Philip’s Review

Philip’s: Another worthy addition to the stack of feel-good entertainers from Mollywood

Cast: Mukesh, Noble Babu Thomas, Navani Devanand, Quinn Vipin, Innocent, etc

Director: Alfred Kurian Joseph

Genre: Drama

Release Date: December 1, 2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kE-NXuzFnUU

You can always find an abundance of feel-good movies in Mollywood. Hence, making one that still gets a positive reception from the audience is commendable. Team Philip’s has successfully made a feel-good entertainer with no big star cast to boast about and still made an impact among the people.

Summary: 

Philip, a single father, manages his three-member family alone. When everything goes well and good, an unfortunate event crashes upon them. When fate hits hard upon them, Philip’s and family must learn how to tackle the situation and in the meanwhile re-work their own bonding with each other.

Review:

What makes Philip’s work as a movie appealing to the audience is its simplicity. Philip’s family itself looks like something we get to see in our day-to-day lives. Mukesh deliver’s a stellar performance in his 300th movie as an actor. He is so good as a single parent who manages all the hardships in a family with a smile.

Nothing looks exaggerated in Philip’s. From the first few frames themselves, you will get accustomed to Philip’s family and their house. It is only if you write with a precise and clear mind that a movie with such a minimum number of characters will stay etched in your hearts. After a point, you will get used to how Philip will behave in a situation and how each individual in his family thinks and reacts.

Once everything is established and settled, including the existing conflicts, the makers inject an incident that shatters the entire family of Philip. The way this pre-interval scene is conveyed is so brilliant that even without any direct visual indicator, you will feel the impact of what is happening onscreen. From this moment on, the narration will start to get tighter as Philip and his family start to unentangle a set of problems they are submerged in and try to find a way out fighting the fate.

There is no need for loud music, brighter colors, or pompous sequences to boast grandeur at Philip’s. It is all about simple and beautiful frames filled with life. Though, after a point, the second half of the movie starts to feel like a set of incidents repeating themselves over and over, you will still stay with Philip and his family to see how they manage to handle this ‘situation’ they are in. The late legendary actor Innocent is like a breath of fresh air in Philip’s whenever the narration gets tense. It is on his shoulders that the lighthearted moments of the story rest, after Mukesh. 

Not to forget what a mature and neat performance Noble Babu delivered as Philip’s elder son. This can easily be taken as his career’s best so far.  Navani and Quinn, as Blessy and Bitty, have done an outstanding job as Philip’s daughters with their distinct characters. Charles, who played the role of Bitty’s love interest, looked so fresh in such a premise and resembled Adithya Bhaskar from ’96.

Overall, it is safe to say Alfred Kurian did a decent job making his debut as a director with Philip’s. The crisp writing to convey impactful elements in the movie with no lengthy dialogues or visuals was very good. As Blessy introduces her family during the start of the movie and conveys how they are always taught to always go inside when it is raining, she beautifully puts it out that when an issue surfaces in their family, they all prepare to go out in the rain for the first time to face it. Such writing and metaphors in the movie have worked well to connect with the audience.

YAY or NAY?

Philip’s is a movie that you can go and watch with your family. With a decent amount of lighthearted moments sprinkled throughout the movie and a neat yet not-so-complicated story, Philip’s worth a watch in the genre of feel-good movies.

Rating: 8/10