Chow's CJ7 not just 'E.T.' Remake
Stars Stephen Chow as Ti, Xu Jiao as Dicky and Kitty Zhang as Yuen
Stephen Chow’s latest film ‘CJ7’, also known as ‘Chang Jiang 7 hao’ (Mandarin title), is a light and wondrous comedy inspired by ‘E.T.’ In an interview1, Stephen Chow reveals that “a lot of it was definitely influenced by ‘E.T.’...I wanted to create something that was appealing to children...close to my heart.” ‘CJ7’ is a story about poor widower Ti, who finds an alien ‘toy’ for his son Dicky, only to discover that this ‘toy’ does more than it should.
Underdog Story
‘CJ7’ makes no bones about the fact that it is a story about poor folk. It begins with Dicky arriving at school in dirty clothes (Dicky is played by a winsome Xu Jiao), and proudly announcing that his ambition is to “be a poor person”. Audiences are immediately won over to his reasoning, as Dicky’s teacher and classmates come across as elitist and money-minded – his teacher, brilliantly played by Shing-Cheung Lee deserves a special mention. Stephen Chow plays on the humour of students aspiring to be businessmen, shattering any mushy sentiment audiences have of a children’s movie.
Cut to Dicky’s father Ti at the construction site, and the picture looks even bleaker. Ti scrounges around to get work at the site, he is neither dignified nor capable, and is shamefully revealed to be a “part-time worker” by his boss, played by Chi Chung Lam. Any redeeming hopes that Dicky might have an honourable father are, once again, shattered. Hence, ‘CJ7’ can be seen somewhat as a black comedy, rather than pure family entertainment.
Japanese Kawaii Spin
Bitter realities are soon balanced by the appearance of the ‘cute’ alien toy, what looks like a space dog left by visiting aliens. This alien is named CJ7, a reference to China’s space programme Shenzhou 7, due to launch in September this year. Rather than be formulaic, Stephen Chow and his writers/producers have re-interpreted E.T. by giving it a Japanese ‘kawaii’ spin. ‘Kawaii’ means cute in Japanese. Based on memories of a Peking dog with big eyes plus Japanese Manga influences, Stephen Chow has created a modern E.T. for 2008. While Western audiences were spooked by the strange and inhuman appearance of E.T., a harbinger of the Space Age, CJ7 is also a sign of the times. Its cute appearance belies its real strength – its ability to trust its environment without question.
Human Spirit versus Movie Magic
Unlike mayhem and utter destruction in ‘Kung Fu Hustle’ (Chow’s last film), ‘CJ7’ is a redeeming film. At first, young boy Dicky wants to show off his alien ‘toy’ as a superior replica of other robot toys; he expects CJ7 to beat up a real dog and help him ace his tests, high-tech style. It comes as a big surprise when audiences realise CJ7 has none of these super qualities.
With this powerful difference, Chow does away with hyped up expectations that normally accompany special effects in a movie. Instead, the film focuses on the human spirit. This is a departure from ‘Shaolin Soccer’, in which special effects bring kung fu to a divine level. ‘CJ7’ does the inverse – it takes something alien, possibly divine, down to a humanistic level. Love is love, whether alien or human. CJ7’s ultimate sacrifice for Dicky and his father conveys that undoubted trust and unconditional love are rare yet so powerful. Like a real pet dog, CJ7 reminds audiences that love and hope can sometimes be found just under one’s nose, if only one would look carefully!
Sharp Comedy Edge
Chow loses none of his comedy edge in ‘CJ7’. Audiences flocked to ‘Kung Fu Hustle’ for the martial arts action. ‘CJ7’ will not attract this type of audience. But admirers of Chow’s comedy style will find the same sharp-edged humour here. Take for instance the scene where Dicky stands at detention with the big girl. Every time she reveals her crush on Dicky he moves away an inch, and she moves in another inch. This is comedy drama at its best, simple and effective. There is no need for special effects at all to bring on the laughs!
Stephen Chow’s Emerging Director Style
By picking a different genre of film, Stephen Chow proves to audiences that his sharpest sword is not martial arts action, or special effects, but his finely tuned sense of comedy. His favourite protagonist is the underdog, as this has strong appeal to audiences and immediately calls for a rags-to-riches storyline.
His evolving directorial style is setting him apart from his previous movie roles, where he was directed by Wong Jing and Lik-Chi Lee. His earlier acting roles are hugely verbal, with ‘mo lei tau’ (nonsensical humour) conveyed in dialogue. In ‘CJ7’, Chow uses less dialogue but more contrast in character, extreme caricatures and sharp editing techniques to tickle the audience.
Perhaps the one area that can be developed is depth in female character Ms. Yuen. In ‘Shaolin Soccer’, China actress Vicky Zhao had her eyes taped down to look more tragic, but teacher Ms. Yuen here has little character, apart from being romantic interest to Ti and guardian to Dicky.
Interesting Trivia
Xu Jiao, the actor who plays young boy Dicky, is actually a girl! Xu Jiao was chosen by Stephen Chow because he thought she fitted the role in every way. Though playing Dicky came as a challenge, Xu Jiao puts in a highly enjoyable performance, turning Dicky’s downtrodden traits into endearing qualities. Another great casting choice from Stephen Chow and his crew.
Reviews of Stephen Chow Movies:
Source:1. Edward Douglas: "Stephen Chow & Xu Jian Play with CJ7", March 4 2008.
