Hello, Stranger: The Movie (2021) User Reviews

The Representation PH Needs

[ephraim-74970 · 8/10 · 12 February 2021]

This movie is both a romantic comedy and coming-of-age film. Petersen Vargas and Dwein Baltazar team up to spark a rollercoaster of emotions. It picks up where the series left off, and the story unravels as the movie progresses.

If I'm being frank and nitpicky, the movie is not the most innovative in its plot, but it compensates in the way all the characters carry the storyline. There are lots of funny, lighthearted moments as well as scenes that will break your heart. Both Tony and JC convey love outside the heteronormative bubble with such reverence and authenticity (although I personally wish there was more fluff and less drama).

I highly recommend watching the series beforehand as it really helps establish the characters. Where it lacks in plot, it sure makes up in character development. Makakilig at magiiyak kayo for sure! Kaya panoorin niyo na!

A movie that encompasses all emotions

[loyolamarkbryan · 10/10 · 12 February 2021]

When I first watched the series, I wasn't expecting much and they gave me so much emotion. Then when I watched this movie, I had high expectations and boy did they deliver! I felt jealous of them and how they can be so brave and sensitive in such harsh reality. It made my heart melt with all the scenes and the score made it better. I hope you can watch it by buying the ticket on solo.to/hellostranger

Emotionally Captivating

[bronzydgarcia · 10/10 · 13 February 2021]

It picks up from Hello Stranger the series the light hearted BL series shot via zoom. The movie is the continuation of #XavMi story. The movie can stand alone but i would recommend you watch the series.. For Filipino audience they will still get the Literary vibes from the series as the movie pay tribute to great Authors from the Philippines, social awakening from literary works, POP culture and reference to alot of famous Filo movies. I think International audience will just get the Romance vibe of the story but let me warn you this is not your typical BL movies or series where in you expect them to flirt all day long so I'm just saying that you should not expect them to be lovey dovey like the usual Boys Love set up. The actors poured their hearts out to this craft that is why is emotionally captivating/draining but at the same there's a humor in every scene specially the wardrobes.. Soundtrack is good, the musical scoring is phenomenal.. The Director did a great job even though they changed the Director from the series to the movies.. I promise that the ending is perfect, you will be rewarded. Its worth your time.

An Honest, Deserving Love Story

[markjsantiago · 9/10 · 1 March 2021]

This RomCom film was absolutely great. It had the perfect formula balanced well with all the laughs, the pain, the love and of course, the kilig moments! Everyone can find something to relate to in this movie.

The sheer honesty displayed in this movie was really nice to witness. It's one thing to produce a BL production, but it's another to execute a genuine job well done. Black Sheep did just that and as well as JC Alcantara & Tony Labrusca with the rest of the cast. The chemistry they share together is outstanding, especially coming from the web series that was mostly filmed remotely online.

I'm so glad that the Philippines welcomed the BL genre with open arms; to even have ABS-CBN premiere a BL movie as their Valentine's Day special release, is just amazing to finally see in this day of age.

I cannot wait to see what more can come from this production. There's so much to explore and develop, so many characters and their relationships to delve into like KaiSeph & JunTal! Salamat again to Black Sheep and the Hello Stranger cast for giving us this movie during this time of the pandemic. You've all brought joy, laughter and tears in our households. Takits!

Sadly, a far cry from the series

[robin_a-1 · 4/10 · 20 June 2021]

I loved the series. Great story, well written, well executed. Each episode richly brought the story forward. Each episode made one richly anticipating the next. Then comes this movie. Sadly, it didn't hold the magic of the series. The storyline is forced. Unlike the series where the story was meticulously pushed forward lining up the elements to establish the plot, the storyline of the movie is filled with inconsistencies and things not very realistic. It was too contrived, predictable and disappointing.

Sadly, unlike the series wherein I could not get enough. I was hoping this would end already. Unlike the series, it's as if they didn't put much effort in this. It was formulaic and predictable.

In case the fans might react negatively to this, my disappointment is not with the theme of the movie, but the execution. This just had too many silly holes in the story. Too many forced elements and details that were way too contrived.

Even little things like during the tug-o-war wherein Xavier suddenly let's go of the rope to make the other team fall. It was clearly noticeable that the whole team of Xavier let go at the same time, why would they do that? Only Xavier had a reason to let go. That's a sample of unrealistic execution, to force their storyline they sacrifice realism.

The whole Kookay - Seph conflict. To create conflict, they create an unrealistic scenario. Kookay is surprised to see her sister there and tried to pretend Seph is just a friend. The sister says she is there as she was hired as one of the speakers for the writing camp. Yet we see later it's as if she is the main organizer. At the same time, considering that a student will be going out of town for a school event, it's not realistic that the parents would not know, and would not know that both daughters would be there. Then later we see the sister and teacher talking on the beach about Kookay, yet Kookay and Seph were a few feet away in full sight and hearing, they were seated next to each other. So, what happened to the issue that Kookay is trying to hide the fact that she is in a relationship with Seph? That whole scene was ridiculously unrealistic.

Then the oh too predictable and formulaic appearance of a guest speaker who happens to be an established writer who happens to be young and handsome and becomes a third wheel in the Xavier-Mico relationship.

Anyway, that's just a few. There were too many silly and forced things along the way that made the movie lose the magic of the Series. I wish they just stuck to the series, they seem to be better with short episodes.

Best movie that I have seen in a very very long time

[mbelbachir-61315 · 10/10 · 13 February 2021]

The series came as a suggestion on my Youtube channel and I was like ok not my thing but let's give it a try. I was blown away by the sincerity and the chemistry between the actors. When I saw that the movie was released yesterday I couldn't believe it so I bought my ticket on KTX and watched it online. This is the best money that I ever spent in a while, you go through such an emotional rollercoaster you are totally immersed in the story. Such a moment of pure joy!!. Well done to all the actors ! Hopefully there will be a sequel to that movie. I keep my fingers crossed!

Beautiful Love Story

[jiyuuuls · 10/10 · 25 February 2021]

This movie will stay in your mind for days after watching it. Sooo good..

Great movie to start 2021!

[novian-69722 · 10/10 · 18 February 2021]

It's great movie! Everyone did amazing & Stunning work! I even felt the awkward, anger, love, and ugh everything! This movie did amazing job in portraying their feelings instead of exposing another yknow!

Love the dramatic exhilarating scene!

[derrickluciano · 9/10 · 10 March 2021]

There were various gay Filipino gay films, but Hello Strangers The Movie, takes on the BL genre craze which focuses on love attraction between two seemingly straight-looking guys. HS is one of the early BL films, taking from the popular quarantine series and follows the love relationship between the two lead guys during a non-pandemic setting.

Many mediocre Pinoy BL films have sprouted during the pandemic but the storytelling of HS is above these.

The movie continues the Hello story (Stranger? Boyfriend?) with a new, although a familiar conflict between the two male leads. The lapsed years flashbacks clearly explain why they acted this way and how they were motivated to do such actions. JC is his usual self, quite emotive as an actor with expressive, sometimes, tearful eyes. Tony L. outdid himself this time, giving new nuance on his character. The Padawans are still here and quite supportive. The new supporting cast are spiced-up characters and add color to the film.

There's a dramatic scene after the tug-o-war which actually shows the great performance of the two actors! And the ending scene was sweet and charming and the pan-out shoot with the start of the song made it a classic!

Let's support this one so more of this kind can be produced! A must -see so watch it thru the paid streaming system and not from anywhere else! Other Filipino BL series worth watching are Gameboys (love the chat graphics) , Ben X Jim (good actors), My Extraordinary (love the DeJesus soundtrack), Gaya Sa Pelikula ( love the movie trivias), and Oh Mando (love the production quality). But I must say Hello Strangers The Series and the Movie started it all! Now, I can say we have a Pinoy BL film to be proud of!

Recommended BL movie

[tapangmark · 10/10 · 28 February 2021]

This movie is a whole roller coaster ride. You will feel a lot of emotions. The actors who played Mico (JC Alcantara) and Xavier (Tony Labrusca), are remarkable, they have an amazing chemistry, plus the acting is great. The ending is so powerful and it gave fans the satisfaction.

Such a genuine film

[erolcaballero · 10/10 · 25 February 2021]

Very beautiful genuine love.. I love it so much. Hoping for season 2.

A perfect coming of age gay movie.

[silayrussel · 10/10 · 15 February 2021]

Movie is both light-hearted and serious in terms of falling in love and coming into terms with your true self. it offers a refreshing break from most gay themed movies that are too depressing to watch but it's also not too cheesy that you still get out of it having learned something or has related to some of the struggles the two main characters faced. It is a romcom movie for everyone not just for the LGBTQIA+.

Worth every penny! A must-watch movie of 2021

[aspencerj · 10/10 · 18 February 2021]

I am still shocked on how amazing this movie is. The acting and cinematography were great. All of the supporting role had their fair share of on screen moment and their acting were superb. Looking forward for another sequel. Fingers-crossed. Fan from Sabah, Borneo Island.

💯💯💯

[rrjp-66211 · 10/10 · 19 February 2021]

From the comedy, drama, friendship and love, the movie was beautifully made and well delivered. Even the cringe-worthy scenes complemented the film! There's a feeling of genuineness on the approach and delivery of the whole movie such that no scene was made just to please what the people and the fans obviously wanted instead, was poignantly and genuinely given to the audience. Bravo to the director, actors and to the rest of the team! Hoping for a sequel to the film or a season 2 of the series. I'm sure it will also be worth every penny! xxx

Brilliant acting and directing, never a dull moment

[gpcatalig · 10/10 · 14 February 2021]

This movie deserves all the hype and praises it is getting. Props to everyone involved in the writing/ directing/ acting process for managing to keep the movie light-hearted and dramatic all at the same time. What I loved is how each scene builds up to the next (including those intelligently plotted flashbacks) so it is not hard to understand even for those who did not follow the series. Although, I do highly recommend that you watch the series first as the movie has a lot of references, easter eggs if you must, from the series.

JC Alcantara and Tony Labrusca. We knew they were great actors from the series but man, they took the movie to another level of brilliance. They bravely rose to the occasion and exceeded so much more of our expectations. At this point, I will not be surprised if both of them got acting awards for their portrayal of Mico and Xavier. From their awkward and comedic scenes to the big, dramatic speeches. Their lines were filled with so much poignancy, you can almost feel it yourself.

The Young Padawans will make you wish you had them in your life and the movie did not fail at stressing that. One of my favorite scenes is the one where they played Shageddy Shapopo near the end, it was such a strong symbolism of how tight their friendship was like.

I echo people's feedback, this movie will take you on such a roller coaster of emotions. Bought the ticket twice and on my 8th re-run. If that does not say anything I do not know what will.

Magnifico!

[vyecheverria · 10/10 · 26 February 2021]

No movie has ever made me cry so much!

A warning though, watch the web-series on YouTube first before you watch this movie.

The emotions in this movie are raw and genuine!

The chemistry between the two main characters is amazing and almost genuine!

If you want to feel good, happy, laugh, and cry, watch this movie.

sweet

[r-45403-47231 · 10/10 · 16 February 2021]

I very love it Reminds me of a lot of high school memories

An eye opener film to those who are hiding their real identity.

[teacherarjcett · 10/10 · 15 April 2021]

Honestly, the story of the film was too common, A guy is hiding then B guy is ready to love, then A guy realizes that he has to do his real thing but was not able to do so due to what's right and wrong in the society, then they fall in love for real at the end.

For me, what made me give this movie ten stars is because, the realization of the film that life has always taught us what to do when we get so confused with our identity and how we want to live. There are tons of men and women hiding their true selves, why? Because their belief, traditions, customs and parents told them so that it's wrong. However the film strongly pounded that no matter what you are, where you're from and whatever the origin you came from, LOVE will always remain LOVE and no one can break that. We make our own destiny, we love who we want to love, because at the end of the day, our choice and decisions in life will always win.

Happy Ending is always a plus

[hellostrangerxavmi · 10/10 · 4 April 2021]

We all love to see a youthful take on same sex love and to give us a Happy Ending is such a treat.

Made me want to experience falling in love

[jlnella · 10/10 · 25 March 2021]

This movie really stayed with me even after almost two months since its release. It made me want to experience how to fall in love. Hoping for season 2.