Charming and brutal

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

It's one of the movies that just has everything I'm looking for in entertainment - it's got the comedy, the drama and even corny gags. A quick summary of the movie makes it sound unoriginal. It is about a Ina (Ai Ai) who has to juggle the trials of being a single mother and a working woman. It also seems unoriginal because the children need to realize that they are spoiled and self-centered (surprise surprise) and that they need to help the family more than helping themselves. All of these story plots have been used time and again but what makes this different is the overexaggerated gags and comedies make it much more interesting and makes the film move along pleasantly.I think what makes it so special is Ai Ai. Her talent shines in this film. She's hilarious when it comes to gags or comic lines but she's also talented dramatist. There's a scene where she expresses her frustrations and her anger and sadness was so realistic. My roommate cried at that scene when we watched it. My mother even likes this movie and her list of good movies is extremely short because she's extreme picky.

I don't usually see Filipino films, except those I've already seen when I was a kid (like "Sarah, Ang Munting Prinsesa.") This one though, I did like. It's very funny. The kid actors and kid actresses were superb. The storyline goes from comedy to drama to comedy. I absolutely love it. Ai Ai Delas Alas is an excellent mother, and the kids were very adorable. If you like watching family comedy, this it the best Filipino family comedy I've ever seen. There's the gay son, the little kids, the daughter with the crush... SOOOO hilarious. MUST SEE if you're a Filipino! Heck, even if you're not Filipino, this is a MUST SEE... if only the DVD has an English subtitle in it... Anyways, the story plot is simple but touching. And the comedy in it is JUST SUPERB. Really, definitely a MUST SEE.

The greatest thing about this film is the message of making teenagers understand the importance of a mother and what they have to go through to raise their own children. At least you will learn something here. Ai Ai delas Alas played her role really well here. Probably her best film. She really deserved winning best actress at the Metro Manila Film Festival 2003. All her twelve children were also excellent: Jiro Manio, Heart Evangelista, Carlo Aquino and Nikki Valdez were excellent. Also her homosexual son did a great job playing his role. It is a comedy combined with emotional scenes. This keeps the story from being boring. I would of course recommend this to everybody who like drama and comedy combined in one.

despite the unbelievable situation, with 3 husbands dying, it's a corny set-up. however, the comedic instances were actually pretty funny. I may be biased, because I think Ai-Ai de las Alas is funny as hell, but she looked and sounded to be in her element, utilizing a subtle, light comedic beat. the other scenes were quite raw, using too many fast forwards and jump cuts, less can actually be more. the other supporting actors were ok, some were solid, some were effective, the rest were just wallflowers. a solid effort overall, I normally do not like most filipino comedies, the ones I've seen were overly corny and too ambitious, but subtle comedies like this exhibit a good example of the filipino camp comedy genre