie has good news for everyone. It shows us that one can find a way out, even in the most direction-less road trip. Rant all you want, curse at the top of your voice (again – parents, keep your kids away). But all is not lost. You find your way back – to your loved ones, to the self you lost along the way.
As we know by now, the world didn’t end on Dec, 12, 2012. The characters of “Coming Soon” not only proved this dire premise at the start of the movie wrong. They also found out that the bumps on the road just make the long journey rewarding.
Yes, after what they’ve been through, they can look forward to other “coming soons” in their young life –with or without the trusty barkada by their side. They can join the next road trip, their head held high, their chin up -– because they know better.
(The cast of “Coming Soon,” which is now showing nationwide, will be at the Ayala Center in Cebu on April 17,4 p.m.)
Editor's note: The blogger's views do not represent Yahoo! Southeast Asia's position on the topic or issue being discussed.
