Kung Fu Divas is a 2013 Philippine action comedy film directed by Onat Diaz and starring Ai-Ai delas Alas and Marian Rivera. The lead stars also co-produced the film which opened in theaters on October 2, 2013, as part of Star Cinema's 20th Anniversary presentation.
This film is a parody of Gu Long's Wuxia novel Juedai Shuangjiao.
Plot
Charlotte (Ai-Ai delas Alas) is from a family of beauty queens, but she has yet to win a title of her own. Her final chance is the Hiyas ng Dalampasigan Pageant (literally, Seaside Jewel Pageant), and her mother has taken steps to make sure that she wins. But her chances are dashed when the mysterious Samantha (Marian Rivera) suddenly joins the contest. The two become bitter enemies following the contest, but they are soon forced by destiny to team up. It turns out the two have a hidden connection to a mystical past, and must work together to discover the truth about their heritage.
Cast
Ai-Ai delas Alas as Charlotte/Lyna (xiao yu'er?) Marian Rivera as Samantha/Mena (hua wu que?) Roderick Paulate Gloria Diaz as Charlotte's adoptive mother Edward Mendez as Kojic/Kojic's father Nova Villa Ruffa Gutierrez Martin Escudero Roy Alvarez† as Charlotte's adoptive father Precious Lara Quigaman Bianca Manalo German Moreno† as Hiyas ng Dalampasigan host (cameo) Vicki Belo as a fictional version of herself (cameo) Cacai Bautista as Samantha's original face (cameo)
Reception
Duane Lucas Pascua of Spot.ph (a publication of Summit Media) both gave praise to the film and its director, saying: "One of the key strengths of the film is how it pokes fun into the varied facets of modern Filipino culture while managing to stay away from being preachy." Nestor U. Torre of Philippine Daily Inquirer said the film is "visually vivid, doesn't scrimp on production values, and elicit perky performances from its actors," while also pointed out that it "fails to come off as a complete treat, due to deficiencies in its storytelling, and what eventually turns out to be its too varied mix of disparate elements, which fail to harmoniously fuse together by the film’s final fade."