When their baby brother CJ (Enchong Dee) decides to get married after only four months of dating, the Salazar sisters — Teddy (Toni Gonzaga), a laid off teacher secretly working two jobs in Spain; Bobbi (Bea Alonzo), a successful Corporate Manager in New York; Alex (Angel Locsin), a production assistant for low budget indie flicks in Manila, and Gabbie, a teacher who has sacrificed her own career growth to care for their mother (Connie Reyes) — come together to scheme against the upcoming nuptials, especially when they find out that CJ is marrying into a flamboyant noveau rich family who flaunts their wealth at every turn. But in order to stop the wedding, past hurts are revived, insecurities and uncertainties resurface and the strength of their love is put to the ultimate test. This family drama takes sibling rivalry to a whole new level as the Salazar sisters try to best one another, all while balancing their disgust against the idea of their beloved brother getting married to a woman they believe is beneath his level.

Star Cinema really went all out for the opening salvo of their 20th anniversary celebration. The casting for this movie could not have been more perfect. The cast boasts of the best young talent of this generation and they are set in a backdrop of a complex story about family and relationships, growing up and letting go.

The story was strong in the sense that it was so relatable even though it seemed like a composite of the typical dysfunctional Pinoy family — sibling rivalry, love triangles, middle child syndrome, favoritism, black sheeps — each person probably represents somebody in one’s family. Factoring all of these conflicts into one story was nuts but I think the gamble ultimately paid off.

Like the Salazar matriarch’s dilemma in balancing her affection for her children, Direk Cathy was tasked with ensuring that members of her powerhouse cast was given specific moments to shine in this movie, although it was pretty clear based on the dialogue that Bea Alonzo’s character was the star of the show (The lengthy monologue during one the particularly dramatic scenes in the movie, while the entire family patiently listened to her was a dead giveaway). While it was understandable that Bobbi’s character was the meatiest role in the cast, Direk Cathy still managed to give everybody a chance to make their mark in the story.

The confrontation scenes were particularly compelling. Enchong Dee stepped up to the plate and delivered his dialogues with such frustration and emotion that simply blew me away. Toni Gonzaga, while she has previously proven her mettle in comedy and drama in the past, was the surprise star of the piece, impressively matching Bea’s acting with every scene. The two other sisters, Gabbie and Alex, decidedly took the backseat in this piece but they knew what they signed up for when they accepted their roles. Despite this however, they turned up solid performances that complimented the others so well and this contributed to the overall success of the film.

While the drama was top notch, the comedy was even better, mainly brought on by Janus del Prado as Toni’s lovestruck suitor, and Carmi Martin, who played Princess (Angeline Quinto’s) obnoxious socialite mother. What’s great with these two was that the comedic moments were timed so perfectly to balance out the heaviness of the story and in this sense, it was sort of genius. These two supported by the help, were so over the top hilarious. Even the outtakes were priceless.

All in all, Four Sisters and a Wedding was a gut-wrenching and heartwarming family drama-comedy that does the studio proud. It was intelligently written, smartly executed and this is owed mainly to the cohesiveness of the entire team’s effort, from the production down to the cast. The film does have its flaws, like sometimes overselling the drama, but at the end of the day, I think they were negligible given its strong point. A piece of advice though, bring a hanky when you see this movie. This will definitely hit you in the gut and make you appreciate your family more.