From what I can see, silly comedies are a staple of the Filipino film industry, no doubt playing well to teenagers and young adults, and can later be endlessly recycled on cable TV.

This one makes some earnest efforts to earn the emotion it strains to evoke, but in the end of foiled by its own deficiencies.

It starts out with a woman leaving her husband with a daughter who appears about two, and a son who seems about eight or nine. They're both crying when she closes the gate to keep her son from following, but she leaves.

This is witnessed by a little girl dressed as a fairy (for no reason ever explained), but who can then wrote notes to arrange for him to find her in a seat in the tree, where she assures him (with a wisdom far beyond her years) that although he's sad now later he'll be happy again and they're best friends. It's inept but touching.

Years later they're still living next door to each other, but the sweet and wise little girl has turned into a amiable but kooky klutz who is obsessed with finding her soulmate. Carlos is still her best friend and loves her but has not made a move. Why not? Because the events of the rest of the movie have to happen.

They run around with his sister who now seems only two or so years younger than him instead of at least five, and her boyfriend. And JoJo who is actually the prettiest but dresses like a tomboy and works as a mechanic. And Cholo, who is gay. Cholo is basically Denise's best girlfriend.

"Lovestruck" refers to the title of a book written by a local love advice columnist. Sometimes the movie stops for a brief lesson in love from her book.

Denise meets rich handsome boy Jason and falls for him, though he's still pining for his ex-girlfriend, rich bitch Sophia. Cholo and JoJo both fall for his buddy Lloyd.

The conflict between them revolves around their competition for Lloyd (who doesn't like gay men however), until Cholo gives in to his real feelings and kisses JoJo. She's angry but of course eventually gives him a chance.

Meanwhile, Carlos decides that he loves Denise so much that if she really loves Jason, he'll help Jason once Jason realizes he cares more for Denise than for Sophia.

On the screen it's not as complicated as it sounds. Besides, I haven't even mentioned that -- through a ridiculous coincidence -- Carlos's mother is now married to Jason's father, and yet her husband is now his driver. But she doesn't learn this until she arrives from America toward the end of the film, so then she is reunited with her children.

Why did she not take them when she left her husband, as mothers do? We're not told. Why did she never try to see them again? We're not told.

Of course Denise eventually realizes Carlos is her real soulmate, but it happens very intelluctually, without any triggering event to give it real power. Jason is so nice about it, too.

And why was so much made of Denise's vegetarianism in the first half of the middle, but nothing in the latter half. Why did strange characters appear as comedy relief -- the boat owner in blackface? The woman at the badminton court? The woman with pockmarks all over her face at the restaurant? It just made no sense at all that I could see.

When Harry Met Sally watered down into pure silliness.