Reasons to watch Miss Granny (Filipino version)

A kiss me, kiss me in the morning
Kiss me, kiss me in the night
Kiss me, kiss me in the day time
Kiss me, kiss me all the time
Hold me, hold me, hold me darlin'
Hold me, hold me real tight
Kiss me, hold me, hug me darlin' with all your might
I still have LSS (last song syndrome) from the OST after watching Miss Granny last Friday night. The film was a Philippine adaptation from the Korean film of the same name released in 2014. I can’t help but commend the entire cast crew for the amazing job of the Philippine version.
So far, Miss Granny 2018 beats all the remakes from different countries basing from IMDB rating.

After watching the movie first hand, I have a couple of points to note. And before you read any further, I’m issuing a SPOILER ALERT!
If you have any plans watching the film and you don’t want to know the ending, please don’t proceed finishing reading this piece. In case you have watched it already, I hope you can relate to some of my sentiments about the entire story, plot, actors and the other aspects of the movie. If you also have anything to share about it, feel free to comment below :)
- Trailer

I have a friend in Facebook who was a Popster (Name of Sarah Geronimo’s fan club) and I was able to aware of the film because of her posts in my feed. Watching the full trailer hours after it was released surely hyped not just me but every K-pop fan and Sarah G fan everywhere. It was really good to see the famous Korean film being given a Filipino setting. The trailer was complete, showing the characters, the story about how she turned back to her young self and even the conflict that will cause everything to start.
You can watch the trailer on this link.
2. Cast

An all star trio was leading the event, resident heartthrob Xian Lim, Popular singer/actor James Reid and the Pop Princess Sarah Geronimo. It was their first time to work together on a movie and the audiences are excited the result of this merge. Also, the rest of the cast are a powerhouse as well. Lot lot de Leon, Nonie Buencamino, Boboy Garovillo and Ms. Nova Villa to name a few. You can see the chemistry and the awesome delivery by every single one all through out the entire film, it was spot on. Big thumbs up to Ms. Nova Villa, Boboy Garovillo and James Reid, they were my favorites from start to end of the movie. What really surprised me what Sarah G’s acting. She definitely improved since her last acting gig. I can now say she is both a singer, dancer and an actress.

My only concern for Miss Granny PH is that they oversold the roles of the cast. Especially Xian’s role, I really thought he would have a bigger role, maybe a love conflict for Sarah, or have bigger moments that can make him really noticeable. His acting was great but if I compare roles, Sir Boboy have more time exposure than him… I think this was something to consider for future movies to not over sell their artists.
3. Music/OST
Yes. I love this Original Sound Track for this movie! Isang Araw is like my drama mojo for this week. I can say that I would be listening to it until the end of the year! Sarah’s voice with the old songs gives it a modern sound that hits both the young generation and the mature class. Also, just by listening you can remember the outfit that Malabanos wore when they played it. Lastly, James Reid in guitars <3
Here’s a spotify album link to add to your playlist.
4. Plot/Story/Ending
This remake indeed followed the main story for Miss Granny. From the start where Fely de Leon Malabano (the grandma) was so proud of her son (Ramoncito Malabano) . She lives together with his son’s family and she is known to be a loving lola to the grand kids (Jepoy, Hanah) but a strict to her daughter in law (Angela). She also comes off as a very strong person, frank and has a hard past while she was raising her son alone. At one incident when Angela collapsed, it was advised by the doctor that she needs to be away from the stressors in her life, which includes Fely. Ramon decided to put Fely to a nursing home to promote progress to his wife’s health. As Fely learns this decision, she roams around town noticing a photo studio. Wanting to get a decent photo before she got older and uglier, to be used for her memorial, she asked to get her picture taken. Seeing famous actress Audrey Hepburn on the posters, she remembers the life she had before and how she placed her dreams on hold for her family. After leaving the studio, she discovers that she was turned into a young woman in her 20s again. Realizing that this is a second chance for her, she tries new things, bought new clothes and pursued her singing career. During this time, she meets a casting director (Lawrence) and becoming the lead singer for their band. As they rose to fame, Jepoy and Lawrence show love interest to Young Fely (Audrey). Bert, Fely's old friend finds out that Felt and Audrey are the same. He begins to help Audrey in her adventures while continuing to express his interest to Audrey. When Audrey got a wound in her ankle, they saw that when she loses blood, she returns back to her old skin. This means that she can't lose anymore blood in order to stay her age. On the day of their big gig, Jepoy got into a car accident, needing surgery and blood. With Fely being the only match, she needs to decide whether to keep her second chance or to give blood to her most beloved grandchild. As she goes to the nurse to give blood, she was stopped by Ramon telling her not to proceed as this will be too much of a sacrifice. She explained that if ever she would be given a chance to do it over again, she will because of her unconditional love for her family. It will always be worth the effort and the love. The ending was a fast forward to 1 year, when a new band was performing. Jepoy and Hanah are the vocals for Malabano band. In the audience we can see Angela, Ramon, Fely and Bert watching and cheering for the kids. The family was complete and happy again.

5. Verdict and Final Say
Out of 10 I would definitely rate this a 9! There were unrelated shots shown at the film that was a bit confusing and, the cinematography was not as good compared to other remakes. However, the acting, the cast and of course, the music brings home the gold. Congratulations to the cast and crew of Miss Granny! Good job! Thank you for teaching us the true value of time, family, dreams and youth. This movie makes you cry, laugh and happy by watching it. I literally called my mom afterwards because I missed her. <3
Xoxo,
Frances
