Writer: Wahiduzzaman

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Effects: NA
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Watch this if you liked: "9 September", "I'm Not Single", "Serendipity"

Good morning, love!

Despite the intriguing opening, this love drama baby from new director Norliana Samsudin (fondly known as Yana) doesn't really live up to expectations. Although it stands out because of the enticing title, the story is rather tacky. Some would even say it's shallow with clear weaknesses here and there, turning it into a somewhat frustrating film.

Admittedly, from the very beginning one should not put high hopes on this movie. Our giant producer-distributor MIG has been responsible for many weak titles that may have been commercially sound but artistically lacklustre - sometimes, even embarrassing. For instance, it's rather ridiculous for the whole team to overlook several continuity aspects, such as a scene in an ICU ward being shot in a normal hospital ward, and vanity decisions such as Julia (played by Fazura) spotting complete make-up while sleeping and even when waking up in the morning!

It used to be that cheesy titles were Prof. Razak Mohaideen's forte during his stint with Metrowealth. So why in the year 2008 are they repeating the same mistakes? Perhaps the pressure of production and distribution is making as many films as possible in a year, compromising on the quality of a film.

With such a very predictable plot, nothing notably memorable can be expected from this film. However, despite its weak storyline, the audience will be entertained by Fazura, Que Haidar and Sharifah Amani what with their natural and fascinating portrayals. The star appeal could be its saving grace. On another note, it's surprising to see that Pierre Andre, who also penned the script, went astray with his soft-spoken mama's boy performance that doesn't help the story.

All in all, "Selamat Pagi Cinta" is just one of Metrowealth's safe love stories. One star to Yana for her debut directorial effort and another one to be shared between Fazura, Que Haidar and Sharifah Amani for their good job! Since there's nothing really impressive about it, I would really only recommend it to die-hard fanatics of romance flicks, especially the young ones.

Cinema Online, 17 November 2008