One More Chance (2007 film)

One More Chance
Theatrical movie poster
Directed by	Cathy Garcia-Molina
Written by	Vanessa R. Valdez Carmi Raymundo
Produced by	Charo Santos-Concio Malou N. Santos
Starring	John Lloyd Cruz Bea Alonzo
Cinematography	Manuel Teehankee
Edited by	Marya Ignacio
Music by	Jessie Lasaten
Production company	ABS-CBN Film Productions
Distributed by	Star Cinema
Release date	November 14, 2007 (2007-11-14)
Country	Philippines
Language	Filipino
Box office	₱152.7 million

One More Chance is a 2007 Filipino romantic drama film directed by Cathy Garcia-Molina from a story and screenplay written by Vanessa R. Valdez and Carmi Raymundo. Starring John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo, The film tells a love story between Popoy and Basha who have been lovers since their college days and they became a couple. Suddenly, as they try to maintain their relationship, they misunderstand each other due to their ambitions in life. The two will find solutions to repair their love as they almost break apart.

One More Chance was released on November 14, 2007, by Star Cinema and grossed over ₱152.7 million nationwide, making it a box office success and receiving several year-end accolades. A sequel, A Second Chance, was released in November 2015. The 4K digital remaster of the film was released through iTunes on September 14, 2015, and a limited theatrical run on October 4, 2017. In 2024, the Philippine Educational Theater Association released a jukebox musical adaptation featuring the songs of Ben&Ben.

Plot

College sweethearts Popoy and Basha are a longtime couple working for the same construction firm. After five years together, Basha starts to feel smothered by the domineering and controlling Popoy who frequently makes decisions for both of them. Popoy's nagging and overbearing attitude eventually takes a toll on Basha, and she decides to break up with him. She also resigns from the firm where they both work, he as an engineer and she as an architect.

Popoy's friends try to help him move on, and he meets Trisha, a singer at a bar that Popoy and his friends frequent. He eventually spirals out of control, affecting his work and relationships with his friends. Meanwhile, Basha attempts to find herself after the breakup. She eventually meets another architect named Mark who offers her a job at their small firm. Accepting the offer, Basha begins to feel the professional and creative freedom she was denied in her previous work.

Things take a turn for the worse when Mark, as a friendly gesture, drives Basha to a dinner party with her friends after being MIA for nearly three months. Popoy misconstrues their relationship and thinks that Mark and Basha are a couple, which sets him off.

Sometime after, both Popoy and Basha are in a better place. Popoy is now in a relationship with Trisha, while Basha continues to thrive in her career. Popoy's aunt Edith and her fiancé Willie arrive home from the United States, intending to claim Popoy and Basha's promise to build their dream house together. This forces the two to work together on the house. They remain civil to each other, but their proximity brings out some feelings in both.

The circumstances surrounding their common friends further lead Popoy and Basha to confront more hurt and anger regarding their breakup. When Basha delivers the final design plans of Edith and Willie's house to Popoy's apartment, Basha apologizes for breaking Popoy's heart and they end up spending the night together.

At Mark's wedding, Basha tells him that she wishes she could have prevented hurting Popoy. Mark tells her that breaking up is the right thing to do in the long run and that sometimes couples need to grow independently of each other because "it takes grownups to make relationships work."

Meanwhile, Trisha notices that Popoy has still not moved on from Basha. Popoy admits that while he loves Trisha, he also still loves Basha. They break up.

Popoy turns to his friends Krizzy and Kenneth. They point out that his breakup with Basha was also hard on her, not just on him, with Krizzy saying that Basha bravely faced the truth about the problems in their relationship. Kenneth suggests that Popoy was hurt because he could not bear to give Basha what she needed. The couple made Popoy realize that Basha needed to take care of herself first. Popoy admits he never stopped loving Basha but wonders if love is enough.

Popoy and Basha meet at a bench at the university where they both went to college. Popoy tells Basha that he is headed to Qatar for a two-year work contract, something he turned down earlier when they were still together. Popoy reveals that Trisha broke up with him, and Basha apologizes. Popoy tells her it should be him apologizing to her for not giving her what she needed in the relationship. He says it is his turn to find himself, to find what he lost in his heartbreak. They part as friends.

Two years later, Basha is shown working at a building construction site. Popoy approaches her and asks her out for coffee and dinner. Basha accepts.

Cast

Main cast

• John Lloyd Cruz as Popoy
• Bea Alonzo as Basha

Supporting cast

• Derek Ramsay as Mark
• Maja Salvador as Trisha
• Lauren Young as Bernice
• Dimples Romana as Krizzy
• Bea Saw as Anj
• James Blanco as Kenneth
• Janus del Prado as Chinno
• Ahron Villena as JP
• Nanette Inventor as Nanay Edith
• Al Tantay as Tito Willie
• Bodjie Pascua as Sir Bert
• Nikki Gil as Helen
• Melissa Mendez as Elvie
• Shamaine Buencamino as Rose
• Robert Woods as Francis
• Gee Canlas as Cathy

Awards and recognition

Award-giving body	Category	Recipient	Result
38th GMMSF Box-Office Entertainment Awards	Box-Office King	John Lloyd Cruz	Won
	Box-Office Queen	Bea Alonzo	Won
	Most Popular Film Director	Cathy Garcia Molina	Won
	Most Popular Screenwriters	Carmi Raymundo and Vanessa Valdez	Won
5th ENPRESS Golden Screen Awards	Best Performance by an Actor in a Lead Role (Drama)	John Lloyd Cruz	Won
24th PMPC Star Awards for Movies	Movie Director of the Year	Cathy Garcia-Molina	Won
	Movie of the Year	One More Chance	Won
	Movie Editor of the Year	Marya Ignacio (Technical Director)	Won
	Movie Cinematographer of the Year	Manuel Teehankee	Won

Legacy

The continued popularity of One More Chance among Filipino audiences since the film's release led to a novel adaptation that was released in June 2015. Two months later, Star Cinema confirmed that a sequel to the film would be released. The sequel, A Second Chance, was released on November 25, 2015, with Garcia-Molina returning as director, and Cruz and Alonzo reprising their roles. A musical adaptation was announced in January 2024 and ran from April 12 to June 16.

On April 12, 2024, Philippine Educational Theater Association, with co-presenters Robinsons Malls and Metrobank, produced “One More Chance, The Musical,” the theatrical adaptation of One More Chance that features the songs of the 9-piece folk-pop band Ben&Ben.

External links

• One More Chance at IMDb