Movie Review: Bride for Rent

Following the success of Bakit Hindi Ka Crush ng Crush Mo, Kim Chiu and Xian Lim return to the big screen with Bride for Rent. Because my husband enjoyed Bakit Hindi Ka Crush ng Crush Mo, it was easier for me to convince him to come see this KimXi movie. I wasn’t really expecting much from Bride for Rent thinking that it might just be a copycat of their prior movie. But I was wrong! It may come from the same genre, but Kim and Xian definitely took things a notch higher from their last movie.

Xian plays the role of Rocco, a rich businessman who lost a huge amount of money. In order to save his name and his business, he had to find a wife as this was his grandmother’s condition before he could take hold of his trust fund. That is where Rocky (Kim Chiu) comes in the picture. I know that most of us have already seen something with the similar plot. The movie may be a bit predictable, but I still enjoyed every second of it. Even my husband who is not the biggest fan of RomCom movies told me that he enjoyed this more than Bakit Hindi Ka Crush ng Mo. I could actually see his smiling face from my peripheral vision all throughout the movie!

Kim is undoubtedly a very good actress! Her soft side was clearly manifested in those scenes showing how she loves her family. And once again, she has proven her versatility in portraying such a quirky character. Her presence on the big screen is just so mesmerizing. Ang sarap niyang panoorin whether she’s in a wedding gown or in pkpk shorts! Siya lang yata ang galawgaw na hindi nakakairita!

I mentioned in my review of Bakit Hindi Ka Crush ng Crush Mo that Xian needed to improve as an actor. When I first saw him in BHKCNCM, I could feel his awkwardness. Some scenes actually made me cringe. But after watching Bride for Rent, I have to say that he’s more natural now. Hindi pilit magpakilig at magpacute. He has definitely improved in this movie! Plus, he is just soooooo pogi! (Malapit na birthday ko! Sana may magregalo sa akin ng standee ni Xian!!! Pakinakaw na lang sa McDo! :p)

When it comes to their tandem, I could see more spark in this movie. It’s actually more kilig, probably because the movie speaks about FOREVER. Hindi ko rin alam. Basta kilig na kilig ako!!! =))

The supporting cast also did such an amazing job! Dennis Padilla, Pilita Corales and Empoy provided humor which kept the energy of the movie. Empoy is such a funny guy! He made sure that his presence is very much felt on the big screen. Wala pang lines, tawang-tawa na ako!!! NO STRINGS IN TOUCH! Hahahaha!!!

Bride for Rent has all the ingredients of a successful RomCom film. It’s funny, engaging and very entertaining. The addition of supposedly real life married couples added more “magic” to the romantic side of the film. The critics are probably saying different things. But coming from an ordinary moviegoer like me, Bride for Rent is definitely not a waste of my 200 bucks!