Good evening to all, hope all of you are doing well. Been a while since I've pen down a film review. The last review I did was on Ip Man, an action film which showcase the realm of martial arts intertwined with actual war and how the spirit of martial arts saw the fight against oppression by the people against foreign aggressors. Today we look at another Chinese film, which depict the education scene in Singapore.
The film that I am reviewing today is I Not Stupid, which was released in the year of 2002, directed by local comedian Jack Neo, who is famous for his various films depicting live in Singapore with the likes of Ah Boys To Men, Money No Enough and Just Follow Law. Jack Neo himself also played a leading role in this movie as one of the parent of 3 main children roles that shape up the whole plot. The 3 main children actors were Joshua Ang, Shawn Lee and Huang Po Ju. Other cast include veteran Singaporean actors/actresses such as Xiang Yun, Richard Low, Mark Lee, Hossan Leong and Selena Tan. A cast fully made up of native Singaporean to bring out the actual education scene in Singapore.
Plot
The story revolves around 3 students whom are in the same class in school which is of the lowest stream of their level due to their deemed poorer academic potential.
The three boys are good friends and faced many struggles in handling school work, parental pressure to do well and society expectations.
To share more on the 3 boys: Terry Khoo, comes from a well to do family, and his parents (especially his mum) constantly pressure him to excel academically, despite his struggles in his studies. Liu Kok Pin, is very artistically inclined but due to the nature of Singapore education, his parents are very against him on developing his art talent. Ang Boon Hock comes from a single parent family and due to the way he is brought up, tend to run into trouble and get into fights.
The plot showed many harsh reality that children of all walks faced and the consistent pressure they are handling from both their teachers and parents. There are also many stereotypes and prejudice that were being brought to light through the hands of director Jack Neo. Parental struggles at their various realm of their work are also discussed such as issue of foreign talent and the competitive business environment surrounding trades and work industry.
While the story and what Singaporean students experienced in the Singapore education, there were also heartwarming scenes where a bone marrow donation happened between Terry's Dad and Kok Pin's Mum, a caring teacher whom did not give up on Kok Pin's talent got him an international award for his art piece and also how Boon Hock overturn a new leaf from being a gangster to representing Singapore in the global stage for marital arts and gaining glory for his hard work.
The film also sends a message of self ental resilience, self-acceptance, and the strong friendship displayed to overcome any adversity. It also encourages the viewers on how each and every children are different in their own ways, and they all can shine in their own domain when given the right platform to grow.
An interesting part of this movie is the phrase that many parents use on their children which is depicted by this short clip. Have a look and if it is something you said to your children or your parents telling you when you are younger:
Love and Hate of The Movie
Another amazing movie that I have much more love than hate.
What I like
- A true depict of the education system that I grew up in and allows me to reflect if this is what I want my children to face in the future
- Using simple and palatable comedy to share social stigmas and prejudice, bringing laughter but sharing a strong message.
- A simple cast, a simple message and a touching ending
- Solid acting by all the cast and very relatable by Singaporeans.
- A good balance of issues encountered by both parents and children
What I didn't like
- I didn't really have much dislikes for this movie because everything was so real other than this movie might suit more on local market than overseas because some of the jokes might be rather local.
Lesson Learnt
This is a real good film that allowed us good lessons that can be picked up from it. Below I will share 2 things that I've learn from the film.
Looking beyond academic achievements: This is something that is very prevalent in a pragmatic society that we have. Many of us were brought up in a way whereby grades are everything, if you do not do well, you are doom. But the movie shared with us the uniquess of every individual whom can excel in different realms and grades were not everything .
Embracing adversity: During the kidnap when Terry, who was born with a silver spoon, was unable to fend for himself but during adversity, he together with Boon Hock and Kok Pin managed to outsmart the kidnappers together and escaped from their clutches. Kok Pin whom can draw very well, drew realistic portraits of the kidnappers and helped the police to nab the kidnappers.
Verdict
I love this movie a lot because it really displayed how I grew up in the Singapore education system. The struggles that I faced as a student and the struggles my parents faced in their workplace were all so matching and accurately depicted by the movie. This movie stimulates thinking on all the issues brought up and is heartwarming for a family to come together and watch it as a family to learn from the various children and their encounters.
Rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars
Thank you for your time in reading my review.
Posted using CineTV