comedy, Dominic Ochoa, Ex Ex Lovers, G Tongi, Jolina Magdangal, JP Habac, Juan Karlos, Juan Karlos Labajo, Loisa Andalio, Marvin Agustin, movies, Mylene Dizon, Philippines, reviews
March 1, 2025
by Carla Hay
Directed by JP Habac
Tagalog and English with subtitles
Culture Representation: Taking place in Malta and in the Philippines, the comedy film “Ex Ex Lovers” features a predominantly Filipino cast of characters (with a few white people) representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.
Culture Clash: Two ex-spouses try to figure out what type of relationship they want to have after they are invited to their daughter’s upcoming wedding.
Culture Audience: “Ex Ex Lovers” will appeal mainly to people who are fans of the movie’s headliners and pleasantly lightweight romantic comedies.
Cute and predictable, “Ex Ex Lovers” can be an entertaining romantic comedy about how two ex-spouses handle their unresolved feelings toward each other and their daughter’s upcoming wedding. Jolina Magdangal and Marvin Agustin continue their co-star magic. This is by no means their best project together, but it’s good enough for people who want to see a romantic comedy with cast members who have believable chemistry with each other.
Directed by JP Habac, “Ex Ex Lovers” was written by Antoinette Jadaone and Kristine Gabriel. The movie reunites longtime co-stars Magdangal and Agustin, who have been appearing in TV shows and moves together since the 1990s, beginning with ABS-CBN’s 1996 to 1999 teen drama series “Gimik.” Some of their other co-starring projects are the ABS-CBN’s soap opera “Labs Ko Si Babem”; GMA Network’s drama series “I Luv NY”(2006) and “Adik Sa’Yo” (2009); and the movies “Adarna: The Mythical Bird” (1997), “Kung Ayaw Mo, Huwag Mo!” (1998) and “Labs Kita… Okey Ka Lang?” (1998), and “Hey Babe!” (1999).
In “Ex Ex Lovers,” Magdangal portrays Joy Hermoso, a divorcée who lives in the Philippines capital of Manila. Joy is very close to her 23-year-old daughter SC (played by Loisa Andalio), who was raised primarily by Joy. SC is nice but a little spoiled. The father of SC is Cedric “Ced” Hermoso (played by Agustin), who became a deadbeat dad when he abandoned the family about 10 years ago. Joy is still bitter about the abandonment because Ced used to be her best friend, and he was her first love.
Joy and Ced haven’t seen or spoken to each other in years. There’s one major reason why Joy and Ced’s relationship hasn’t officially reached closure. Ced and Joy haven’t legally ended their marriage. (Because divorce is not legal for most residents of the the Philippines, Joy and Ced will have to get an annulment.) Joy complains that Ced has a frustrating habit of running away from responsibilities. And making their annulment final has been one of those responsibilities that he’s been avoiding.
In the movie’s first scene, Joy is meeting SC for lunch at a restaurant. SC is accompanied by her boyfriend of two years: Joey (played by Juan Karlos Labajo, also known as Juan Karlos), who is easygoing, friendly and comes from a rich family. Joey has a surprise during the lunch: He asks SC to marry him. A delighted SC immediately says yes, while a dismayed Joy immediately says no at the same time.
Joy is miffed and insulted that Joey did not ask Joy for her blessing for this marriage proposal. She doesn’t really approve of SC and Joey getting married because she thinks they’re too young for marriage. SC tries to smooth things over by saying Joey would have asked for Joy’s blessing, but Joy has been too busy at Joy’s bank job.
Viewers will get the impression that Joy is the type of divorcée who hasn’t dated much since her marriage fell apart. Joy doesn’t seem to have a large circle of friends. Her best friend is a woman named Mimi (played by Mylene Dizon), who is about the same age as Joy and who listens sympathetically when Joy has gets emotionally wound up over something. (And expect to see Joy wound up a lot because most of the movie’s comedy comes from her reactions to whatever happens.)
Ced has been living in Valletta, Malta. For the wedding, SC wants Ced to have the traditional role of the bride’s father walking the bride down the aisle. Joy knows Ced better than SC knows him, so SC asks Joy to be the one to ask Ced to have this role in the wedding. And because this is a romantic comedy, Joy has to make this request in person. SC and Joey offer to go to Malta with her because they SC wants Ced to meet Joey. It’s all just an excuse for the movie to have gorgeous-looking scenery in Malta.
Not surprisingly, this family reunion has a lot of tension and plenty of ups and downs. Ced immediately tells SC that he’s sorry for abandoning her and that he’ll never stop asking for her forgiveness. SC is more willing to forgive Ced than Joy is willing to forgive, but does Joy still have romantic feelings for Ced? And has he really changed his irresponsible ways?
Most of “Ex Ex Lovers” is about Joy and Ced bickering, flirting, and deciding whether or not they want to rekindle their relationship. SC is a romantic and wants her parents to get back together. Joy is the most skeptical that getting back together with Ced would be a good idea. Ced (who has a very charming side) is open to the idea, but he has a long way to go before Joy can consider him to be trustworthy.
The movie begins in a very over-the-top manner, with a lot emoting from the cast members. Some of the dialogue and mannerisms are exaggerated in “Ex Ex Lovers,” particularly with the characters of Joey’s parents Andres (played by Dominic Ochoa) and Sophia (played by G Tongi), who are negative stereotypes of wealthy, entitled people. It would be easy to assume that there will be a certain outcome to the love dilemma between Joy and Ced. However, “Ex Ex Lovers” ends up being more realistic than a lot of romantic comedies would be with a similar concept.
Despite some flaws in the movie’s tone and performances, the “Ex Ex Lovers” plot does not go off track into ridiculous fantasy-level wish-fulfillment, which is usually the biggest flaw of romantic comedies. “Ex Ex Lovers” has capable supporting performances from Andalio and Labajo as engaged couple SC and Joey. However, Magdangal and Agustin are the main attractions in “Ex Ex Lovers” and do not disappoint in giving winning performances that have authenticity in showing how relationships can evolve over time.
Warner Bros. International released “Ex Ex Lovers” in select U.S. cinemas on February 21, 2025. The movie was released in the Philippines on February 12, 2025.