Crying Ladies

it was not that "earth shaking" nor did it "lack substance". it could have been "whimsical", but this i can attest, it truly deserved the honor of being named best picture of the 2003 metro manila film festival. among the qualified contenders in the aforementioned film festival include bridal shower (a wonderful sex comedy) and mano po 2 (a domestic family drama that has no relation with the original).

crying ladies is a well-written comedy with notable performances delivered by its leads, particularly hilda koronel. sharon cuneta and eric quizon contributed their share of the goods but for mr. quizon to win the best supporting actor plum for the role he portrayed may be pushing it too far considering other notable performances in other competing films. ms. cuneta is rarely seen in a comedic role which makes her performance totally refreshing.

the movie is not dragging; the script a palanca awardee.

this is a film that is made me love Sharon Cuneta, i really hated her films for cheesy lines, soundtracks and other crap but this is a cut above the rest. it is the best film of Sharon Cuneta since "Madrasta". she deserves to win the best actress award. even though there are some technical errors on the film, the story still makes it a real screen gem. we hope to see more films like this. it shows the real situation of how Filipinos live and how they cope up with poverty and how they will prove their love for their love ones. this is a really good movie and star cinema craps can't reach the quality of this film. we just hope to see more films like this really "Pinoy" and realistic film in the future

I saw this movie in Cebu (middle of Philippines) a month ago. I do not understand Tagalog, so I got a whispered translation in the theatre.

Even so, the jokes came through, and they were intelligent and fresh, as is the story. It is not a fluff piece, but neither is it not a melodrama. It is a good story about three middle aged women slogging through various crises in their lives, all caught through the lens of a man coping with the death of his father, whose lifetime secrets reveal themselves.

The running joke about the waylaid sunglasses, stolen by Sharon Cuneta from Eric Quizon after he forgets them, and how they wind up on the face of the police officer who escort's the funeral procession is pretty funny, as is the story of the final days of Sharon Cuneta's relationship with her soon-to-be-taken-from-her son touching.

My advise: see it and enjoy it, it is worth your time.

Crying Ladies definitely has its moments. The beautifully-shot scenes of a traditional Chinese funeral lend a cultural richness and international appeal to the film. The comedy is raw and unpretentious; a very Filipino sense of humor shines through. There are poignant, delicately human scenes when the characters get drawn by the real tears shed by the bereaved family so that it is difficult to tell whether they were still crying for pay or just being participants of a shared broken humanity. And there is a very endearing, sincere quality about the characters of Crying Ladies, owing a lot to the first-rate portrayal of the lead actors led by Sharon Cuneta. Her conflicted Stella is thoroughly real; with just the right amount of goofball doses to make her likable. Tough critics from the New York Times and Village Voice gave her the "two thumbs up," even when they point out the film's flaws.

And flaws there are, one of which is the film's uneven editing– languishing unnecessarily in some sequences and sloppily breaking narrative continuity here and there.

Nonetheless, Crying Ladies succeeds in presenting a whimsical glimpse of how adept Pinoys are at turning tears into laughter... so seamlessly, and without bitterness.

Crying Ladies is a warm film that makes you think and wonder about the little things in life. Family, friends and material things that are thought of to be so important but are really secondary. This is about the determined Stella from the old part of the city, trying to provide for herself and her son but also battling to keep him at the same time. For this, she gets her trio together as they become sought after to provide the old-style crying act for a Chinatown wake.

The acting is superb and actress Sharon Cuneta's role as Stella shows the versatility that Cuneta has always been known for. From her famous drama roles to silly comedies, she can do it. The women joining her in the leading characters are also a great line-up with another screen icon in Hilda Koronel and Angel Aquino, who is not in the name calibre of Cuneta and Koronel, but is a pleasant touch to the trio while playing the role of naive Choleng.

This film has a great formula, a warm story everybody could relate to, interesting technology and cinematography (this was groundbreaking for Philippines movies) and a cast that were perfect for their roles and for working together. Crying Ladies is also a good look at the unique qualities of the Philippines and it reveals the mini community of Chinese and Indian people and because of this, it shows how Stella, Rhoda and Choleng represent the joie de vivre and Latin passion of Filipinos and how hispanic the culture and country is (with American-style everyday influences) while being located right in the asia/pacific ocean region.

Crying Ladies was an entry to be an Oscar Foreign Film nominee, but did not make the final five films (4 or the 5 nominees were from Europe). However, it wouldn't have been a surprise if it did stand beside the Best Foreign nominees such as The Sea Inside from Spain. This film should be used as a mark for Philippine cinema to look at when making future movies.