Vito (Vic Sotto) is the owner of a successful events company while Cora (Ai Ai delas Alas) is an equally successful owner of a rival events management firm. An accident puts the two at odds with each other but a mix up in an events venue firmly cements their hatred towards each other. When they find out that Vito’s daughter Anna (Maine Mendoza) and Cora’s nephew Dondi (Alden Richards) are going steady, they scheme to break them apart. In doing so, they find that they enjoy hanging out with each other and now, it’s the kiddies’ turn to put a stop to their budding romance.

My Bebe Love is different from previous Vic Sotto offerings for the MMFF. While before, his movies target children, this time around, he has widened his net to include the kilig market that the Aldub love team was able to develop through Eat Bulaga’s Kalyeserye. Fans of the split screen love team came in full force to the theaters to support the movie.

For one, the film was written and directed well, which was a given because Direk Jose Javier Reyes was at the helm. It was not overly deep, it wasn’t 100 percent original, but it was okay. The tasks between the two pairs were clear from the get go. Vic and Ai ai would be in charge of the comedy, which made sense because they are comedians, while Alden and Maine will deliver on the romance.

For the comedy part, Vic and Ai ai did a pretty good job. At first, Ai-ai’s character was a tad too abrasive but eventually mellowed out towards the middle. On the romance part, I wasn’t so sure that the Aldub loveteam delivered on the kilig that viewers were expecting, but that’s just me.

I felt that Maine, being a newbie, was too camera conscious. Even while she didn’t look at the camera constantly, there was a lack of ease in her posture that gave her discomfort away. Her character was also bratty and conyo so the exaggerated facial expressions that identified her with her TV character Yaya Dub felt out of place when she was potraying Anna. I didn’t think she was supposed to be funny but she was trying to be and that was an issue. While Maine’s lack of experience was an acceptable reason, I don’t think Alden could be excused for his reliance on his dimples to deliver his role. I may be getting a ton of flak from their legions of fans — believe me, I am not hating on them as people, just as actors on this particular movie. I felt he could have done better and encouraged a stronger performance from his partner rather than meeting her level when everyone knows tat she is just starting out. The good part is they do have chemistry, but they tend to slide back to their EB characters and it felt very gimmick-y.

As per usual, there were also tons of product placements from the brands being endorsed by the fans – Bear Brand, Tide, PLDT, Coke, Talk and Text, were just some of the brands that were featured at one point of the film or the other. This is not the complete list because while I was counting, there were at least 10. I just couldn’t remember each one.

A credit to Direk joey was that they were not done in an exaggerated fashion. They were subtle but visible unlike the year My Little Bossings was shown where half of the movie felt like an advertisement.

All in all, My Bebe Love was an okay movie. It wasn’t a standout in any way. It was sometimes funny, sometimes witty, but generally a feel good film fit for the Christmas season.