Could Xyriel Manabat and River Joseph be the next onscreen pair movie fans will be talking about?
It is certainly a match few saw coming — and that may be exactly what makes “Stuck On You” quite intriguing.
For the first time, Manabat and Joseph are teaming up as romantic leads in “Stuck On You,” a sexy romantic comedy directed by Mikko Baldoza and one of the seven full-length films competing at the 2026 Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival.
On one side is Manabat, an actress audiences have watched grow up onscreen and take on increasingly demanding dramatic roles. On the other is Joseph, a rising young actor striding into leading-man territory.
Now put them together in a movie filled with attraction, comedy, and danger — and a woman who has apparently been tasked with killing the man she may just fall for.
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.”
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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. In “Stuck On You,” longtime 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.
That leading man is 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 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.
“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.
“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.