Bar Boys: Movie Review

A compressed and concise but satisfying comprehensive look into the transformation of young adults to professionals, "Bar Boys" hits all the right notes to make you laugh, cringe, and even cry.

A group of friends, Christian (Enzo Pineda), Erik (Carlo Aquino), Joshua (Kean Cipriano) and Toran (Rocco Nacino) dreams of entering law school. When three of them succeed to pass the entrance exam, their friendship is tested as they face the daunting hardships and complications of studying law while balancing their time with friends and family and loved ones.

"Bar Boys" finds a way to have a perfectly balanced narrative with an interesting core intermixed with subtle commentaries on society, familial bonds, love, and even the good and dark sides of taking law and school in general. Its main characters alone are caricatures of the typical. There's the rich kid with an absent but demanding dad, the son who is the breadwinner of his big family, a poor boy who still finds a way to make ends meet - stereotypes that are nothing new but still effective in making a point especially in this film. Surprisingly, "Bar Boys" takes an absent approach typically presenting the two sides of the coin in its hard-line topics - just like how a lawyer defends an unpopular person - innocence should be presumed before guilt. A clear example of this would be hazing and frats. The film shows the ugly side of frats but also the benefits of being in one. It's up to the audience to decide what's right or wrong. Some viewers may not like this but we loved how it inter-plays with the concept of becoming a real professional lawyer. The only gripe we have is that the character of Joshua (played by Kean Cipriano) wasn't really essential. We get why he was there but the film could have worked without him in the bigger picture. In any case, "Bar Boys" was an excellent watch for those looking to reminisce on friendships or just get a peek on the tumultuous life of becoming a lawyer.

Rating: 4 reels





Why you should watch it:
- a well-balanced, concise but deep narrative

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- one of the characters feel non-essential
- some might not like the non-position the film takes on issues