She’s Dating the Gangster

Verdict: Value for Money

Pinoy Rebyu Score: 3.25 (8 ratings)

Genre: Comedy, Romance

Director: Cathy Garcia-Molina

Writer: Carmi Raymundo (based on the novel of Bianca Bernardino)

Cast: Kathryn Bernardo, Daniel Padilla, Dawn Zulueta, Richard Gomez

Synopsis: She’s Dating the Gangster splits its story between two time periods. In present day, Kenneth (Daniel Padilla) is traveling to Legaspi, hoping to find his father Kenji (Richard Gomez) among the survivors of a plane crash. He’s accompanied by Kelay (Kathryn Bernardo), who insists that her aunt Athena is actually Kenji’s great love. As they travel, Kelay tells Kenneth their story. In the early nineties, a heartbroken Kenji (also played by Daniel Padilla) enlists the aid of Athena (Kathryn Bernardo) in the hopes of making his ex-girlfriend Abigail jealous. While the two don’t really get along at first, their game of pretend turns into something real. (Click the City)

MTRCB rating: PG

Running time: 105 mins

Reviews:

3.5 Oggs Cruz (Twitch)

“She’s Dating the Gangster is not art. It is still a film designed and crafted for escape, the ones Garcia-Molina, with her knack for fake hairpieces and dreamy fantasies, is so good at making. It is however entertainment that is self-aware.” (Read full review)

3.5 Philbert Dy (Click the City)

“She’s Dating the Gangster is at its best when it allows kids to be kids. Its portrayal of young, intensely romantic love is really charming, especially placed as it is in this wacky conception of its period setting. It’s a bit of a shame that the story had to try so hard to bring big, mortal choices into the picture.” (Read full review)

3.5 Rito Asilo (Philippine Daily Inquirer)

“She’s Dating The Gangster is weighed down by a shrill and too-eager-to-please beginning, but grows on you as it slowly finds its footing. The story that plays out onscreen is far from seamless, but the movie’s inspired sections make it greater than the sum of its disjointed parts.” (Read full review)

3.5 Fred Hawson (Fred Said: Movies)

“Both sets of actors have so much positive chemistry with each other that it radiates through the screen into the movie theater. They do not even have to speak to titillate their rapt audiences.” (Read full review)

3.0 Zig Marasigan (Rappler)

“She’s Dating the Gangster is a teen love story peppered with surprisingly mature themes. But at the end of the day, it’s a love story that doesn’t fight hard enough or dig deep enough. It’s a film that is admittedly delightful, and satisfyingly charming, but it’s also a film that doesn’t challenge its material or its characters.” (Read full review)

3.0 Aya Tantiangco (Spot.ph)

“It’s like a play William Shakespeare himself wrote, before he got his act together and made something more intense… It’s more than a little contrived but Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla manage to manage to insert a bit of dialogue that adds a bit of fresh insight to the formula.” (Read full review)

3.0 Julia Allende (PEP)

“She’s Dating the Gangster is a charming and entertaining romp made for teenagers, many of whom believe that love—no, great love—triumphs in the end. But filmmakers should not underestimate the intelligence of youngsters and should be brave enough to explore the deeper and, yes, the darker side of love.” (Read full review)

3.0 Pinoy Exchange

“She’s Dating the Gangster combines kilig with drama with a properly-paced story. It exploits the chemistry between Daniel Padilla and Kathryn Bernardo and runs away with it. The film however suffers from bad production design that seems staged as well as sluggish character development.” (Read full review)