''In My Life'' is a 2009 Philippine

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

released 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 ...

, starring

Vilma Santos-Recto Rosa Vilma Tuazon Santos-Recto (, born November 3, 1953) is a Filipino actress, singer, dancer, TV host, producer, and politician. She served as a House Deputy Speaker since 2019 to 2022 and as the Representative of Batangas' 6th district since ...

Luis Manzano Luis Philippe Santos Manzano (; born April 21, 1981), also known by his nickname Lucky, is a Filipino-American TV host, actor, comedian, VJ, and model. He is the son of actors Edu Manzano and Vilma Santos. He is best known for his roles in th ...

and

John Lloyd Cruz John Lloyd Espidol Cruz (born June 24, 1983) is a Filipino actor, model and occasional TV host. He was a member of ABS-CBN's Star Magic, where he is an alumnus of Batch 5. He starred in the teen drama ''Tabing Ilog'', and is best known for his ...

. The film was directed by

Olivia Lamasan Olivia M. Lamasan is a Filipino people, Filipina television and film director, writer, producer, and creative consultant, known for her works such as ''Sana Maulit Muli (film), Sana Maulit Muli'' and ''Madrasta (Film), Madrasta'' which were both ...

, and filmed mainly in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Plot

Shirley Templo (

) is a ruthless woman. Many people deal with her strong attitude only for fear of her cold stare, or her outlash. She works as a librarian in a school, and lives in a compound tat is owned by her ex-husband, Benito Salvacion (

Tirso Cruz III Tirso Silvano Cruz III (born April 1, 1952) is a Filipino actor, comedian, and singer. He currently serves as the Chairperson of the Film Development Council of the Philippines. Regarded as a "matinee idol", Cruz is a FAMAS Award and Gawad Uria ...

). Many of the Salvacion family members that live near the compound, even including her eldest daughter, Dang (

Dimples Romana Dianne Marie Bonifacio Romana-Ahmee (born November 13, 1976) or better known as Dimples Romana is a Filipino actress. Career Romana finished at International Hospitality Management Major in Culinary Arts at Enderun College after she finished h ...

), plead with her to sell it so they can make a profit, and she can move to a more suitable living area. Hard-headed as she is, Shirley refuses and feels betrayed by her two daughters, Dang and Cherry, for even siding with their father who left them nearly fifteen years ago. Even more upset, she finds out that Dang will want to move out of the Philippines to Australia. Leaving her alone in the Philippines since all her children moved out, Shirley decides to move to

with her youngest and only son, Mark Salvacion (

). Mark is unaware, however, that this supposed vacation of his mother is actually a permanent visit. Upon her arrival to the States, Shirley is picked up at the airport by Noel Villanueva (

). Thinking he was only hired help, she rudely offers him payment for his services, but he declines. As she walks around the apartment, she notices pictures of Mark and Noel being affectionate toward each other. She then realizes that Noel is, in fact, Mark's new boyfriend. Although she was aware of Mark's homosexuality since his high school years, she gives Noel plenty of trouble and hard times. The story reflects how Shirley changes her attitudes and views from two men that become a big part of her life, and how she accepts the reality that has been presented to her. Unfortunately, unforeseen tragedies occur, and a rift between Shirley and Noel arise. But as she understands Mark's reasons for having her be around Noel all this time, she resolves her issues with him and soon embraces him as a member of her family.

Cast

Main cast

as Shirley Templo *

as Mark Salvacion, Shirley's son. *

as Noel Villanueva, Mark's lover.

Supporting cast

Vice Ganda Jose Marie Borja Viceral (born March 31, 1976), popularly known as Vice Ganda (; ), is a Filipino comedian, talk show host, television presenter, actor, entrepreneur, and singer. He is a regular host on ABS-CBN's noontime variety show '' It's ...

as Hillary *

Nikki Valdez Maria Alinica "Nikki" Valdez-Garcia (born January 25, 1979) is a Filipina actress and singer. Career In the Philippine music scene she was known for a ballad titled "Meron Ba?", composed for the soundtrack of ''G-Mik the Movie'' and ''Trip th ...

as Mia *

as Dang Salvacion *

Rafael Rosell Rafael Rosell IV (born November 10, 1982) is a Filipino actor and model. Early life Rafael Rosell IV was born in Stavanger, Norway on November 10, 1982 to Filipino parents; his father, Rafael Rosell III, is a geologist from Cebu, and his mothe ...

as Vince *

as Benito Salvacion *

Paw Diaz Amparo "Paw" Diaz (born March 16, 1987) is a Filipina former actress, model and TV host in the Philippines, came to mainstream attention when she joined ABS-CBN's reality artist search, Star Circle Quest, where she emerged as a finalist. She ...

as Cherry Salvacion *

Nonie Buencamino Anthony Buencamino (born November 28, 1966), professionally known as Nonie Buencamino, is a Filipino character actor known for his theater work. He is strongly associated with Philippine New Wave Cinema, playing roles such as Mayor Bartolome in J ...

as Noel's father *

Shamaine Buencamino Shamaine Buencamino (''née'' Centenera; born February 28, 1965) is a Filipina actress and mental health advocate who has appeared in more than 100 movies and television series and shows. Personal life She married Filipino actor Nonie Buencami ...

as Noels's mother * Arnold Reyes as Albert

Production

Initially, Manzano turned down the role of Mark Salvacion, and admitted he was uncomfortable with the intimate scenes between the two male characters. He accepted the role after reading the script and understanding the character. His mother and co-star Vilma Santos meanwhile made it clear that she did not influence Manzano's decision.Cruz, Marinel. (September 8, 2009)
Manzano: Gay role came as shocker
. ''Philippine Daily Inquirer''. Retrieved January 4, 2010. John Lloyd Cruz stated that he had no problem with the gay scenes, saying that he would do it as an actor.

Reception

''In My Life'' was generally well received by critics and at the box office. Many people praised the storyline, meaning, and acting of Vilma Santos, John Lloyd Cruz, and Luis Manzano. The film garnered an unexpected ₱20,000,000 on its first day of release, and nearly ₱80,000,000 on its opening weekend.''Sirkulo.com'

Retrieved-2010-1-15. By the end of 2009, ''In My Life'' placed second on the Top 13 local 2009 Philippine movies list just behind ''

You Changed My Life ''You Changed My Life'' is a 2009 Filipino romantic comedy film directed by Cathy Garcia-Molina and starring John Lloyd Cruz and Sarah Geronimo. It is the sequel to the 2008 film ''A Very Special Love''. It received an “A” rating from the C ...

'', which also starred Cruz. ''In My Life'' would have broken Philippine movie records if not for

Typhoon Ondoy Typhoon Ketsana, known in the Philippines as Tropical Storm Ondoy, was the second-most devastating tropical cyclone of the 2009 Pacific typhoon season, causing $1.15 billion in damages and 921 fatalities, only behind Morakot earlier in the sea ...

. The film had its television premiere on

ABS-CBN ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast broadcast network, network tha ...

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...

2010.

Awards

*8th Gawad Tanglaw awards (March 3, 2010) :*Best Film :*Best Actor - John Lloyd Cruz :*Best Supporting Actor - Luis Manzano :*Best Director - Olivia Lamasan *Gawad Suri Awards (March 2010) :*Best Film :*Best Director - Olivia Lamasan :*Best Actress - Vilma Santos :*Best Actor - John Lloyd Cruz :*Best Supporting Actor - Luis Manzano *26th PMPC Star Awards for Movies (April 24, 2010) :*Best Picture :*Best Director - Olivia Lamasan :*Best Actress - Vilma Santos :*Best Actor - John Lloyd Cruz :*Best Supporting Actor - Luis Manzano :*Best Screenplay :*Best Cinematography * 41st GMMSF Box-office Entertainment Awards (June 22, 2010)"ABS-CBN big winner at GMMSF Entertainment Awards"
''ABS-CBN News''. Retrieved May 21, 2014. :*Best Actress - Vilma Santos :*Best Actors - John Lloyd Cruz and Luis Manzano :*Best Screenplay - Raymond Lee, Senedy Que, and Olivia Lamasan *1st MTRCB Film Awards (June 25, 2010) :*Best Actress -Vilma Santos :*Best supporting actor - John Lloyd Cruz *4th Genio Awards (January 2, 2011) :*Best Actress - Vilma Santos :*Best Actor - John Lloyd Cruz :*Best Supporting Actor - Luis Manzano :*Best Screenplay

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:In My Life 2009 films 2009 comedy-drama films Filipino-language films Philippine LGBT-related films Star Cinema films Films shot in New York City Films directed by Olivia Lamasan Films set in New York City Philippine comedy-drama films 2009 LGBT-related films LGBT-related comedy-drama films