Excellent but underrated film

Did you people see the same film I saw?

Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

I love this movie. I haven't seen any Filipino movies in years! This movie accurately represented how schools in the Philippines work, the bullying, the segregation of smart and not so smart students, they're all there! I experienced all of this while growing in the Philippines, I went to school there till about freshman in high school before moving to the United States, so don't tell me all that never happens there. !!!Spoiler!!!!What I noticed the most is that bullying is very common in the Philippines, even teachers; At the scene when Aika farted, the teacher didn't even bother to ask if she was OK, or tell other students not to make fun of her, instead, she yelled that it smelled like crap. Another scene that stood out to me was that when the other character told the nun that she didn't believe in God, she flipped out and punished her; even told her that she's going to hell.

It's just another run of the mill, cringe-fest of a Filipino movie. They're again trying to "spice things up" with "fresh ideas" by using a novel concept, but it turns into another pito-pito that follows every other movie's mold.The intelligence of the script writers are in full display here as they evidently show case little to none of it. Lines that were supposed to develop their characters as intelligent kids were full of inaccurate statements and utter nonsense. It shows the depth of the script writers' ability to come up with sound statements to develop their characters with. The fact that Anne Curtis had to act in a fat suit didn't help it one bit. Either she had a concussion the entire time they were shooting it or the fat suit was too heavy for her jaw to move, whatever the reason, all her lines were delivered like a kid reading the lines off a teleprompter for the first time.Sam Milby with a provincial accent can be attributed to comedic irony which is likely a lucky punch for the casting department. Christine Reyes clearly out-shines Anne in every scene, but that's only because her performance isn't as cringy as Anne's was.It's just not worth the time to watch it, so don't.

On the surface, The Gifted looks nothing more than just another slapstick comedy flick, but scratch that and you will find a brand of comedy whose capacity isn't limited at making you explode in laughs, but also one that's not bereft of life lessons to touch hearts.There is no denying The Gifted's formula isn't new--it threads through the same tiring ugly-duckling-turns-beautiful-swan storyline--but here, Chris Martinez's ability to recreate and twist seemingly-overused plots, proves to push the genre past its own boundaries. The Gifted's dark comedy feels new and reinvented, and within its established limits, it aspires to achieve more, and succeeds. Martinez's creativity manifests on how he is able to drive the lead characters' potential above their limits.There is no doubt this movie has Anne at its center, but to forget Cristine and Sam doesn't sound forgivable. While Anne manages to effectively portray the mean, classy and manipulative Zoe, Cristine proves to pull the both geeky and sympathetic Aica with utmost credibility. This movie also showcases a leveled-up Sam Milby, whose promdi and narrow-headed character (Mark Ferrer), never fails to amuse the audience whenever he delivers his lines in visayan accent.In totality, it is easy to categorize The Giftedas another local comedy that aims to make us laugh--one that effectively make us roll in the floor laughing while we're inside the theater, but never leaves a smile in our lips once we're out. But make no fool of yourself by just judging the cover of the book, for the inside pages may have so much more to tell.This movie cruises through themes of jealousy, revenge, friendship, family and a lot more. My advice: never leave the theater once the end credits start to roll up, for you might miss the biggest surprise that this movie has to deliver. The Gifted is easily my no.1 local comedy of the year.