Writer: Anne Jamaludin

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Watch this if you liked: “Knocked Up”, “Pretty Woman”, “Sweet Home Alabama”

Osman Ali, (famed for his last drama "Anak Halal" in 2007) returns with his favourite female lead Maya Karin and places a very high stake by pairing the mixed-blooded sweetheart with actor Remy Ishak in this romance comedy "Cun". Osman Ali made a wise choice indeed and "Cun" overall brings a new breathe to the rom-com genre in Malaysia all thanks to his cast ensemble's performance.

It starts out with Luna Latisya (Maya Karin), a city girl who's living the high life with a fabulous career as a sensational gossip TV host and a famous celebrity fiance, Ryan Hidayat (Jehan Miskin). However, after being incessantly pressured by her selfish producer Candy (Ning Baizura) and discovering that Ryan had been cheating on her with a co-star, the heroine snaps and flees to her personal assistant, Tom's hometown in Kedah. From there on, Luna's life changes especially after she crosses paths with Tom's scruffy, rude but good-looking cousin, the village boy Atan (Remy Ishak).

The plot plays around a typical city girl meets village boy story with the conflict being presented through the couple's status differences. With an already funny tagline that says, "Bila hero kampung cuba-try-test awek glamer", "Cun" definitely offers a downright honest approach towards romance between two standards in a very close-to-home setting. Osman Ali's direction manages to bring balance to the comedy and romantic scenes very well. Furthermore, the film manages to 'break through' the Malaysian film censorship standards to a new level. How could it not be with few cussing words and a 'provocative' hand gesture being stealthily inserted in a few of the movie scenes, much to the potential audience's amusement? Although it only means that parental supervision are needed for this movie not because of the 'love scenes' but purely because of the 'profanities' one can only see in American films. The storyline builds up nicely, with decent character developments between the leads and also supporting characters like Tom (Faezah Elai), Manis (Nadiyatul Nisaa) and Tok Chah (Kartina Aziz) as Atan's cousin, sister and grandmother respectively. Their appearance in the movie will make potential viewers smile adoringly at the on-screen representation of a normal, village family.

Maya Karin portrays the bubbly, sweet Luna flawlessly while Remy Ishak's performance as the rough, 'alpha male' type of character stands out without overthrowing their on-screen chemistry off the scale. They appear to be the silver screen's sweetest couple in town with genuine, natural interaction that will not disappoint any rom-com fans. Although there were rather few questionable moments in the movie, they did not appear to be affecting the flow of the story as long as one do not apply too much stress on the logical aspects of some scenes. While Malaysian viewers will find themselves admiring the beautiful sceneries featured in the film especially for the city folks who have been missing their hometown for quite some time.

Overall, "Cun" is a great romance comedy that will make a trip to the cinemas worthwhile, even for the moviegoers who had never been bothered to watch Malaysian movies before this. The nonchalant remarks will make the audience smile while the fun-filled moments in the film will make them laughing like silly. This is a movie that everyone will remember for quite some time.

Cinema Online, 28 March 2011