CinemaBravo

Xyriel Manabat and River Joseph team up for the first time as romantic leads in ‘Stuck On You,’ a sexy romantic comedy that combines kilig, comedy, and danger.

Directed by Mikko Baldoza, the film is among the seven full-length entries competing at the 2026 Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival.

The pairing of Manabat and Joseph is an unexpected one, making their onscreen team-up one of the intriguing matchups to watch in the festival. Manabat is an actress audiences have seen grow up onscreen while taking on increasingly challenging dramatic roles, while Joseph is a rising young actor making his way into leading-man territory.

‘Stuck On You’ takes their first romantic-lead pairing into a story where attraction and comedy are intertwined with danger. At the center of the film is a woman who appears to have been tasked with killing a man she may unexpectedly fall for.

With Manabat and Joseph sharing the screen for the first time as a romantic pair, ‘Stuck On You’ could be one of the 2026 Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival films that moviegoers will be talking about.

A pairing with ‘killer’ kilig potential

Manabat plays Sheryl Bunga, a cheerful manicurista whose life is all about working hard and providing for the family she loves.

Joseph is Max De Dios, an outrageously charming guy described as the “most handsome man in the Philippines.”

It sounds like the perfect setup for a garden-variety rom-com: average girl meets impossibly handsome guy, sparks fly, complications follow.

Except for one tiny problem: Sheryl is supposed to kill Max.

The film’s trailer drops that deliciously bizarre twist without revealing exactly how Sheryl got herself into such a mess. How does she end up with a contract on the gorgeous Max? More importantly, what happens when she starts falling for someone she’s supposed to take out?

The combination of kilig and danger gives ‘Stuck On You’ a hook that is disparate from the conventional boy-meets-girl formula.

Xyriel gets her rom-com moment

In ‘Stuck On You,’ longtime Xyriel Manabat fans get to see another side of an actress better known in recent years for emotionally demanding performances.

Interestingly, Manabat can easily relate to her character Sheryl. They are both breadwinners that are fiercely devoted to their families and grounded in the realities of ordinary Filipinos trying to get by.

As Sheryl, however, Manabat gets to be funny, romantic and playful—and a tad deadly.

The absurdity of Sheryl’s dilemma gives the actress plenty of room to stretch beyond the hefty characters audiences have seen her play.

And because this is a rom-com, audiences will inevitably anticipate some chemistry between her and her leading man.

River Joseph enters his leading-man era

That leading man is River Joseph.

As Max De Dios, Joseph’s character is practically engineered to make audiences swoon: he’s charming, handsome, and mysterious enough to upend Sheryl’s newly complicated life.

It is one of Joseph’s biggest feature-film roles yet, and casting him opposite an experienced performer like Manabat makes the pairing even more interesting.

Director Mikko Baldoza has teased the two stars’ cute and kilig-inducing chemistry. Moviegoers, of course, will get to decide for themselves.

Still, most memorable screen tandems begin this way—two actors nobody expected to see together suddenly making audiences wonder why nobody paired them sooner.

This is definitely not your typical rom-com

‘Stuck On You’ may sell romance and comedy, but there is clearly something strange going on.

The filmmakers have kept many of the movie’s surprises under wraps, with the trailer giving audiences just token glimpses: a lovable manicurista, an extremely handsome man, a budding attraction, and a mysterious assignment that could end with somebody dead.

It is an irresistible setup because the romance itself becomes part of the suspense.

Will Sheryl actually kill Max? Why was she given the contract in the first place? Is Max really who he appears to be? 

Whether ‘Stuck On You’ turns into a full-blown kilig fest, a sexy comedy with an action twist, or something audiences do not see coming, the first-time pairing on its own is something to look forward to.

Catch ‘Stuck on You’ at CinePanalo

‘Stuck On You’ is an official entry to the 2026 Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival, running from September 23 to October 4 at Gateway Cineplex 18, TriNoma, Fairview Terraces, Ayala Malls Feliz, Ayala Malls Circuit, Ayala Malls Manila Bay and Market! Market!

Regular tickets are ₱250, while discounted tickets are ₱200 for PWDs, senior citizens, students, national athletes, and Aling Puring and Perks cardholders. 

A ₱2,000 festival pass provides access to all seven full-length films and 19 student shorts. Festival passes will be available starting September 22 at Gateway Cineplex 18, and from September 23 onwards at Gateway Cineplex 18 and TriNoma.

The Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival 2026 is sponsored by Alaska, Angel, Argentina, Ariel, Bingo, Birch Tree Fortified, Bear Brand, C2, Century Tuna, Champion, Chuckie, Coca-Cola, Colgate, Cream Silk, Datu Puti, Downy, GoodNom Fresh, Great Taste, Del Monte, Jack ‘N Jill, Knorr, Lucky Me!, Maggi, Magnolia Real Mayonnaise, Milo, Monde, MY San, Nestea, Nissin, Nivea, Palmolive Naturals, Pantene, Purefoods, Rebisco, Royal, Safeguard, Sprite, Surf, Wilkins, and Zonrox.