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Lolo and the Kid (2024)

Lolo and the Kid (2024)

A Pinoy family drama that masterfully utilizes and challenges Filipinos’ penchant for sappiness

6.5

Movie

Philippines
Tagalog
Drama, Family
2024
BENEDICT MIQUE
Alfred Vargas, Euwenn Mikaell, Iza Calzado
97 min

TLDR

Joel Torre making me cry again.

What it's about

Lolo (Joel Torre) and his adopted son Kid (Euwenn Mikael Aleta) con wealthy families into taking in Kid, then use the money made from what they stole to bond together.

The take

They did it. They took advantage of Pinoy movies’ penchant for sappy writing and used it to deliver on its premise. Coming into it blind more-so, you see the violent shift in writing and energy, with everything feeling more relaxed, organic, and truthful after the premise sets in. But they take that subversion a step further by unironically sticking with the sappy elements and not drowning in them; using dramatic backstories, catchphrases, and the staple recurring '80s theme song to tease and anchor the drama throughout. By Filipino drama standards, it might be an unconventional family film, but with how well they used the tropes, it might also be the quintessential Filipino family film.

What stands out

Torre is always an easy standout, but Aleta’s performance of a sharp-tongued swindler is arguably just as magnetic. Perfect chemistry from these two.

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