Mano Po 4: Ako Legal Wife
DVD cover
Directed byJoel Lamangan
Written by
Produced byLily Y. Monteverde
Starring
CinematographyRolly Manuel
Edited byMarya Ignacio
Music byVincent De Jesus
Production
company
Regal Multimedia Inc.
Distributed byRegal Entertainment
Release date
  • December 25, 2005 (2005-12-25)
Running time
107 minutes
CountryPhilippines
LanguageFilipino

Mano Po 4: Ako Legal Wife (Chinese: 合法妻; pinyin: Héfǎ qī; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Ha̍p-hoat chhe) is a 2005 Filipino comedy-drama film produced by Regal Entertainment, and an entry to the 2005 Metro Manila Film Festival. The film focuses on the lives of the Chinese-Filipino community, but rather in a comedic way unlike in the first three Mano Po installments which are used in a melodramatic way. It stars Jay Manalo, Zsa Zsa Padilla as Chona the Legal Wife, Cherry Pie Picache as Patty the Lucky Wife and Rufa Mae Quinto as Gloria the Latest Wife. The title is considered as the fourth installment of the Mano Po film series and was based on the line of Zsa Zsa Padilla in Mano Po 2: My Home; “Ako legal wife!” (lit. “I am [the] legal wife!”).[1][2][3]

Apart from the other Mano Po films, it is the first film in the series to use comedic elements since three of the films in the series centered on perplex drama.

Synopsis

Elton Chiong is a businessman with three wives. Chona, a pure Chinese is his legal wife with their three children, Hamilton who is a homosexual, Hibiscus, and Anthurium; Patty, a Filipino-Chinese with a Visayan accent. She has only one child with him, Nixon; and Gloria, a Filipina who is Elton's mistress. The film portrays Chona and Patty's efforts to keep Elton in their arms when they feel threatened at the appearance of Gloria, a more younger and more voluptuous competitor to Elton's heart.

Cast

Awards

At the 2005 Metro Manila Film Festival, Padilla took the award for Best Actress and Picache won the award for Best Supporting Actress.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ Seno, Alexandra A. (February 2, 2006). "China's starring role in the Philippines". The New York Times.
  2. ^ "Zsa Zsa Padilla: The Dragon Lady". January 6, 2018.
  3. ^ "The predictable winners of the 2005 MMFF". The Manila Times. December 28, 2005.