What did you just say to her again?
A Philippine comedy film series by Star Cinema which premiered in 2003. Ang Tanging Ina features a single mother struggling to provide a means of livelihood to her twelve children, no thanks to her previous husbands inevitably dying in accidents.Feature films
- Ang Tanging Ina (2003)
- Ang Tanging Ina N'yong Lahat (2008)
- Ang Tanging Ina Mo (Last na 'To!) (2010)
- Enteng Ng Ina Mo (2011)
Other films with the Ina title include Ang Cute ng Ina Mo! and Ang Tanging Pamilya: A Marry Go Round also starring former Philippine president Joseph Estrada, but they are not considered part of the franchise.
The series also spawned a a crossover film with the Enteng Kabisote franchise called Enteng ng Ina Mo, and a weekly Sitcom loosely based on the films which aired from 2003 to 2005.
Ang Tanging Ina provides examples of:
- All Part of the Show: Inverted meta-example: An explosion during the bus bombing scene in the first film caused audiences in one theatre to panic
as the sound effect coincided with loud drilling from a shoe store a floor below. It did not help that one audience member spitefully shouted "Bomb!" according to a news report. Considering the sociopolitical climate and general anxiety over terrorism not long after 9/11, this isn't surprising. - Back-Alley Doctor: Out of bullying from his schoolmates over being uncircumcised,note Shammy takes matters into his own hands and pays a quack doctor to circumcise him. Needless to say, the circumcision gets botched and Shammy is rushed to the hospital for his injuries.
- Cartwright Curse: It seems that every man Ina marries inevitably dies in an accident as shown in the intro which showed the deaths of her first three husbands; Tony (who fell from a stool), Alfredo (who fell from a pedestrian overpass) and Kiko (who got electrocuted on her wedding day). At the end of the film, Ina got married with Eddie, who also got launched to the sky by a rocket. Averted, when it was revealed that Eddie survived the ordeal but became sterile.
- Character Title: The protagonist of the franchise is Ina Montecillo, who is a mother (an ina in Tagalog), but "Ina" (sometimes "Yna") is a plausible given name in real life in the Philippines albeit pronounced differently from the Tagalog term (for the name, the stress is on the first syllable and vice versa).
- Groin Attack: Eddie survives being sent to the sky by a firecracker that got stuck in his trousers but is rendered sterile by the explosion.
- Jack of All Trades: Ina takes various jobs in order to provide livelihood to her family with varying levels of success. She worked as a construction worker, pirated DVD seller, vendor, entertainer at a strip club, among others.
- Massive Numbered Siblings: The Montecillo family has twelve children all from three different fathers who unexpectedly died.
- Meaningful Name: As noted Ina's name is also the Tagalog word for "mother". Her first ten children's name is based on their birth order.
- Juan - the eldest whose name sounds like "one"
- Tudis - from "Two this"; Ina'second child
- Tri - for "three"; Ina's third child
- Por - for "four"; the fourth child
- Pip - for "fifth"
- Six and Seven - self explanatory
- Cate - Rhymes with eight
- Shammy - From "siyam" or nine
- Ten-ten - Also self explanatory
- Plot-Driving Secret: Ina hides the fact from her children of their family's financial troubles which is the reason why she had to try multiple jobs to avert their situation. If she did not keep this secret, then there's a likely chance that several conflicts in the film may not occur at all. For example, Por would not insists her mother to organize a extravagant début party. Justified because she doesn't want her children to worry. Her job as an entertainer at a stripper club is also a plot-driving device.
- Promotion to Parent:
- Juan, the eldest son, helps his mom in raising his younger siblings after graduating from college and tries to find work to make amends for the family finances. However, he grows to resent his role after he had an argument with his mom when he tries to propose to his high school girlfriend as a way to escape his difficult family life. Fortunately, in the end, the mother and son forgive each other and the former allows the latter to date his girlfriend.
- Towards the end of the movie, Tudis, the eldest daughter, helps out in raising her younger siblings after Ina successfully convinces to take her job back.
- Pun-Based Title: Besides Ina's name being a homograph with the Tagalog word for "mother", the movie titles are all puns on Filipino profanity.
- "Ang Tanging Ina" means "The Only Mother", but also sounds like "tangina", short for "putang-ina", roughly "whore for a mother" and used more like the all-purpose "fuck" (partly derived from Spanish "puta").
- "Ang Tanging Ina N'yong Lahat" means "The Only Mother To You All" but sounds like "Tangina n'yong ( niyong) lahat", roughly "You all have whores for mothers" or more loosely "Go fuck yourselves, all of you".
- "Ang Tanging Ina Mo (Last na 'To!)" means "Your Only Mother (This is the Last [movie]!)" but it sounds like "Tangina mo", more fully "Putang-ina mo", "Your mother is a whore" or more loosely just "fuck you". Same goes for "Enteng ng Ina Mo" ("Your Mother's Enteng") which additionally puns on the crossover character's nickname Enteng (from Vicente).
- Urban Fantasy: Basically the gist of Enteng ng Ina Mo where Enteng Kabisote's madcap fantasy adventures cross over Ina and her family's eventful if not otherwise mundane lives.
- Speaks in Shout-Outs: Ina is this, usually spouting catchphrase from other popular Philippine films and series but with her own modifications. She also do this with popular folk sayings in both English and Tagalog.
- Struggling Single Mother: All films center around Ina's conflict on being a single mother.
- Suicide Attack: Ina successfully foils one while riding a bus saving the lives of many.
- There is a saying that practice makes perfect, but nobody's perfect, so why practice?
