American Adobo

Starring:Christopher De Leon, Dina Bonnevie, Ricky Davao, Cherry Pie Picache, Paolo Montalban, Randy Becker, Keesha Sharp, Sandy Andolong, Gloria Romero, Susan Valdez-LeGoff, Sol Oca, Wayne Maugans, Martha Millan, Lorli Villanueva, Jojo Gonzalez, Luis Pedron, Jason Verdadero, James C. Burns, Marcel Simoneau, Jim Edward Castellvi
Director: Laurice Guillen
Studio: First Look Pictures
Product Type: DVD

Description

Set in New York City over the course of one eventful year, American Adobo, is a heart-warming comedy about five Filipino-American friends conflicted with their life choices and destinies, as they party away - sharing laughs, secrets, recipes, and lovers. Mike is a news editor in his early 40s who cannot reconcile the shallowness of his material existence with his activist past. Marissa is a beautiful but vain socialite who falls victim to her boyfriend's sexual indiscretions. Marissa's cousin Raul has all the charm and aggression of a Don Juan and seems to have a date not just with gorgeous women but also with destiny itself. Gerry is a closeted homosexual who bears the brunt of the struggle between his Roman Catholic mother and his HIV-positive lover. Finally, there's Tere, an accountant in her mid-forties and still single, insecure about herself and her chances of finding love. American Adobo is a delicious treat for anyone with a family and a dream for the future. Together, these friends weave a uniquely American story about what it means to be an immigrant in a land where it seems everyone is searching for an identity.

Customer Reviews:

Horrible.......2006-12-02

I saw this in the movie theater with friends and I do not recommend this movie to anyone. The acting is wooden and an embarrassment to Filipinos. None of the characters are fleshed out to a point where the audience cares. The most cringe inducing scene is when Christopher de Leon makes everyone say: "I'm mad as hell and I can't take it anymore." The dialogue and story ramble with no particular place to go.

This movie (and like most Filipino movies) are throwbacks to the way Filipino movies were made during the 1970's. Unlike other countries of the Southeast Asian community, the Filipino movie making industry has stagnated and refused to move forward. In all movie making disciplines (direction, cinematography, art direction, lighting)...all amateurish.

Finally, as a Filipino-American, this in no way reflects my life and the lives of any one I know. If I could give this a 0 star, I would.

Great buy!.......2006-07-25

Quick shipment and item was as described. Thanks very much for an easy transaction!

I love it!!!.......2005-02-28

American Adobo is so funny, I love it. As a filipina-american, I can relate to this movie, in so many different ways. It has some tagolog, with sub-titles, but all in all, it is a great filipino experience!

Too melodramatic.......2004-05-10

The movie, American Adobo, started off very nicely and the engaging character buildups were encouraging. The actors seem very relaxed and they all seemed to handle their craft very well. However, as the plot starts to turn into the conflict phase, the movie instantly dives into some tearful, very-"Filipino"-like, melodramatic excursion. Ironically, during the movie, Christopher De Leon's daughter, while being reprimanded, reminded him not to turn their conversation into some "Filipino"-movie variety. The director should have also taken heed.

I have seen many Filipino movies (being a Filipino myself) and while the professional presentation (probably due to its international release) was noteworthy, the same components of most Filipino dramas was alive and unfortunately rooted in too much emphasis on the tearjerker approach, and add to that some untimely political and socio-religious moralities. This kind of annoying manipulation sends wrong messages and somehow promotes agendas that were totally not needed in the movie.

Chistopher De Leon gave a somewhat commendable performance but the rest of the cast seem too rigid and too mechanical. Paolo Montalban was thrown in the cast to warrant the movie's parental guidance viewing and his character seemed superficially unexplored beyond his dealings with the afterthoughts of possibly contacting AIDS. Cherry Pie Picache typifies the overtly emotional and over-acting 'masochist'. Her character (and Ricky's) were the central figures but she leaves us with an unsatisfied feeling, probably due to her uneven and 'pitiful' performance. Dina Bonnevie's relationship almost seemed a distraction since her dealings with infidelities bordered on the common day-to-day and her acting needs work and polishing. Ricky Davao's tale was intriguing but the movie seemed to revolve too much around the homosexuality and AIDs issue that we are tied too much to his personal demons without knowing his real character. Gloria Romero's emotional outbursts, while heartfelt, was a bit strained and too 'sentimentally-syrupy'.

The best part of the movie was when Christoper De Leon and Ricky Davao were driving and talking. Unfortunately, there were not more of this - there were too many trite conversations, unneeded banterings, and unrealistic discussions. Why can't they just talk like normal people instead of trying so hard to impress us with their over-the-top chit-chat.

A couple of haunting shots were the two scenes with the Twin Towers in the background - one scene with Cherry Pie and Dina talking, and the other scene right at the end of the movie, which shows the new restaurant and the towers. I expected a lot from this movie and I felt it was dissapointing and 'bland' to say the least.

Great movie.......2003-12-24

This is one of the first Filipino American movies that was in the theatre and is now available on DVD. Considering many limitations (i.e. budget) this is a great movie, especially for Filipino Americans who will really be able to relate to it. The best part of the movie is that the people starring in it are not white and are more realistic than the Hollywood actors and actresses we usually see in movies. This movie is also totally hilarious.

DVD:

DVD

Code Hunter (REGION 1) (NTSC)

DVD: Heart of Glass

Waterfall - The Movie