Years after Kevin Cosme’s death, his children strive to uphold the values he taught them. Tensions arise when Bing announces her plan to marry her mysterious long-time boyfriend, prompting her brothers Bill, Bob, Baldo, and Estong to attempt to stop the wedding. Meanwhile, Azon, Kevin’s widow, becomes saddened by the children’s growing disunity and apparent abandonment of the values they were raised with, while imagining visions of Kevin as if he were still alive.
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| (C) Riles Productions |
There’s validity to concerns about whether Riles humor would work today. At the same time, its primary audience is likely to be viewers of the original series. It’s a tricky balance to strike, and that is felt here in some of the dated jokes. Make no mistake: when they work, they work. There's a scene involving a senior citizen getting dizzy because of Cosme's antics that is simple but effective. The recurring bit about Ason's dreams was pretty funny too.
Fortunately, the family dynamics remain intact and as relevant as ever. It felt like coming home. Nova Villa, who serves as the glue holding everyone together this time around, delivers a stellar and deeply emotional performance. All of the nostalgic elements worked as well. At the end of the day, this is about catching up with characters we've watched grow up over the years, and director Boy2 Quizon nails the execution. They even managed to add some depth to the world of Riles, which was a welcome surprise.
With regard to the film’s final moments, however, perhaps it would have worked better without fully showing them. I'm pretty sure everyone got teary-eyed, but arguably, there are other cinematic techniques that could have achieved the same effect.
Simply put, Home Along Da Riles: Da Reunion is occasionally funny, fully nostalgic, and completely heartfelt. 3/5
