In ‘Saving Cherry,’ Barbie Forteza is fearless, funny, and fabulously awkward

Barbie Forteza takes on her boldest comedy role yet as the titular character in ‘Saving Cherry,’ who learns to choose herself after a disastrous wedding night

What do you do when you have spent years protecting your virginity, vowing to give it only to your husband on your wedding night, only for your entire life to come crashing down when you catch your newlywed husband in the act?

Yes, this plot is practically made for the movies.

And that is how Cherry’s story begins in Saving Cherry, Regal Entertainment’s latest offering, starring Barbie Forteza as a conservative career woman determined to save her virginity for her wedding night.

The sexy comedy-light drama, directed by Ivan Andrew Payawal, opened in more than 160 cinemas nationwide on Sept. 2. Khalil Ramos plays Jude, Cherry’s husband.

When Cherry discovers Jude’s infidelity on their wedding night, she immediately calls it quits. Furious and heartbroken, she turns to her four mismatched friends, played by Mika Salamanca, Mikee Quintos, AC Bonifacio and Sassa Gurl, for a wild mission to reclaim control of her destiny and finally lose her virginity.

Barbie Forteza leads a story about heartbreak, friendship, and female agency without letting its humor lose bite 

It sounds outrageous. And that is precisely where Saving Cherry finds its charm.

Forteza admitted that Cherry is her most daring and bravest role yet, and Regal Entertainment president Roselle Monteverde could not agree more. At the film’s red-carpet premiere held on Sept. 1 at Gateway Cinemas, Monteverde revealed that the movie took almost three years to complete, partly because the team had to convince Forteza to take on the role and then wait for her schedule to free up.

The wait was worth it.

Forteza delivers a performance that is fearless, funny, and occasionally deliciously over-the-top. In scenes where Cherry is required to turn up the sex appeal, Forteza deliberately leans into the awkwardness. Because this is a comedy, what could have been excessive instead becomes part of the joke.

She weaponizes her attractiveness against a series of awkward and often cringe-worthy situations, and the result is one of the film’s biggest sources of entertainment.

But Saving Cherry is not all bedroom jokes and comic mishaps.

Barbie Forteza’s Cherry leans on her mismatched friends as the film turns a provocative premise into a story about self-worth 

There are dramatic scenes, too, and Forteza handles them with surprising ease. Her amusing debut in this kind of role allows the film to explore comedy, feminism, and sexuality without becoming weighed down by its more serious themes.

Payawan wisely uses comedy as a way to make those themes easier to digest. Beneath the laughs is a story about a woman choosing herself instead of allowing society to dictate what she should accept.

One of the film’s strongest moments comes when Cherry asks: “Ganyan ba kayong lahat na mga lalake? Dapat bang tanggapin yun dahil yun ang norm? Okay lang makipag sex sa iba, dahil sex lang yun?”

The line captures Cherry’s conservative beliefs about sex and virginity, particularly her decision to preserve it as a gift for her husband, only to have that devotion taken for granted.

But the message extends beyond virginity.

Cherry’s story becomes an argument for standing by what you believe in, even when others tell you that your choices are outdated, unusual, or wrong.

Ramos, meanwhile, proves that an effective performance does not have to be loud. His restrained and sincere portrayal of Jude makes his betrayal all the more believable, and it is easy to understand why Forteza has called him her best leading man yet, a comment that later went viral on social media.

The supporting cast also adds considerable personality. Mikee Quintos, AC Bonifacio, Mika Salamanca, and Sassa Gurl make Cherry’s barkada feel lived-in rather than assembled purely for comic relief. Their banter has a natural rhythm, and their friendship gives the film another emotional anchor.

From left: Mikee Quintos, Sassa Gurl, Mika Salamanca, and AC Bonifacio give Barbie Forteza’s (center) barkada in the film its comic rhythm and emotional pull 

The wider ensemble, including JC Alcantara, Joey Marquez, Kokoy de Santos, and Easy Ferrer, keeps the energy consistently lively.

Saving Cherry may begin with a deliberately provocative premise, but underneath its sex jokes and chaotic situations is a surprisingly sincere story about heartbreak, friendship, female agency and learning to choose yourself.

It does not ask Cherry to abandon her beliefs. It asks her to decide what those beliefs mean to her now.

And that makes this particular wedding-night disaster much more entertaining than it has any right to be.

— Nickie Wang