AMERICAN ADOBO

AMERICAN ADOBO is a Filipino-American movie about five friends from the Philippines Islands who have settled in New York City in the United States. Tere, in her forties but still single, yearns for just one intimate relationship, while Marissa wishes for a boyfriend more faithful than her current beau Sam. Meanwhile, Mike admits to being unfulfilled with his job and his shrewish wife. He would rather return to the Philippines, if not for his children. Gerry is also frustrated by his job, while Raul keeps having meaningless flings with American bimbos. Everyone wonders when they will finally meet Gerry’s “girlfriend” Chris.

The last barbecue of the season ends in a madcap riot, with Mike finding his daughter in the arms of a neighborhood boy, Marissa catching Sam with Raul’s new girlfriend, and Gerry finding out from his homosexual boyfriend that nude photos of them together might be on their way to Gerry’s strict Roman Catholic mother. Later, Raul discovers that his promiscuous lifestyle may have infected him with the AIDS virus. Eventually, tensions are resolved, although it turns out that Gerry’s lover has a terminal case of AIDS while Raul is infection free.

Of all of these characters in AMERICAN ADOBO, Tere seems to have the strongest Christian faith. However, although her prayers for a mate are answered in AMERICAN ADOBO, she is also the one who knows about Gerry’s secret homosexuality and apparently approves of that lifestyle despite the teachings of her church. Thus, only Gerry’s mother actually lives out her Christian faith, offering love for her son but disapproval for his evil sin. The movie, however, patronizes her, because she is, after all, an old-fashioned elderly woman who lives in the past. Thus, AMERICAN ADOBO suffers from a syncretistic, Romantic, liberal worldview that, despite the Christian elements in two of its characters, violates both the Word of God and the Christian worldview. This movie shows, therefore, that a mere belief in God or Jesus Christ does not earn anyone salvation from sin. No, as both the Book of James and Chapter 5 of the Book of Galatians make clear, it is Christian faith expressing itself through perseverance, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, humility, self-control, and, most of all, love that truly counts.

Adobo, by the way, is any meat or vegetable that’s marinated in vinegar, soy sauce and garlic. It is the national dish of the Philippines. AMERICAN ADOBO is definitely not as savory as the cuisine from which it gets its title.