'Trophy Wife' Review: An Intriguing Sex-Drama Where The Characters Are All Not Really What They Seem

‘TROPHY WIFE’ is a very commercial sex-drama cum thriller that will remind you of such tense suspense dramas as the French classic, “Diabolique” (that was remade in Hollywood), where all the characters are curiously gray, not just plain black and white. We wish it were better written so there wouldn’t be any loose ends, but as it is, we’re sure viewers will enjoy the unexpected twists and the turns in the plotting. The movie intrigues as you don’t know which of the four major leads to root for or side with since they’re all nebulous, nefarious characters who are not really what they seem but are hiding something.

Cristine Reyes is this poor girl in Pampanga who meets big city boy Derek Ramsay and falls for him. He gets into a fight with the son of a mayor and has to leave for abroad to hide for a while. Derek has a very loving older brother, John Estrada, who raised him after their parents died. Cristine learns she’s pregnant after Derek has left and goes to Derek’s home but John causes her to lose her baby instead.

She embarks on a course on self improvement and uses men to get on life, until she crosses paths with John again and he falls for her, not remembering who she really is. They get married. Derek returns from abroad with his own girlfriend in tow, Heart Evangelista. Derek thinks Cristine is just up to some mischief against John, but she is really bent on getting him back. Then it turns out Cristine and Heart have a secret of their own.

With all the characters playing a deadly game of concealing their own motives and proclivities, we weren’t surprised when the story took a drastic turn towards murder and destruction. The film works mainly because the actors play their respective roles well, especially John as the seemingly spotless older brother who turns murderous. Heart’s delicate and gentle persona is beautifully contrasted against Cristine’s aggressive and energetic schemer. The audience laughs when she appeared in a scene with wounds on her thighs ala-Claudine Barretto then opens up her legs wide to seduce Derek ala-Sharon Stone in “Basic Instinct”. Their bathtub love scenes is also really sizzling. Also giving great support is G Toengi as John’s first wife who has her own surprises to reveal.