Netflix Philippines first announced One Hit Wonder in early 2025,[4] sharing promotional stills for the film on Instagram.[5] It premiered on Netflix on August 21.[6]
One Hit Wonder is a jukebox musical in which the characters perform OPM songs from the 1990s such as "Ulan" (lit.'Rain') by Rivermaya, "Bakit Nga Ba Mahal Kita" (lit.'Why Do I Love You') by Roselle Nava, and (lit.'I'm Yours, You're Mine') by Iaxe. The soundtrack also features songs by 1990s bands like Introvoys, Yano, Color It Red, Ang Tunay na Amo, Neocolours, Teeth, Hungry Young Poets, and the Eraserheads.[7] The film was written and directed by Marla Ancheta,[8] with musical direction by Paulo Zarate.[1] She decided to set the film in the 1990s because of her personal memories of the time period. She named "Ako'y Sayo, Ika'y Akin", which was released in 1994, as the plot's "emotional core". She drew inspiration from its songwriter John Bunda's past for the main character Lorina's story as well.[9][10]
ABS-CBN News' Gretchen Fullido noted that the film "lovingly" recreates the 1990s by showing Walkmans, mixtapes, and landline telephones, in addition to its soundtrack.[10]Nylon Manila's Rafael Bautista named Vivoree Esclito's character Jocelyn "Lyn-lyn" Alvarez as one of the "most notable" 1990s throwbacks in the film, observing that Jocelyn's look is heavily inspired by Jolina Magdangal's from the period.[11] Although Wonder is marketed simply as a Filipino language film, &Asian's Julienne Loreto estimated that approximately a third of the film's dialogue is actually in Cebuano, which serves as a plot point in the narrative.[3]
Sue Ramirez as Lorina Dominguez, a young woman who lost a singing contest in 1984. She now works as a personal assistant to her cousin Jocelyn Alvarez, a pop star.[12][13]
Khalil Ramos as Entoy Mangarap, a fellow singer who encourages Lorina to pursue her dreams of being a musician again. He is the vocalist of Ang Banda Ni Tessa (lit.'Tessa's Band'), which he named after his late mother.[7][12]
Gladys Reyes as Ester, Lorina's aunt who has taken Lorina under her wing after her mother Carmen left to work in San Francisco in the United States.[7]
Lilet as Carmen, Lorina's mother who works as a caregiver in San Francisco.[7]
One Hit Wonder received mostly favorable reviews from Filipino critics, while foreign critics mostly gave it negative reviews.
Nathalie Tomada of The Philippine Star wrote that Wonder is "well-acted and tightly helmed", adding that it accurately portrays life in the Philippines in the 1990s. She also appreciated how the film emphasized Sue Ramirez' singing voice.[8] Paul Emmanuel Enicola of The Movie Buff praised Ramirez' and Khalil Ramos' "natural musicality". He gave the film a C+ grade, praising its sincerity but criticizing its heavy-handed approach.[1]
Common Sense Media's Barbara Shulgasser-Parker gave Wonder a highly negative review, writing that "no one will mistake One Hit Wonder for a great film or even a good one." She criticized what she perceived to be its lack of depth and realism, further describing Ramirez' and Ramos' singing voices as just "average". She gave the film two stars out of five.[14] Ruchika Bhat of Digital Mafia Talkies said that she was excited by the opening scene of Ramirez singing, but found that the rest of the film failed to live up to its potential. However, she praised the musical numbers for being "very catchy and beautifully sung". She gave the film two and a half stars out of five.[15] Anjali Sharma of the India-based pop culture site Midgard Times gave the film a mixed review, praising its charm but writing that the film was overall not so memorable. She gave it a rating of 6.5 out of 10.[16]
Soundtrack
Netflix released an official playlist containing all of the songs in One Hit Wonder's soundtrack.[17]
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