Labs Kita... Okey Ka Lang? (transl. I Love You... Are You Okay?) is a 1998 Filipino romantic comedy drama film co-written and directed by Jerry Lopez Sineneng. The screenplay written by Ricky Lee was adapted from a story written and developed by Enrico C. Santos, Tammy Bejerano, and Sineneng. The film, which was entirely shot in the city of Baguio, stars Jolina Magdangal and Marvin Agustin in their third film together as love team partner, and are joined by Hilda Koronel, Ronaldo Valdez, and Gina Pareño.
| Labs Kita... Okey Ka Lang? | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Jerry Lopez Sineneng |
| Screenplay by | Ricardo Lee |
| Story by |
|
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Joe Batac |
| Edited by | Marya Ignacio |
| Music by | Nonong Buencamino |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Star Cinema |
Release date |
|
Running time | 105 minutes |
| Country | Philippines |
| Language | |
Produced and released by Star Cinema, the film became a movie reference for best friends falling in love with each other.[1][2] It was theatrically released on August 26, 1998.
In January 2017, the film was digitally restored and remastered by ABS-CBN Film Restoration, in partnership with Central Digital Lab.[3]
Plot
editBujoy (Jolina Magdangal) and Ned (Marvin Agustin) are childhood best friends. They stick with each other like a family.
However, as time goes by Bujoy fell in love with Ned, who she thinks is the only person who accepts her imperfections that even her own family does not accept. Bujoy’s hobby which is clay sculpture is all dedicated for Ned. Ned, on the other hand finds inspiration in songwriting, to which he dedicates to the girl of his dreams, Marry Anne (Vanessa Del Bianco).
Ned inherited his passion for music from his father Canor (Ronaldo Valdez), who is a frustrated musician. However his mother Cora (Gina Pareño) thinks that music will not help with their financial constraints. As Ned and Marry Anne became a couple, Bujoy started going out with Cenon (Gio Alvarez), the newest member of Ned’s band. Ned started to realize his feelings for Bujoy.
But is it too late now? Will they remain friends for the rest of their life or will they find the will to be true to themselves?
Cast
editMain cast
edit- Jolina Magdangal as Bujoy
- Marvin Agustin as Ned
- Hilda Koronel as Marissa, Bujoy's mother
- Ronaldo Valdez as Kanor
- Gina Pareño as Cora
Supporting
edit- Meryll Soriano as Mayo
- Gio Alvarez as Cenon
- Vanessa Del Bianco as Mary Ann
- Migui Moreno as Erwin
- Vhong Navarro as Jason
- Jeffrey Hidalgo as Ice
Soundtrack
editThe accompanying soundtrack album to the film was released on July 24, 1998, by Star Music, a month before the official theatrical release of the film itself.[4] Mid August, the album was awarded with a gold record certification, few weeks before the film debuted in theaters, and was expected to reach at least a platinum record.[4] Eventually, it was awarded with a 2× platinum certification from the Philippine Association of the Record Industry on May 20, 1999.[5] The album is considered as one of the most popular soundtrack albums in the Philippines spawning such radio hits as the Jolina Magdangal-original "Kapag Ako Ay Nagmahal" and boy band Jeremiah's "Naghihinayang".[6]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Kapag Ako Ay Nagmahal" (Recorded by Jolina Magdangal) | Larry S. Hermoso | 4:24 |
| 2. | "Girl of my Dreams" (Recorded by Jeremiah) | Larry S. Hermoso | 4:31 |
| 3. | "Hindi Kita Puwedeng Mahalin" (Recorded by Girl Talk) | Larry S. Hermoso | 5:36 |
| 4. | "Kanino Ba?" (Recorded by Jolina Magdangal) | Freddie Saturno | 3:32 |
| 5. | "Dahil Mahal Na Mahal Kita" (Recorded by 92 A.D.) | Larry S. Hermoso | 4:51 |
| 6. | "Nanghihinayang" (Recorded by Jeremiah) | Larry S. Hermoso | 4:46 |
| 7. | "Tingnan Mo Naman Ako" (Recorded by Jolina Magdangal) | Larry S. Hermoso | 4:01 |
| 8. | "Sa Ilalim Ng Puno Ng Sayote" (Recorded by Blusero Band) | Raymon Kutch | 5:01 |
| 9. | "First Time" (Recorded by Girl Talk) | Larry S. Hermoso | 4:31 |
| 10. | "Kapag Ako Ay Nagmahal (finale)" (Orchestra conducted by Rodney Ambat) | Larry S. Hermoso | |
| 11. | "Kapag Ako Ay Nagmahal (vocal finale)" (Recorded by Jolina Magdangal) | Larry S. Hermoso | |
| Total length: | 42:00 | ||
Commercial performance
editMid August 1998, the album was awarded with a gold record certification, few weeks before the film itself debuted in theaters, and was expected to reach at least a platinum record.[4] Eventually, it was awarded with a 2× platinum certification from the Philippine Association of the Record Industry on May 20, 1999.[5] The album produced the Magdangal signature song "Kapag Ako Ay Nagmahal".
Personnel
editAdapted from the Labs Kita... Okey Ka Lang? Original Motion Picture Soundtrack liner notes.[7]
- Larry S. Hermoso – album producer
- Buddy Medina – executive producer
- Rene A. Salta – a&r supervision
- Gerald Michael Y. Portacio – production supervision
- Alvin C. Nunez – arranger (tracks 1, 2, 4, 7, 9)
- Dennis S. Quila – arranger (tracks 3, 6)
- Moi Ortiz – vocal arrangement (track 5)
- Blusero Band – arranger (track 8)
- Joy C. Marfil – orchestral arrangement (track 10), vocal arrangement (track 11)
- Nikki Cunanan – recording engineer (tracks 1, 2, 5, 6, 9)
- Efren San Pedro – recording engineer (tracks 1, 2, 6, 10, 11)
- Christopher Navarro – recording engineer (tracks 3, 4, 7)
- Joel Mendoza – recording engineer (tracks 3, 6, 9)
- Don Manalang – recording engineer (track 8)
- Jeffrey Feliz – recording engineer (track 8)
- Dante San Pedro – mixing engineer (tracks 1, 2, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11)
- Jerry Joanino – mixing engineer (tracks 3, 4, 6)
- Jun Reyes – mixing engineer (track 8)
- Matt Rosanes – cover & lay-out design
References
edit- ^ Sunio, Patti (July 23, 2018). "8 Iconic Pinoy Movies from 20 Years Ago". 8list.ph. 8List. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
- ^ Tabanera, Lily Grace (May 8, 2019). "6 Pinoy Movies About Falling In Love With Your *Best Friend*". Cosmopolitan Magazine. Cosmopolitan Philippines. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
- ^ "'Labs Kita… Okey Ka Lang?' restored". Tempo. Manila Bulletin. January 27, 2017. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
- ^ a b c The Soundtrack (Media notes). Billboard. October 24, 1998.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: year (link) - ^ a b "PARI List of Awardees". pari.com.ph. Archived from the original on March 30, 2022.
- ^ "Labs Kita... Okey Ka Lang? Album Review by David Gonzales". allmusic.com.
- ^ Labs Kita... Okey Ka Lang? Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Liner Notes). Various artist. Star Music. 1998.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)