''Don't Give Up on Us'' is a 2006 Filipino

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

film directed by

Joyce E. Bernal Joyce E. Bernal (born May 6, 1968) is a Filipina film and television director in the Philippines who started as a film editor for Viva Films Viva Films is a Philippine film production company established under Viva Communications. It was f ...

. The film was the fifth and last screen appearance of

Judy Ann Santos Judy Anne Lumagui Santos (born May 11, 1978) is a Filipino actress and film producer. Prolific in film and television in the Philippines since the early 1990s, she is known for her comedic and dramatic roles in independent films and blockbus ...

and

Piolo Pascual Piolo Jose Nonato Pascual (, born January 12, 1977) is a Filipino film and television actor, singer, model, and producer. Early life Piolo Jose Nonato Pascual was born on January 12, 1977, in Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center located in Malate ...

together (after '' Esperanza: The Movie'', ''Kahit Isang Saglit'', ''Bakit 'Di Totohanin'' and ''

Till There Was You "Till There Was You" is a show tune written in 1950 by Meredith Willson, originally entitled "Till I Met You." It was originally recorded October 25, 1950, by Meredith Willson & his Orchestra and Eileen Wilson. The song was retitled and used ...

'') prior to the premiering of ''

Sa Piling Mo ''Sa Piling Mo'' (International title: ''Here With Me'' / ) is a Philippine television series starring Judy Ann Santos and Piolo Pascual, which aired from February 27 to August 25, 2006, replacing ''Mga Anghel na Walang Langit''. Since April 16, ...

'' next month as well as the non-official entry for the

31st Metro Manila Film Festival The 31st Metro Manila Film Festival was held in Manila, Philippines from December 25, 2005 to January 7, 2006. Zsa Zsa Padilla, Marvin Agustin and the movie, '' Blue Moon'' topped the 2005 Metro Manila Film Festival. The festival's Best Picture ...

almost 3 weeks later. ''Don't Give Up on Us'' grossed roughly in the Philippines. The official websites listed several international screenings but no international box-office receipts were made available by

Star Cinema ABS-CBN Film Productions, Inc. (doing business as Star Cinema or ABS-CBN Films) is a Philippines, Filipino film studio and film and television production company and film distributor headquartered in Quezon City. It is one of the major film ...

. It is the third Highest-Grossing Philippine-produced movie in 2006 after ''

Sukob ''Sukob'' () is a 2006 Filipino horror film directed by Chito S. Roño and starring Kris Aquino and Claudine Barretto. ''Sukob'' was considered as the highest-grossing Filipino film of all-time earning ₱203 million, until 2009 when it was surp ...

'' and ''

Kasal, Kasali, Kasalo ''Kasal, Kasali, Kasalo'' (''Wedding, Worried, Wearied'') is a 2006 Filipino romantic comedy film written and directed by Jose Javier Reyes and it was based on a written screenplay by Mary Ann Bautista. It was an official entry for the 2006 Metr ...

''. The Cinema Evaluation Board (CEB) gave ''Don't Give Up on Us'' a B rating, which made it eligible for a 65% tax rebate on its earnings in the Philippines. The

Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (English: "For Intelligent and Responsible Viewing") , employees = More than 33 , chief1_name = Diorella Maria Sotto-Antonio , chief1_position = Chairperson , agency_type = Film and television classification , parent_agency ...

(MTRCB) gave ''Don't Give Up on Us'' a PG-13 rating which required parental guidance for viewers under thirteen years of age.

Plot

''In a most unexpected place, love finds its way...'' ''But will it survive the journey?'' Abby (

) thinks she has everything under control until her best friend Sabina walks out of her own bridal shower weeks before her marriage to Abby's younger brother Samuel. With a cassette tape left behind by Sabina as her only lead, Abby vows to find her best friend and bring her back in time for the wedding. Abby's search takes her to Baguio. There she meets Vince (

) and his younger brother Marco, a folk singer in a local pub whose voice she heard in Sabina's tape. Vince claims that he recorded the song for his friend Rabbit who was supposed to give it to his girlfriend (Sabina). Abby persuades Vince to take her to Rabbit in the hope to find Sabina. Marco thinks of an idea to get Vince and Abby together. As Abby and Vince travel together through the mountain provinces, love tries to find its way through their hearts. But will it survive the journey?

Cast

as Abby Trinidad *

as Vince *

Hilda Koronel Hilda Koronel (born Susan Reid; January 17, 1957) is a MMFF, FAMAS, Luna and Urian award-winning Filipino actress. Born to a Filipino mother and an American father who was a serviceman in Clark Air Base, she has starred in around 45 films, ma ...

as Abby's mom *

Rio Locsin Maria Theresa Rosario Garcia Nayve, known by her screen name Rio Locsin (born October 3, 1961), is a Filipina actress and model. Regarded as the "Queen of Adult Drama", Locsin has starred in nearly 60 films including '' Bira! Darna! Bira!'' (197 ...

as Teresa *

Tommy Abuel Tomas "Tommy" Abuel (born September 16, 1942) is an actor and lawyer from the Philippines. He won the FAMAS Best Supporting Actor Award in '' Maynila, Sa Kuko Ng Liwanag'' (1975), and ''Karma'' (1981); and Cinemalaya Best Actor Award in Dagsin (2 ...

as Abby's dad *

Marjorie Barretto Marjorie Bernardine Castelo Barretto (; born 19 May 1974) is a Filipino former actress and politician. She was elected to the city councilor as representative of second district of Caloocan from 2007 to 2013. Her sisters, Claudine and Gretchen B ...

as Aleli *

Cheska Garcia Cheska Garcia Kramer (born Francesca Marie Velasco Garcia; July 24, 1980) is a Filipino actress and model. Early life Cheska Garcia was born in Makati, Philippines to Francisco Pablo Pellicer Garcia, a Spanish mestizo, and Maria Celeste Dahlia ...

as Sabina *

John Wayne Sace John Wayne Sace (born May 9, 1989) is a Filipino character actor and dancer. He first rose to prominence from being a former child actor to a teen idol. Life and career Sace was a member of ABS-CBN network's circle of homegrown talents called St ...

as Julius *

Marco Alcaraz Marco Antonio Faylona Alcaraz (; born July 12, 1983) is a Filipino actor, model, and former varsity basketball player at San Sebastian College-Recoletos. His first movie was '' Aishite Imasu 1941: Mahal Kita'' with Dennis Trillo. He wed on Jul ...

as Samuel *

Joshua Dionisio Ralph Joshua Dela Cruz Dionisio (born December 14, 1994 in Quezon City) is a former Filipino actor. He is best known for his role as Ken Pamintuan in ''Super Inggo'' and the young Cholo in the Philippine remake of '' Stairway to Heaven''. Early l ...

as Marco *JC Quadrado as Abby's ex-BF

Accolades

*YES! Magazine Reader's Choice 2006 *:Favorite Actress of the Year - Sol Bagoporo *:Favorite Movie of the Year *S Magazine Reader's Choice Awards 2006 *:Hottest Premium Actress - Judy Ann Santos *:Hottest Premium Actor - Piolo Pascual *:Movie of the Year *4th ENPRESS Golden Screen Awards (March 17, 2007) *:Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Musical/Comedy) - Piolo Pascual *23rd PMPC Star Awards for Movies (March 23, 2007)http://www.philstar.com/philstar/FREEMAN200703262402.htm *:Movie Actor of the Year - Piolo Pascual *:Movie Cinematographer of the Year - Charlie Peralta *:Movie Original Theme Song of the Year - "Sana Ay Malaman Mo" (Piolo Pascual)

References

External links

* * * * {{Joyce Bernal 2006 films 2006 romantic comedy films Filipino-language films Films directed by Joyce Bernal Philippine romantic comedy films Star Cinema films 2000s Tagalog-language films Films shot in Baguio