Damon on I Not Stupid Too
Things I liked about it:
1. The effort by the production team to sew many pieces of philosophical food for thought into the movie, where by playing around with the nuances of language, a slight change in words translated into quite meaningful juxtapositions. ("There is no children that cannot be taught, only parents who do not know how to teach their children" in Mandarin sounds provoking to the mind). I am quite sure I read about the younger son Jerry's plead to his father for taking time off to attend his school production somewhere in an email containing a similar story. The son wanted to save money to pay his father what he would be worth to a company had he given a speech there and had resorted to stealing. Still, I was touched a second time when that line was delivered in the midst of dramatic cinematic silence: "(I stole money) because I want to buy an hour of your time". It made me feel warm and fuzzy all over again.
2. I like the way the story developed, with a comparison between classmates cum friends who come from very different backgrounds at the extremes of the social strata in fact. But their common problem was the lack of communication, Cheng Cai not able to connect with his father because the latter "Loved him a lot, but loved him in an invisible way" while Tom's parents simply had no time to listen to him (Jack lamenting that "they talked to, scolded and accompanied them to study" but they never did communicate with their children). I think the family violence in Cheng Cai's household and the severity of the situation in Tom's case which led him to delinquency were no doubt dramatised in the movie, but on second thought it is very real. Judging from the ending which suggests no resolution, it causes some worry as we have to find an individual solution ourselves.
Things i didn't like about it:
1. The fact that the title does not really strike me as relevant to the issues highlighted in this movie that is named after its predecessor about children surviving in the marginalized lower end of the education system. Only one of the children is having problems with studies, the other one is just coping with unrealistic expectations of his parents and not being able to communicate with his parents. I can only conclude the movie is borrowing heavily from the success of its first installment to ensure a high viewership. Which i do not think was necessary, as the movie could have been titled as its
2. The theme song, proudly played more than twice during the clandestine activities Tom had taken part in. When played during the movie in the context of the errant teenagers and their decadent behaviour, it was still barely acceptable. but imagine if it were to be aired on radio, it would sound badly like a Jay Chou wannabe trying to strike a chord with the young audience. Just like the decision to name the movie after its predecessor when the actors are similar (Selena Tan was a parent in the previous movie) but the characters are totally different, this gives me the feeling again that the makers are afraid that this movie would not gain the approval of its target audience who are currently craving hip-hop R&B music the likes of Jay Chou, are thus are consciously mixing popular cultural elements that would make the film easier to stomach for the audience.
On the whole, any movie that elicits strong emotions from the audience is successful. The clichés used in the start were taken to another level as the plot develops and especially after Cheng Cai's father meeting with the mishap and Tom's parents reading his blog and making the startling discovery, that "our disappointment in our son was not as great as his in us" (once again we see the playing with words but sends us into introspect mode). Something noteworthy: I find the clever use of camera technique admirable, as the stall owner friend of Cheng Cai's father managed to deliver impactful lines because of the camera technique. When we were introduced to her, she was this typical aunty who makes a fuss visiting her son's teacher. She was made to look rather ugly at the close up shot where on top of makeup not matching her skin tone, she tried to draw on eyebrows and Cheng Cai's father handed her the soy sauce dish as a stencil, causing the audience to crack up at the ludicrous sight. Having left a deep impression, albeit one that is not glamourous to say the least, someone who was hired as an extra at a probably low salary was able to deliver the hard hitting lines at Cheng Cai with such force and significance to the realization of his father's love for him.
Jack Neo never fails to tug at heartstrings with his brand of local movies that zoom in on daily activities of Singaporeans to direct us to potential issues at hand. I must say I am impressed with this movie. Although i would like it a lot more had the soundtrack not make such a pathetic attempt to mimic the popular culture. 12 Storeys was a beautiful movie with its own style of Indie music, I do not see why the disappointing effort for the soundtrack in I Not Stupid Too, unless they really are.
