Anthony Jennings, Canada, Cathy Garcia-Molina, Cathy Garcia-Sampana, drama, Hello Love Again, Hong Kong, Jameson Blake, Jennica Garcia, Jobert Austria, Joross Gamboa, Kathryn Bernardo, Kevin Kreider, Lito Pimentel, Mark Labella, Marvin Aritrangco, Maymay Entrata, movies, reviews, Ruby Rodriguez, Wendy Froberg, Wilbert Ross, William Lorenzo
November 20, 2024
by Carla Hay
Directed by Cathy Garcia-Sampana
Tagalog with subtitles
Culture Representation: Taking place from 2019 to 2024, in Hong Kong and in Canada, the dramatic film “Hello, Love, Again” (a sequel to the 2019 film “Hello, Love, Goodbye”) features a predominantly Asian cast of characters (with some white) representing the working-class and middle-class.
Culture Clash: An aspiring nurse and a bar owner have an on-again/off-again romance and issues over where they want to live.
Culture Audience: “Hello, Love, Again” will appeal mainly to people who are fans of the movie’s headliners, the movie “Hello, Love, Again” and romantic dramas with entertaining characters.
“Hello, Love, Again” is an enjoyable but not perfectly made sequel to 2019’s “Hello, Love, Goodbye.” This sequel should please fans who want a certain ending to this romantic drama, which has light touches of comedy. The on-again/off-again couple in this story have the same problems but in a different country. In “Hello, Love, Goodbye,” most of the movie takes place in Hong Kong. In “Hello, Love, Again,” most of the movie takes place in Canada.
Cathy Garcia-Sampana (formerly known as Cathy Garcia-Molina) directed “Hello, Love, Goodbye” and “Hello, Love, Again” and co-wrote both movies. For “Hello, Love, Goodbye,” the other co-writers are Carmi G. Raymundo, Crystal Hazel San Miguel and Rona Co. For “Hello, Love, Again,” the co-writers are the same, except for Co, who is not one of the writers.
In both movies, the couple at the center of the story are headstrong Joy Marie Fabregas (played by Kathryn Bernardo) and romantic Ethan del Rosario (played by Alden Richards), who are of Filipino heritage but are living in countries other than the Philippines. In “Hello, Love, Goodbye,” Joy and Ethan both lived in Hong Kong, but Joy wanted to move to Canada to become a nurse. Ethan is a bartender who becomes a bar owner.
“Hello, Love, Goodbye” took place in 2019. And (mild spoiler alert) even though Joy and Ethan declared their love for each other, they parted ways at the end of the film because Joy moved to Canada, but they promised to visit each other when they could. “Hello, Love, Again” takes place in 2024 but has some flashbacks from 2019 to 2023. A turning point in Joy and Ethan’s relationship happened when Ethan went to visit Joy in Canada in March 2020, not long before the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. Joy Marie and Ethan have a catch phrase—”I don’t love you”—when what they really mean is “I love you.” They also have stop watches that are of special significance to them.
In the beginning of “Hello, Love, Again,” Joy, who now uses her middle name Marie, works as a health care assistant at a nursing home facility in Calgary, Canada. She now wants to move to the U.S., where she hopes to get a better-paying job. Through a series of circumstances, Ethan ends up working at the same nursing facility. Ethan has some visa problems, so Joy Marie and Ethan pretend to be in a common-law marriage so he can stay in Canada. The movie is somewhat repetitive but still a very watchable journey of whether or not Ethan and Joy Marie will get back together.
If you’ve seen enough of these movies, you probably know what to expect. The two lovebirds have meddling friends, family members and rivals who cause confusion, jealousy or manipulations in their relationship. Ethan’s best friend Jhim Gabriel (played by Joross Gamboa) wants Joy Marie and Ethan to get back together. Joy Marie has a new love interest named Uno (played by Kevin Kreider), who lives in New York and wants her to move to New York. Meanwhile, a woman named Baby (played Jennica Garcia) has a romantic interest in Ethan.
In “Hello, Love, Goodbye,” Joy Marie’s father Celso Fabregas (played by William Lorenzo) had a prominent role in the movie, but in “Hello, Love, Again,” Celso is deceased and seen in flashbacks. Meanwhile, “Hello, Love, Again” has a flashback subplot about Ethan’s father Mario Del Rosario (played by Lito Pimentel) having a life-threatening health issue. The other family members who make appearances in “Hello, Love, Again” are Ethan’s younger brothers Edward del Rosario (played by Jameson Blake) and Eric del Rosario (played by Anthony Jennings); Joy Marie’s younger brother Joey (played by Wilbert Ross); and Joy Marie’s cousin Mary Dale Fabregas (played by Maymay Entrata).
Joy Marie’s friend in Calgary also get involved in and gossip about her love life. These pals include outspoken Amy (played by Ruby Rodriguez), who has a introverted teenage son named Tonton (played by Eric Jhon Balajadia) and gay husbands Marc (played by Mark Labella) and Marvin (played by Marvin Aritrangco). Other characters in “Hello, Love, Again” include Jhim’s goofy uncle Tito Lino (played by Jobert Austria) and a widow named Martha (played by Wendy Froberg), who has a dementia and is a nursing home patient who becomes close to Joy Marie.
Bernardo and Richards carry “Hello, Love, Again” with their charismatic performances, although the movie’s overall acting and the dialogue are sometimes clunky. Some of the supporting characters didn’t need to be in the movie and are just part of the clutter of people who have something to say about what Joy Marie and Ethan should do about their relationship. “Hello, Love, Again” has just the right amount of comedy to offset the melodrama in ways that are sweet and romantic—ultimately delivering what fans of this franchise can expect.
Star Cinema released “Hello, Love, Again” in U.S. cinemas on November 15, 2024. The movie was released in the Philippines on November 13, 2024.