Do We Leave this to Simmer in the Kaldero or What?

Movie Review: “American Adobo”

By Jei Franxis Garlitos
February 2002

Take a talented cast of Filipino actors, mix it with a promising storyline, add an underdeveloped script, sprinkle some old-fashioned Philippine movie cliches, add a dash of Gloria Romero and let it simmer.

You have just made yourself your own American Adobo.

Set in the backdrop of New York City, American Adobo is a story about a group of friends -- Tere (Cherry Pie Picache), Mike (Christopher De Leon), Gerry (Ricky Davao), Marissa (Dina Bonnevie), and Raul (Paolo Montalban) -- who share experiences and contemplate life's meaning during their get-togethers.

Although their inner circle of friendship allows them to laugh and forget their problems if only for that one meal, the audience soon finds that each of the characters harbors his/her own personal conflicts. Marissa is beleaguered by an unfaithful partner while her cousin Raul jumps from one woman to the other which ultimately leads to his major predicament in the movie. Mike yearns to leave his estranged wife to go back home to the Philippines but is hesitant because of his kids. Gerry is frustrated that he is not appreciated at his job but even that problem is put on the backburner because of a secret that he cannot fully reveal to one of the most important people in his life -- his mother. Finally, there is Tere, who although seems to lead the least troubled life, is burdened by her quest for intimacy.

As the story unfolds, the audience is immediately drawn to the universality of the characters and their problems. Although it is a Filipino/Filipino-American movie, both the characters and the situations that they deal with allow for various audiences to relate. Different audiences can also appreciate the way personal relationships are dealt with in this film.

The "magic" adobo that Tere makes is a metaphor for the diverse nature of relationships. It is this realistic treatment of friendships that allows for the audience to be a part of this group or at the very least relate to it.

At the onset of the story, the characters and their situations were cleverly introduced. However, as the characters started branching off to deal with their own problems, their stories became underdeveloped. The audience was merely given the highlights of the stories as they saw either the outward conflict or the inner struggle with each character.

Furthermore, because of the lack of development of each of the storylines, the resolution for each of the characters seemed surreal. In a scene that might have defined the climax of the movie, the group of friends all decide to to take control of their lives.

The following scenes then illustrated how rushed the movie's plot was becoming as they were able to resolve their dilemmas in the quickest denouement I have ever seen. Though simplicity in stories is usually a good thing, the film would not have been hurt if the complexity of the plot was delved into a little deeper.

The underdevelopment of the plot is fortunately overshadowed (however slightly) by the superb acting by the entire cast. This, despite a so-so script.

Christopher De Leon's portrayal of a conflicted husband and father was done extremely well. His character, Mike, called for a role reversal as it was the husband being emotionally abused by the wife. Ricky Davao was excellent in depicting the serious and comedic nature of his character and more importantly being able to delineate at the right time. Even Dina Bonnevie's performance glowed despite her awkward dance scene. But it was in a smaller role in a defining scene that was perhaps the saving grace of this movie. Gloria Romero's portrayal of Gerry's mother as she was able to illustrate the internal conflict of her son, the collapse of her relationship with him, and the struggle to still love Gerry upon hearing of his secret, all within one scene, was integral in that it substantiated whatever potential the movie's plot had.

Regardless of the underdeveloped storylines and weak script, American Adobo proved to be a good breakthrough Filipino-American film. It depicted Filipino-Americans positively and more importantly -- honestly. The idea of adobo as a metaphor to relationships and friendships was unique in its premise of duality. The actors and actresses portrayed their characters with passion and accuracy proving that they were not just good "for Filipino actors," but they were just good. The universality of the issues addressed in this film, though lacking in development, still hits home.

In essence if you add a little imagination and a little patience (on your part), you do not have to eat the whole meal, but you should be able to take a taste of American Adobo.

Jei Franxis Garlitos is a graduate of the University of California, Irvine with a BA in English.