CRUZ AND ALONZO. The star-crossed pair hits one bump in the road after another.

“MISS YOU LIKE CRAZY,” John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo’s big-screen reunion, doesn’t offer a lot of insights about love, but it nonetheless allows the popular couple’s thespic muscles to flex. In fact, their love team is fortunate to have three things going for it: Unforced chemistry, natural likability and romantic synergy—with maturing dramatic chops to boot.

Sugar-coated musings and romantic platitudes start dripping from the get-go: When the lonely-but-attached Allan Alvarez (Cruz) meets the problematic-but-kooky-when-convenient Mia Samonte (Alonzo) during their quotidian commute on a ferry boat, sparks fly. It doesn’t take long before their dreary lives and sob stories bring them closer together.

But, a screen romance doesn’t earn a lot of fairy-tale points without a conflict that keeps viewers riveted. Will Allan and Mia ever get the happily-ever-after ending they crave?

Director Cathy Garcia-Molina’s eager-to-please movie boasts of above-par production values and a good serving of Malaysia’s scenic hotspots. But, its thin story largely relies on formula and narrative sleights of hand to shuttle from one predictable plot point to another.

The results are unsurprisingly hit-and-miss: While Bea’s kooky episodes infuse much-needed energy and adrenaline to the exposition, it also makes the effusive actress look occasionally unhinged.

And, once heavy drama kicks in, the narrative moves in a long, slow grind as it shuttles between Allan and Mia’s respective situations.

Cruz and Alonzo are given a number of scenes to show off their thespic skills: Bea’s shining moment comes when her character tells her Muslim boyfriend her real feelings.

But, it’s John Lloyd who impresses the most—especially when Allan is shown in moments of utter longing and loneliness: His wordless reaction upon seeing the elusive Mia after two years is priceless. Those on-cue tears alone are worth the price of admission.