Miss Granny (Viva Films, CJ Entertainment, 2018), Bb. Joyce Bernal's Filipino adaptation of the hit South Korean comic-fantasy film, begins with the recollection of seventy-year-old widow, Fely (Nova Villa), that before she had a son, she couldn’t imagine living past thirty. Yet she survived enough hardships to evolve into a tough woman who says what’s on her mind, steamrollering and upsetting almost everyone in her path. Meanwhile, Ramon's (Nonie Buencamino) wife, Angie (Lotlot de Leon), develops a heart condition exasperated by her mother-in-law's nonstop nitpicking. When she ends up hospitalized, Angie's doctor says that if she doesn't live a life filled with less stress, her husband will end up a widower. He makes the difficult decision to send his mother away, promising that when his wife recovers, they will bring her back home. Buencamino does a wonderful job playing Ramon. During this melancholic moment, Fely comes across the Forever Young photo studio and decides to have her portrait taken. When she exits, she becomes her twenty-year-old self named Odrey (Sarah Geronimo) and though she may resemble Audrey Hepburn, with her gamine body and wispy bangs, she is decidedly uncoy. Odrey is coarse and crabby and has nothing to lose; she’s a grumpy grandmother with perfect teeth and a flexible physique. As Odrey, she joins her grandson Jeboy’s (James Reid) heavy metal band and transforms it into a pop group, all while winning Jeboy's affection and Lorenz (Xian Lim) a young man who runs an American Idol - style television show. When Jeboy initially flirts with her, Odrey deals with it hilariously, recalling to herself that his game is as clumsy as that of his grandfather — her deceased husband. Soon, the two take on a more sibling-like relationship, helping Jeboy transform his band into an (almost) overnight sensation. Meanwhile, Bert (Boboy Garovillo), an older friend recognizes that she’s her younger self.
While the broad comedy is entertaining (a youthful Odrey blowing on her grandson’s food and force-feeding him), the film also takes unexpected darker turns. “Nobody raised her son better than I did — that’s why he is so good to me!” Fely shouts during a disagreement with Ramon. This weird comedy meanders into heartfelt, complex areas about the regrets, attachments and abandonment of the aged. Geronimo does a wonderful job playing Odrey. Feisty and adorable, she has the mannerisms of a septuagenarian down pat. Some of the film's best moments are the musical numbers. Geronimo sings all her own songs displaying a pure, lovely voice that harkens back to a time when vocalists could sing beautifully without any assistance. Ultimately Miss Granny is shamelessly sentimental about the virtues of maternal sacrifice (we’re supposed to forgive Fely’s behavior when her single mother backstory is revealed) and the sanctity of the family. There are more than a few holes in the story’s logic, it’s contrived in spots to prevent the narrative from coming to a dead halt where characters acted like normal people, and its increasingly elaborate production numbers leading up to the big show panders to younger viewers. But films like Miss Granny live on the appeal of the performers, and Geronimo almost single-handedly saves the day with her pitch perfect and often hilarious spin on the young Fely.
Directed By: Bb. Joyce Bernal
Screenplay: Jinky Laurel
Director of Photography: Rody Lacap
Musical Director: Len Calvo
Sound Engineers: Albert Michael Idioma, Lamberto A. Casas, Jr.
Editors: Chrisel G. Desuasido, Bb. Joyce Bernal
Production Designer: Shari Marie Montiague
