Ada Apa dengan Cinta?

Hello all--for what it's worth, I'm in a doctoral program on Indonesian politics and returned this semester after about a year's fieldwork, most of it in Jakarta.

I'm a big movie fan generally, so I went out as often as I could, and bought tons of local VCDs while I was there. This film was clearly the best of the lot, even though it's a few years old. The story is clear, the acting is excellent, and it stars an incredibly beautiful actress named Dian Sastro. She should be working in western movies, since, unfortunately, virtually every other new film I saw could not measure up to this one, and no actress is as good.

Since this is supposed to be a comment, not a review, I won't bore you with a plot summary. Suffice it to say that if you find this online, buy it. Even though it's a VCD, the transfer quality is good.

Simply one of the best Indonesian movies. It's a sweet, yet touching chick-flick that will always be a favorite. The story contains some good messages--mostly about friendship, attitude, and the art of literature. The actors and actresses did a really good job in displaying the uniqueness of every character. Rangga, portrayed by Nicholas Saputra, is a lovable one for sure. Not only for his charming look, but also for his personality. And so does Cinta, portrayed by Dian Sastrowardoyo--a funny, bold, and popular clique girl. The screenplay & concept are also excellent. There are some memorable quotes and poems which everyone will love. No wonder this movie is a big 'hit' again in 2014. Even for teenagers who were only one or two years old when the movie came out. 'Ada Apa dengan Cinta?' is definitely an eternal favorite and a good reference for movie learning purpose.

Ada Apa Dengan Cinta is the best Indonesian teen movie ever made. It has great casting especially the two main star; Dian Sastrowardoyo as Cinta and Nicholas Saputra as Rangga. They both are new actors and they really focus on their character. Titi Kamal, Adinia Wirasti, Sissy Priscillia and Ladya Cheryl are also star in the movie and they look gorgeous in the movie. The storyline of the movie was pretty good. It was a very simple love story between a girl teenager (Cinta) who uses to hang out with her friends and very clever. All the sudden when Cinta lost the poetry competition. The winner was a lonely boy Rangga. They both came from a different world but as the story progresses with lots of conflict and comedy,they find that they were in love each other. The movie was basically about being friends. And definitely about love and all the consequences. Director Rudi Suedjarwo was very good in directing the movie. He gave a little bit of action, drama, romance and comedy for the movie. It is basically a teen movie and most of Indo-teen loved this type of flick. Most of the setting was in high school and it was nice to look back at the Indonesian school. The soundtrack that were given in this movie were perfect for teen! I really recommend this movie to all of you especially when you have a stress and this movie is basically for us to enjoy and have fun! I think this movie had been promoted to Melbourne, Australia this year but only for limited time. The Video CD had also been released and they were mostly sold out. At the first week, 110,000 vcds had been sold out. Remember don't take this movie seriously, it's just for fun! I am looking forward to see all of the casting in this movie at another movie!

Ada Apa Dengan Cinta? What is wrong with love? that's a good question after having seen this movie. The movie never really becomes interesting for the intelligent audience. It is a story about love yes, but nothing special when you compare it to all the awful cinetron's (local soaps) that haunts the Indonesian television stations. "Ada apa dengan cinta" is just a soap for the cinema, and it does atract mostly teenagers. Well, it is actually about teenage love, and most teens who watch this movie think it is a movie in western style, different from the local Indonesian blockbusters. The actors however are really acting like amateurs, the story never gets really exiting, although the screams of some teenagers during the movie make you think you are watching a drama like "Shakespeare in love". Indonesian teenagers scream at any movie... For me it was very boring, although the picture and sound quality are much better than most Indonesian movies I have seen so far. I am not going to say that you should not see it, you have to judge for yourself, like you have to do with every movie. But if you expect something special from Indonesia that will perform well on the international filmfestivals, you've got it wrong. For that, Indonesian actors will need more training (especially their way of talking is overdramatic), and the Indonesian filmindustry will need more funds. Maybe the succes of movies like "Jelangkung" and "Ada apa dengan cinta?" will bring financial resources to make something more beautyfull?

Rather than use "What's Up with Love?" as the English translation to the title, I would have used "What is it about Love?". Certainly, the plot is basically about two teenagers experiencing those roller-coaster emotions that come with the first yearnings of love/mutual attraction. They find themselves behaving quite unlike their usual selves, and it makes them stop and ask the question "What is it about love?". (Of course, it ties in nicely that the female protagonist's name is Cinta, which is "love" in Indonesian).

The plot is universal enough for anyone to relate to. So the real attraction of this movie lies in the strong script, the good shots used and the ability of the young actors to interact with each other on-screen. They don't seem camera-conscious and they aren't given awful lines or skimpy clothes that seem to be standard stuff in teen movies.

I'm jaded when it comes to watching teen movies (in fact I hardly bother with them now that I'm not a teen) but this one I really liked. Cinta's school friends certainly remind me of the friends I had in school, so it was pretty realistic to me.

What ties it all together is the clever use of an awesome soundtrack with all original songs written by the brilliant Melly Goeslaw. The music itself can tell the story, and that says a lot for it.

There are weak moments, as there are in most movies. But nothing I've cringed at, or anything I care to remember. I cannot understand much of the Indonesian language and yet the movie spoke to me, so I give it my thumbs up.