In a nutshell: Regal Entertainment’s “Project Baby” walks in like a rom-com, smiles politely at your moral compass, and quietly moves it two inches to the left.

In a society where pre-marital sex is still treated like a capital offense, especially in a Catholic-leaning corner of the world like ours, the film dares to suggest something far more controversial: that sex, like motherhood, can be a choice. A woman’s choice. Naturally, that alone is enough to make some audiences clutch their rosaries a little tighter.

But writer Jose Javier Reyes and director Eric Quizon soften the blow with a surprisingly light touch. Instead of turning the premise into a sermon or a scandal, they wrap it in a cute, neatly packaged story that somehow makes the idea go down easier, like medicine disguised as guavapple-flavored candy.

At the center is Sue Ramirez, playing a woman who wants a baby on her terms, with her chosen partner, and without subscribing to the traditional wife first, baby later blueprint. Her reasons are rooted in her past: a strained relationship with her mother and a childhood shaped by emotional absence. So yes, she wants control, but also healing.

Enter Miggy, a painter who looks very much like the songwriter from  Rivermaya, but with huge emotional baggage. He wants a family. She absolutely does not. Which, of course, makes them perfect for a movie.

Clocking in at almost two hours, “Project Baby” somehow never drags. The banter is sharp, the humor lands naturally, and the emotional beats do not feel forced into submission. It is light, but not hollow; funny, but not noisy.

Ramirez, as always, is effortlessly watchable. One wonders why she is not already operating at full star status, unless the industry is just being selectively blind. She shifts between comedy and drama with ease, and the camera loves her too.

Her chemistry with her friend group, played by Matt Lozano, Arra San Agustin, and Charut, feels loose in the best way, like scenes that were allowed to breathe and maybe even improvise a little.

Reyes’ screenplay is bold without being preachy, and Quizon’s direction keeps it grounded in a tone that never takes itself too seriously. It is familiar territory, yes, but handled with just enough freshness to feel newly observed rather than recycled.

Ultimately, “Project Baby” is a breezy, cheeky little date film with a provocative core, definitely not for kids, and definitely more thoughtful than it initially lets on.