Monday, June 26, 2006
I Not Stupid 2
I finally got to watch this movie. It's much better than the first one. A wide range of related issues were brought up in the movie, and the theme of parenthood is much stronger in this one than the original movie. It's been awhile since I watched "I Not Stupid", so some facts may be wrong. Feel free to point out any errors and I'll look into it. This is not a movie review, spoilers are expected.
The movie starts off outlining tension in two families. One is a seemingly happy one, who have all they want in material possessions. The other consists of an ex-convict and his son. They are poor, and the relationship between father and son is not good. This theme of family tension is predominant for much of the movie.
The tension comes about because of poor communication between the parents and their children. The parents in the first family are busy with their careers, and they have little time for their children. Time and again their children drop hints that they want more attention, but time and again the hints are ignored by their busy parents. Jack Neo brought all this across in a humorous manner, but the underlying message is a sharp wake-up call to all busy parents. It's Father's Day and the younger child gives his father a silhouette drawing. When the father asks why he is portrayed as a black shadow, he asks his dad to stand in the doorway while he switches off the light. His dad is now silhouetted against the bright lights in the hall. He tells his family that this is how he sees his dad every night when he is already in bed. However, his parents brush him aside, saying he's only good at coming up with all this "nonsense".
The hypocrisy of parents was another issue brought up in the movie. It's dinner time, and the parents lecture their son about using his handphone during meals. He complies, but soon after, his father receives a call and picks it up. The mother tries to explain it as an important business call, but it is clear from the father's side of the conversation that all they're discussing is the location of a hawker stall. The explanation changes to hungry clients are angry clients, so the call is still considered important. Right after this, the mother gets a call too. She explains that her calls are important too, and picks it up. It turns out to be someone telling her about a discount on a skirt. The looks of disgust on the faces of the children give an eloquent description of what they're thinking. There are many other cases of irony in this family, such as when the father is lecturing his sons and the grandmother comes in and offers her opinions. The reaction of the dad is the same as that of his son, but he fails to realise this.
For these two families, the children are trying to earn praise and approval from their parents. However, their parents are hopelessly out of touch with their children's lives. Their "holier than thou" and "I know what is best" attitudes saddens the children, who feel that they are misunderstood and their parents cannot appreciate them for what they are. Instead, they are forced to conform to the stereotype of an ideal child held by their parents. Whatever they do is wrong. When the elder son fixes his father's laptop and brings it all the way to the office in time for his father's important presentation, he gets no thanks. He is chided for not being in school. Put yourself in the child's shoes. How would you feel?
Throughout the early part of the movie, the parents' love for their children is evident, but they are unable to express it to their children. As a result, the children feel lonely and seek acceptance from their peers. The movie goes on to explore one of the extreme consequences of this. While this might be an extreme case, it is certainly possible.
The same theme of adults being out of touch with teenagers also surfaces in school. The chinese teacher is hardworking, responsible and wants his students to do well, but his constant scolding and disparaging comments gets on their nerves and makes them defensive. When he changes his technique, his students are encouraged and much happier.
The extent of a teacher's role in the education of children and the issue of corporal punishment were also discussed. Should teachers also be responsible for character development? They cannot ignore that, but neither should parents expect teachers to shoulder all the responsibility when their children go astray. This aspect of education requires both parents and teachers, to whom the children look up to as role models.
All these issues were brought across in the movie in a humourous way. Look deeper and you will see the serious messages beneath the jokes. In today's competitive society, perhaps we should step back and evaluate our priorities. There are intangible things which are more important than a job promotion or a big house. Success is not measured by grades alone.
The movie starts off outlining tension in two families. One is a seemingly happy one, who have all they want in material possessions. The other consists of an ex-convict and his son. They are poor, and the relationship between father and son is not good. This theme of family tension is predominant for much of the movie.
The tension comes about because of poor communication between the parents and their children. The parents in the first family are busy with their careers, and they have little time for their children. Time and again their children drop hints that they want more attention, but time and again the hints are ignored by their busy parents. Jack Neo brought all this across in a humorous manner, but the underlying message is a sharp wake-up call to all busy parents. It's Father's Day and the younger child gives his father a silhouette drawing. When the father asks why he is portrayed as a black shadow, he asks his dad to stand in the doorway while he switches off the light. His dad is now silhouetted against the bright lights in the hall. He tells his family that this is how he sees his dad every night when he is already in bed. However, his parents brush him aside, saying he's only good at coming up with all this "nonsense".
The hypocrisy of parents was another issue brought up in the movie. It's dinner time, and the parents lecture their son about using his handphone during meals. He complies, but soon after, his father receives a call and picks it up. The mother tries to explain it as an important business call, but it is clear from the father's side of the conversation that all they're discussing is the location of a hawker stall. The explanation changes to hungry clients are angry clients, so the call is still considered important. Right after this, the mother gets a call too. She explains that her calls are important too, and picks it up. It turns out to be someone telling her about a discount on a skirt. The looks of disgust on the faces of the children give an eloquent description of what they're thinking. There are many other cases of irony in this family, such as when the father is lecturing his sons and the grandmother comes in and offers her opinions. The reaction of the dad is the same as that of his son, but he fails to realise this.
For these two families, the children are trying to earn praise and approval from their parents. However, their parents are hopelessly out of touch with their children's lives. Their "holier than thou" and "I know what is best" attitudes saddens the children, who feel that they are misunderstood and their parents cannot appreciate them for what they are. Instead, they are forced to conform to the stereotype of an ideal child held by their parents. Whatever they do is wrong. When the elder son fixes his father's laptop and brings it all the way to the office in time for his father's important presentation, he gets no thanks. He is chided for not being in school. Put yourself in the child's shoes. How would you feel?
Throughout the early part of the movie, the parents' love for their children is evident, but they are unable to express it to their children. As a result, the children feel lonely and seek acceptance from their peers. The movie goes on to explore one of the extreme consequences of this. While this might be an extreme case, it is certainly possible.
The same theme of adults being out of touch with teenagers also surfaces in school. The chinese teacher is hardworking, responsible and wants his students to do well, but his constant scolding and disparaging comments gets on their nerves and makes them defensive. When he changes his technique, his students are encouraged and much happier.
The extent of a teacher's role in the education of children and the issue of corporal punishment were also discussed. Should teachers also be responsible for character development? They cannot ignore that, but neither should parents expect teachers to shoulder all the responsibility when their children go astray. This aspect of education requires both parents and teachers, to whom the children look up to as role models.
All these issues were brought across in the movie in a humourous way. Look deeper and you will see the serious messages beneath the jokes. In today's competitive society, perhaps we should step back and evaluate our priorities. There are intangible things which are more important than a job promotion or a big house. Success is not measured by grades alone.
posted by cosine @ 11:04 PM 
