CJ7 Reviews

An evolution of his previous work

Like all Stephen Chow films, they all center around the 'underdog' story. However, it has been Stephen Chow as the center of this 'underdog' story in his previous films, such as Shaolin Soccer and The King of Comedy. This time, the camera is centered on Jiao Xu as Dicky, a boy who has to deal with the problems he faces while growing up, such as low wealth, bullying, and underachieving - yet overcoming such obstacles and making it work out for the better. This hasn't changed the way Chow films his productions - you can still see the parodies (watch for scenes parodying Kung Fu Hustle, M:I 2, etc), the slapstick (Buster Keaton style), the humour, as well as the wacky Stephen Chow style acting across the talent. The biggest surprise is Stephen Chow, who takes a more serious role as Dicky's father. Jiao Xu instead takes on what Chow normally would do in his films - facial expressions, movements and dialogue. The isn't without its flaws such as earlier scenes that could have been elaborated on or just edited out just to make the story complete. Maybe a few cameos from his previous films wouldn't go a miss to replace some of the generic characters on TV reports, etc. Its also not as witty or fast pace as his previous works, but that does mean that this film is more accessible to a wider audience such as the western markets. Overall, its worth watching, especially in its original language with subtitles.