I Not Stupid Too
Encyclopedia
I Not Stupid Too is a 2006 Singaporean film and the sequel to the 2002 film, I Not Stupid
. A satirical comedy
, I Not Stupid Too portrays the lives, struggles and adventures of three Singaporean youths—15-year-old Tom, his 8-year-old brother Jerry and their 15-year-old friend Chengcai—who have a strained relationship with their parents. The film explores the issue of poor parent-child communication.
The director
and screenwriter
, Jack Neo
, was inspired to make the film by a book about appreciation education. The movie was produced by MediaCorp Raintree Pictures
on a budget of S$1.5 million. It stars Jack Neo, Xiang Yun
, Huang Yiliang
, Shawn Lee, Joshua Ang
and Ashley Leong. Filming took place at several Singaporean schools in June 2005.
I Not Stupid Too was released in cinemas on 26 January 2006, and earned over S$4 million in total. The film became the second-highest grossing Singaporean film in history, with only Money No Enough
grossing more. At the 2006 Hong Kong Film Awards
, it was nominated for Best Asian Film, but lost to Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
. Critical reception was also generally positive, although some criticized the movie as overly preachy.
). 15-year-old Tom is technologically inclined and a talented blog
ger, while 8-year-old Jerry enjoys the performing arts
and has the lead role in his school concert. Mr. and Mrs. Yeo's (Jack Neo
and Xiang Yun
) busy schedules give them little time to spend with their children, leading to a strained relationship. With his mother absent, Chengcai was raised by his ex-convict father (Huang Yiliang
), whose fighting skills he inherited.
During a school check for mobile phones, Tom is caught with a pornographic
VCD. As his teacher confiscates it, Chengcai makes a cheeky remark that provokes the teacher into slapping him, leading to an exchange that escalates into a massive scuffle. The principal decides to expel Chengcai while Tom receives a public caning for his part in the scuffle. Tom and Chengcai join a local street gang; as their initiation, they are forced to shoplift an iPod
. However, they are caught by two conmen with connections to the street gang posing as police detectives, who demand that they pay the fine $2000 within two days or be arrested.
While tutoring his sons, Mr. Yeo tells them that people will pay $500 for an hour of his time. Jerry, who wants his parents to come to his school concert, starts saving money and eventually resorts to stealing. After he is caught, his furious father canes him, but calms down when the boy explains that he wanted $500 to "buy" an hour of his father's time. This prompts Mr. and Mrs. Yeo to read Tom's blog and realise how unappreciated and alienated their children feel.
Unable to raise $2000 themselves, Tom and Chengcai rob an old lady of her necklace, but regret their action and try to return it to her. A struggle occurs, and Chengcai bumps into several gangster
s, while Tom's mobile phone falls out of his pocket as he is tackled by vicious vigilantes. The phone hits the ground, accidentally calling Mr. Yeo, who is doing a presentation about 3G phones for a contract worth $3 million. He rushes off to the scene and pleads the old lady to give Tom a second chance. When the police arrive, she tells them she made a prank call
. Two days later, Mr. Yeo meets the conmen and gives them thousands of dollars of hell money
; the conmen are then arrested by real police officers who have been waiting in ambush close by. Having finally understood their children, the Yeo parents watch Jerry's concert, much to his delight.
Later, the gangsters whom Chengcai bumped into earlier beat him up. Mr. Lim, who happens to be nearby, tries to protect his son, but suffers head trauma after being pushed down the stairs. He is taken to a hospital, critically injured. On his deathbed, Mr. Lim tells Chengcai that he loves him and that he should pursue his talent for fighting. Witnessing this scene, the principal is touched and allows Chengcai to return to school. The boy eventually becomes an internationally recognised martial artist.
at the turn of the millennium, and to explore the issue of poor parent-child communication.
Neo and Rebecca Leow co-wrote the script, which was completed in May 2005. I Not Stupid Too was produced by MediaCorp Raintree Pictures on a budget of S$1.5 million. Shanghai Film Studio
had agreed to co-produce I Not Stupid Too with Raintree Pictures, but backed out because they found the film too liberal. The production crew included Daniel Yun
as executive producer
, Chan Pui Yin
and Seah Saw Yan as producers
, Ardy Lam as cinematographer
and Mo Ju Li as sound editor. Besides writing and directing, Neo starred as Mr. Yeo and composed the theme song, which was sung by Hong Junyang
.
Filming took place at Saint Hilda's Primary School, Presbyterian High School
and other locations during the school holidays in June. Neo hired real gangsters to act in several gangster scenes as he was dissatisfied with the extra
s. According to him, communicating with the gangsters was difficult, but when he decided to apply the lessons from the movie and praised them for a good take, they reacted well. Several members of the cast also said that I Not Stupid Too inspired them to communicate better with their family members. On 26 January 2006, distributor United International Pictures
released I Not Stupid Too on 36 screens in Singapore.
, beating Jet Li
's Fearless
. In total, I Not Stupid Too grossed over S$4 million, becoming Singapore’s second-highest grossing movie after Money No Enough. The film was then released in Malaysia, where it made RM1.1 million, and Hong Kong, taking in HK$3.1 million. Following the success of the two I Not Stupid films, Neo has announced plans to make more sequels, as well as a remake set in China.
I Not Stupid Too was well received when it was showcased at the Cannes Film Festival
. It was also one of six Singaporean movies screened at the Singapore Season film festival in China. At the 2006 Moscow International Film Festival
for Children and Youth, I Not Stupid Too captured the Children's Jury Award. The film was also nominated for Best Asian Film at the Hong Kong Film Awards
, but lost to Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
.
Critics praised I Not Stupid Too for its touching portrayal of the problems faced by Singaporean teenagers. According to a review by the South China Morning Post
, the movie "presents a candid portrait of Singaporean society at odds with its stereotypically squeaky clean image". Nie Peng of Shenzhen Daily felt the film "captured the emotional depth and effectively conveyed the underlying theme of generation gaps", while movieXclusive.com reviewer Jolene Tan called it "a good local movie that will have [viewers] laughing in stitches and crying at certain points". However, I Not Stupid Too was also panned for being overly preachy: a reviewer for The Hindu
said that the movie "feels like a public service program written by Singapore's social welfare department". Geoffrey Eu, a reviewer for The Business Times, commented that it "takes the line that the viewer needs to be clubbed into submission rather than persuaded via a more subtle line of reasoning".
I Not Stupid
I Not Stupid is a Singaporean comedy film about the lives, struggles, and adventures of three Primary 6 pupils who are placed in the academically inferior EM3 stream. Written and directed by Jack Neo, and produced by MediaCorp Raintree Pictures, the movie stars Xiang Yun, Richard Low, Selena Tan,...
. A satirical comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
, I Not Stupid Too portrays the lives, struggles and adventures of three Singaporean youths—15-year-old Tom, his 8-year-old brother Jerry and their 15-year-old friend Chengcai—who have a strained relationship with their parents. The film explores the issue of poor parent-child communication.
The director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, Jack Neo
Jack Neo
Jack Neo Chee Keong , PBM, credited as Jack Neo on screen, is a Chinese Singaporean film and television actor, host and director...
, was inspired to make the film by a book about appreciation education. The movie was produced by MediaCorp Raintree Pictures
MediaCorp Raintree Pictures
MediaCorp Raintree Pictures is a film production company based in Singapore. The company, a division of MediaCorp Group, was established in 31 March 1996. The company occasionally ties up with other film companies to produce Asian or Western films...
on a budget of S$1.5 million. It stars Jack Neo, Xiang Yun
Xiang Yun
Xiang Yun ) is a Singaporean actress from MediaCorp. She is considered as one of the veteran actresses in MediaCorp with 27 years of her career in the Singaporean entertainment industry. She is also deemed as MediaCorp's first "Ah Jie" ....
, Huang Yiliang
Huang Yiliang
Eddie Huang Yiliang is a veteran Singaporean artiste and insurance agent.-Career:Huang started off as a small screen actor with MediaCorp...
, Shawn Lee, Joshua Ang
Joshua Ang
Joshua Ang Ser Kian is a Mediacorp artiste from Singapore who starred alongside Shawn Lee in the film I Not Stupid and its sequel I Not Stupid Too.Ang studied at Pasir Ris Secondary School....
and Ashley Leong. Filming took place at several Singaporean schools in June 2005.
I Not Stupid Too was released in cinemas on 26 January 2006, and earned over S$4 million in total. The film became the second-highest grossing Singaporean film in history, with only Money No Enough
Money No Enough
Money No Enough is a Singaporean comedy film about three friends with financial problems who start a car polishing business together. Written by Jack Neo, directed by Tay Teck Lock and produced by JSP Films, the movie stars Neo, Mark Lee and Henry Thia...
grossing more. At the 2006 Hong Kong Film Awards
Hong Kong Film Awards
The Hong Kong Film Awards , founded in 1982, are the most prestigious film awards in Hong Kong and among the most respected in mainland China and Taiwan. Award ceremonies are held annually, typically in April. The Awards recognize achievement in all aspects of filmmaking, such as directing,...
, it was nominated for Best Asian Film, but lost to Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles is a 2005 Chinese / Japanese drama film directed by Zhang Yimou and starring Ken Takakura. It premiered at the Tokyo International Film Festival on 22 October 2005 and was released in China on 22 December 2005....
. Critical reception was also generally positive, although some criticized the movie as overly preachy.
Plot
The plot revolves around the lives of Tom Yeo (Shawn Lee), his younger brother Jerry (Ashley Leong) and their friend Lim Chengcai (Joshua AngJoshua Ang
Joshua Ang Ser Kian is a Mediacorp artiste from Singapore who starred alongside Shawn Lee in the film I Not Stupid and its sequel I Not Stupid Too.Ang studied at Pasir Ris Secondary School....
). 15-year-old Tom is technologically inclined and a talented blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
ger, while 8-year-old Jerry enjoys the performing arts
Performing arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
and has the lead role in his school concert. Mr. and Mrs. Yeo's (Jack Neo
Jack Neo
Jack Neo Chee Keong , PBM, credited as Jack Neo on screen, is a Chinese Singaporean film and television actor, host and director...
and Xiang Yun
Xiang Yun
Xiang Yun ) is a Singaporean actress from MediaCorp. She is considered as one of the veteran actresses in MediaCorp with 27 years of her career in the Singaporean entertainment industry. She is also deemed as MediaCorp's first "Ah Jie" ....
) busy schedules give them little time to spend with their children, leading to a strained relationship. With his mother absent, Chengcai was raised by his ex-convict father (Huang Yiliang
Huang Yiliang
Eddie Huang Yiliang is a veteran Singaporean artiste and insurance agent.-Career:Huang started off as a small screen actor with MediaCorp...
), whose fighting skills he inherited.
During a school check for mobile phones, Tom is caught with a pornographic
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
VCD. As his teacher confiscates it, Chengcai makes a cheeky remark that provokes the teacher into slapping him, leading to an exchange that escalates into a massive scuffle. The principal decides to expel Chengcai while Tom receives a public caning for his part in the scuffle. Tom and Chengcai join a local street gang; as their initiation, they are forced to shoplift an iPod
IPod
iPod is a line of portable media players created and marketed by Apple Inc. The product line-up currently consists of the hard drive-based iPod Classic, the touchscreen iPod Touch, the compact iPod Nano, and the ultra-compact iPod Shuffle...
. However, they are caught by two conmen with connections to the street gang posing as police detectives, who demand that they pay the fine $2000 within two days or be arrested.
While tutoring his sons, Mr. Yeo tells them that people will pay $500 for an hour of his time. Jerry, who wants his parents to come to his school concert, starts saving money and eventually resorts to stealing. After he is caught, his furious father canes him, but calms down when the boy explains that he wanted $500 to "buy" an hour of his father's time. This prompts Mr. and Mrs. Yeo to read Tom's blog and realise how unappreciated and alienated their children feel.
Unable to raise $2000 themselves, Tom and Chengcai rob an old lady of her necklace, but regret their action and try to return it to her. A struggle occurs, and Chengcai bumps into several gangster
Gangster
A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Some gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from mob and the suffix -ster....
s, while Tom's mobile phone falls out of his pocket as he is tackled by vicious vigilantes. The phone hits the ground, accidentally calling Mr. Yeo, who is doing a presentation about 3G phones for a contract worth $3 million. He rushes off to the scene and pleads the old lady to give Tom a second chance. When the police arrive, she tells them she made a prank call
Prank call
A prank call is a form of practical joke committed over the telephone. Prank phone calls began to gain an America-wide following over a period of many years, as they gradually became a staple of the obscure and amusing cassette tapes traded amongst musicians, sound engineers, and media traders...
. Two days later, Mr. Yeo meets the conmen and gives them thousands of dollars of hell money
Hell Money
"Hell Money" is a 1996 episode of The X-Files television series. It was the nineteenth episode broadcast in the show's third season. "Hell Money" features Mulder and Scully investigating a Chinese lottery involving the selling of body parts.- Plot :...
; the conmen are then arrested by real police officers who have been waiting in ambush close by. Having finally understood their children, the Yeo parents watch Jerry's concert, much to his delight.
Later, the gangsters whom Chengcai bumped into earlier beat him up. Mr. Lim, who happens to be nearby, tries to protect his son, but suffers head trauma after being pushed down the stairs. He is taken to a hospital, critically injured. On his deathbed, Mr. Lim tells Chengcai that he loves him and that he should pursue his talent for fighting. Witnessing this scene, the principal is touched and allows Chengcai to return to school. The boy eventually becomes an internationally recognised martial artist.
Cast
The main characters of the movie were played by the following actors:- Shawn Lee as Tom Yeo
- Ashley Leong as Jerry Yeo
- Joshua AngJoshua AngJoshua Ang Ser Kian is a Mediacorp artiste from Singapore who starred alongside Shawn Lee in the film I Not Stupid and its sequel I Not Stupid Too.Ang studied at Pasir Ris Secondary School....
as Lim Chengcai - Jack NeoJack NeoJack Neo Chee Keong , PBM, credited as Jack Neo on screen, is a Chinese Singaporean film and television actor, host and director...
as Mr Yeo - Xiang YunXiang YunXiang Yun ) is a Singaporean actress from MediaCorp. She is considered as one of the veteran actresses in MediaCorp with 27 years of her career in the Singaporean entertainment industry. She is also deemed as MediaCorp's first "Ah Jie" ....
as Mrs Yeo - Huang YiliangHuang YiliangEddie Huang Yiliang is a veteran Singaporean artiste and insurance agent.-Career:Huang started off as a small screen actor with MediaCorp...
as Mr Lim
Production
After the release of I Not Stupid, a sequel was suggested, but Neo had difficulty finding a suitable topic. His inspiration was a book on appreciation education, a method of teaching developed by Chinese educator Zhou Hong. Through the movie, Neo hoped to capture the culture of SingaporeCulture of Singapore
Singapore was a part of British Malaya for many centuries. It was ruled by the Sultanate of Johor. In 1819, the British came to the Island and set up a port and colony. During British rule, the port of Singapore flourished and attracted many migrants...
at the turn of the millennium, and to explore the issue of poor parent-child communication.
Neo and Rebecca Leow co-wrote the script, which was completed in May 2005. I Not Stupid Too was produced by MediaCorp Raintree Pictures on a budget of S$1.5 million. Shanghai Film Studio
Shanghai Film Studio
Shanghai Film Studio is the film division of the Shanghai Film Group Corporation in Shanghai, China. It is responsible for the production of Chinese films and TV programs.-History:...
had agreed to co-produce I Not Stupid Too with Raintree Pictures, but backed out because they found the film too liberal. The production crew included Daniel Yun
Daniel Yun
Daniel Yun is a veteran Singaporean film producer, presenter and managing director for MediaCorp Raintree Pictures. He has gone on to co-produce and finance over 20 films made in China and Hong Kong.-Biography:...
as executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
, Chan Pui Yin
Chan Pui Yin
Chan Pui Yin is a film producer. She has been with MediaCorp Raintree Pictures from 2000 to 2008. She has produced Raintree’s movies like I Not Stupid , I Not Stupid Too , Homerun , The Maid and involved in collaborations like The Eye , The Eye 2 , Turn Left Turn Right , Infernal Affairs II and...
and Seah Saw Yan as producers
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
, Ardy Lam as cinematographer
Cinematographer
A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
and Mo Ju Li as sound editor. Besides writing and directing, Neo starred as Mr. Yeo and composed the theme song, which was sung by Hong Junyang
Hong Junyang
Hong Junyang is a Singaporean singer and host.He was a contestant on Project SuperStar 2005, organized by MediaCorp, and became runner-up to the eventual winner Kelvin Tan Wei Lian in the final of the male category. After the competition, he signed a recording contract with Universal Music...
.
Filming took place at Saint Hilda's Primary School, Presbyterian High School
Presbyterian High School
Presbyterian High School is a government-aided co-ed missionary secondary school in Ang Mo Kio, Singapore. It has affiliations with Pei Hwa Presbyterian Primary School, Kuo Chuan Presbyterian Primary School, Kuo Chuan Presbyterian Secondary School, Saint Andrew's Junior College, Ang Mo Kio...
and other locations during the school holidays in June. Neo hired real gangsters to act in several gangster scenes as he was dissatisfied with the extra
Extra (actor)
A background actor or extra is a performer in a film, television show, stage, musical, opera or ballet production, who appears in a nonspeaking, nonsinging or nondancing capacity, usually in the background...
s. According to him, communicating with the gangsters was difficult, but when he decided to apply the lessons from the movie and praised them for a good take, they reacted well. Several members of the cast also said that I Not Stupid Too inspired them to communicate better with their family members. On 26 January 2006, distributor United International Pictures
United International Pictures
United International Pictures is a joint venture of Paramount Pictures and Universal Studios , to distribute some of the two studios' films theatrically outside the United States , Canada, and the Anglophone...
released I Not Stupid Too on 36 screens in Singapore.
Reception
With earnings of over S$1.41 million in the first six days, I Not Stupid Too achieved the biggest opening for a Singaporean film. The movie rose to the top of the local box officeBox office
A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket....
, beating Jet Li
Jet Li
The fame gained by his sports winnings led to a career as a martial arts film star, beginning in mainland China and then continuing into Hong Kong. Li acquired his screen name in 1982 in the Philippines when a publicity company thought his real name was too hard to pronounce...
's Fearless
Fearless (2006 film)
Fearless, known in Chinese as Huo Yuanjia and Jet Li's Fearless in the United Kingdom and the United States, is a 2006 film directed by Ronny Yu and starring Jet Li...
. In total, I Not Stupid Too grossed over S$4 million, becoming Singapore’s second-highest grossing movie after Money No Enough. The film was then released in Malaysia, where it made RM1.1 million, and Hong Kong, taking in HK$3.1 million. Following the success of the two I Not Stupid films, Neo has announced plans to make more sequels, as well as a remake set in China.
I Not Stupid Too was well received when it was showcased at the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
. It was also one of six Singaporean movies screened at the Singapore Season film festival in China. At the 2006 Moscow International Film Festival
Moscow International Film Festival
Moscow International Film Festival , is the film festival first held in Moscow in 1959. From its inception to 1995 it was held every second year in July, alternating with the Karlovy Vary festival. The festival has been held annually since 1995....
for Children and Youth, I Not Stupid Too captured the Children's Jury Award. The film was also nominated for Best Asian Film at the Hong Kong Film Awards
Hong Kong Film Awards
The Hong Kong Film Awards , founded in 1982, are the most prestigious film awards in Hong Kong and among the most respected in mainland China and Taiwan. Award ceremonies are held annually, typically in April. The Awards recognize achievement in all aspects of filmmaking, such as directing,...
, but lost to Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles is a 2005 Chinese / Japanese drama film directed by Zhang Yimou and starring Ken Takakura. It premiered at the Tokyo International Film Festival on 22 October 2005 and was released in China on 22 December 2005....
.
Critics praised I Not Stupid Too for its touching portrayal of the problems faced by Singaporean teenagers. According to a review by the South China Morning Post
South China Morning Post
The South China Morning Post , together with its Sunday edition, the Sunday Morning Post, is an English-language Hong Kong newspaper, published by the SCMP Group with a circulation of 104,000....
, the movie "presents a candid portrait of Singaporean society at odds with its stereotypically squeaky clean image". Nie Peng of Shenzhen Daily felt the film "captured the emotional depth and effectively conveyed the underlying theme of generation gaps", while movieXclusive.com reviewer Jolene Tan called it "a good local movie that will have [viewers] laughing in stitches and crying at certain points". However, I Not Stupid Too was also panned for being overly preachy: a reviewer for The Hindu
The Hindu
The Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Chennai since 1878. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.46 million copies as of December 2009. The enterprise employed over 1,600 workers and gross income reached $40...
said that the movie "feels like a public service program written by Singapore's social welfare department". Geoffrey Eu, a reviewer for The Business Times, commented that it "takes the line that the viewer needs to be clubbed into submission rather than persuaded via a more subtle line of reasoning".