‘English Only, Please’ Netflix Movie Review - Derek Ramsay and Jennylyn Mercado Shine in this Weak Material

Julian (Derek Ramsay) hires a translator, Tere (Jennylyn Mercado), to translate an angry letter from English to the Filipino language so that he can then repeat the contents of the translated letter in front of his ex-girlfriend, Megan (Isabel Oli). Why can't he share his thoughts in English? Megan, after all, understands the language. Ah, but that would mess up the film's calculated design. Even a slight interference of logic is enough to make everything fall like a house of cards. Take Tere's relationship with her gold-digging boyfriend, Rico (Kean Cipriano). He sucks her money like a vampire and gets pissed when he is gifted an 11-inch MacBook Pro (he wanted the 13-inch version). Why does Tere take so much time to realize Rico's true intentions? Why does she easily forgive his infidelity? What does a beautiful woman like her find so attractive in a leech like him?

I don't know. Perhaps Tere doesn't want to be lonely? But has she ever looked in the mirror? How can she not believe she deserves someone better? Her best friend, too, is surprised by her loyalty to Rico and assures her she can do better. Then again, English Only, Please has no room for logic. It merely tells us to accept everything that's in front of us. The reason you don't walk away from the film is the chemistry between Tere and Julian. Ramsay, with his tough, gloomy face, isn't immediately likable, but he slowly becomes pleasing and admirable. Mercado, though, is charming from the beginning itself. The excitement, and enthusiasm she brings to the table are highly infectious. You gradually realize that Tere falls in love with so many men because there is so much warmth within her. She has so much love inside her that she really wants to share it with the world. This is why Tere doesn't easily get offended. But even when she does (like when she sees her "dream house"), she doesn't scream at anyone.

Together, Ramsay and Mercado bring to the surface the sentimental pleasures of the genre. Their mushiness is charming and amusing rather than off-putting. However, the rest of the material falls short of their standard. Scenes like the one where a man flaunts his muscles are awkwardly executed. The jokes involving boys leaving Mallows, Tere's best friend, as soon as they find out she is a single mother get tiresome. And I rolled my eyes when Tere refused to pick up those calls. Seriously, I am tired of this uninteresting "let me generate complications by ignoring the person" device.

The movie's aesthetic has a made-for-TV cheapness. The scenes look flat. The outdoors are excessively bright. The hotel rooms where Tere spends time with Rico give you the impression that they have been borrowed from the sets of a B-picture. What makes English Only, Please watchable is the performances. Without Ramsay and Mercado, the movie would have been empty - almost unbearable.

Final Score- [5.5/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times