Believe it or not, there’s one storyline that has been tapped in romcom films produced in almost 10 countries since it was first used in Argentina in 2008. Yes, that’s how global is that storyline created by a man named Pablo Solarz, who is Argentine, of course. 

And this year, that story concept mightily penetrates the Philippines through a film topbilled by Dennis Trillo and Jennylyn Mercado. Yes, the real-life husband and wife — and it seems to be the first time in the world that a married couple is taking on the lead characters of that globally famous story. 

We’re talking about Everything About My Wife, produced by CreaZion Studios and GMA Pictures, and directed by Real Florido. The Argentine film that started it all is titled Un Novio Para Mi Mujer, which is rendered in English as A Boyfriend for My Wife.  The film was in Spanish, the language used in Argentina and other Latin American countries, including Chile (2017) and Mexico (2016), which produced their own retelling of the Argentine storyline. South Korea (2012, titled All About My Wife), Malaysia (2015) Japan, India (2022, Italy (2014), Vietnam (2018) are among the other countries that tapped the story concept that’s anchored on three main characters. 

It’s actually a love story that begins as sweet and humorous, turns sour and scheming, and then somehow sweet to varying degrees depending on the troika that has taken over the storyline: the producer, the director, and the scriptwriter. 

Trillo and Mercado portray the husband and wife. After seven years of marriage, they grow antsy and grumpy with each other, pushing the husband to scheme for the wife to turn unfaithful, and leave him in peace for another man whom the husband secretly contracted to do the job. 

Sam Milby, at his most seductive, judging from his looks and moves in the film’s trailer, portrays the lover for hire. The man who, in real life, figured in an engagement that mysteriously did not conclude into a wedding. We’re sure who the “runaway” (would-be) bride is. 

At the media huddle for Everything About My Wife held recently at SEDA Vertis hotel in QC, no journo and vlogger dared mention the name of the ex-sweetheart and Milby deftly, charmingly avoided touching about that love affair even when he was grilled about his past love affairs. He cheerfully elaborated the ones he had in his teens in Ohio, where he was born and grew up. 

In the fabled film story, the wife succumbs. So does the paid lover for real. The husband realizes he has always had a jewel of a wife turned cantankerous and he is really about to lose her. Could he win her back if he tries in earnest? 

Versions in the remakes

One of the primary reasons for the Argentine film’s frequent remakes is its inherent box office appeal. The original was a commercial hit in Argentina, proving that the premise had mass-market viability. Studios in other countries saw its potential as a profitable, low-risk investment — romantic comedies are generally less expensive to produce than action or fantasy films, yet they attract a broad audience.

The first remake appeared in South Korea in 2012 as All About My Wife, directed by Min Kyu-dong and starring Im Soo-jung and Lee Sun-kyun. Possibly because K-dramas are massively followed worldwide for years now, it is that South Korean remake that Florido and the publicity yarns refer to and no other later remakes. 

Perhaps the most high-profile adaptation was the one produced in Mexico in 2019, titled Un Novio Para Mi Mujer, starring Sandra Echeverría and Arath de la Torre. Internet files cite that the film grossed around $4.8 million in Mexico, performing well domestically but failing to replicate the runaway success of the South Korean version. However, critics appreciated the Mexican remake for its humor and performances, with the publication Cine Premiere stating: “While predictable, the film retains a charm that makes it a crowd-pleaser.”

There are also Internet files that in the South Korean version, the female lead was portrayed with more emotional vulnerability than her Argentine counterpart, reflecting traditional Korean gender expectations. 

On the other hand, the Italian and Japanese versions were described as leaning more into slapstick humor, emphasizing the absurdity of the husband’s scheme rather than the deeper emotional stakes.

In Mexico’s 2019 version, the wife character was cited as given more agency, a response to the growing feminist discourse in Latin America. Sandra Echeverría’s portrayal was less about being an overbearing spouse and more about a woman seeking fulfillment outside her marriage, subtly shifting audience sympathies.

The marriage factor

At the media huddle at SEDA Vertis, both Mercado and Trillo declared that they acted out their roles with more insight and understanding since they themselves have been married to each other for years now. 

Judging from the trailer of the forthcoming Florido remake, Imo (Mercado) and Dom (Trillo) begin as wacky middle middle-class Pinoy citizens who are self-employed and fine with a courtship in the messy, noisy streets of Manila. In fact, Dom proposes marriage to Imo on the street. The almost aggressive Imo accepts. 

Dom seems to be sexually aggressive, too. A scene in the trailer shows Dom taking off his shirt in the cramped sala-kitchen-dining-working area of their apartment in a congested street.

The trailer also has a scene in which Imo jumps up from her seat and screams at the top of her voice for winning in one round of a bingo game she and Dom have joined for leisure and additional income. They are (happily!) childless —-- and their being so seems to be true for all remakes of the film. 

Hollywood seems to find the Argentine domestic tale yucky. There has never been a Hollywood version of Solarz’s storyline. 

Carmi Martin, Nova Villa, Romnick Sarmenta, Ruby Ruiz, Isay Alvarez, Polo Laurel, a female media influencer named Joyang, and some young GMA 7 Sparkle stars are in the cast of Everything About My Wife, which opens nationwide in theaters on 26 February. There’s a gala premiere night on 25 February.