I Not Stupid

I Not Stupid (Chinese: 小孩不笨; pinyin: Xiǎohái Bù Bèn; literally: "Children are not stupid") is a 2002 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, Shawn Lee, Huang Po Ju and Joshua Ang.

Released in cinemas on 9 February 2002,I Not Stupid earned over S$3.8 million, becoming the second-highest grossing Singaporean film. Its satirical criticism of the Singaporean education system and social attitudes in Singapore sparked public discussions and parliamentary debates that led to reforms in the education system. Its sequel, I Not Stupid Too, was released in 2006.

Plot

The film's storyline revolves around the lives and families of three students in the EM3 academic stream, Terry Khoo (Huang Po Ju), Liu Kok Pin (刘国彬 Liú Guóbīn; Shawn Lee) and Ang Boon Hock (洪文福 Hóng Wénfú; Joshua Ang). Terry, pampered and from a rich family, is a meek and obedient boy, with a domineering mother (Selena Tan) and a negligent businessman father (Richard Low). Kok Pin is pushed to excel at school by his mother (Xiang Yun), but he shows a talent for art, not academics — much to the consternation of his family. Boon Hock and his mother struggle to make ends meet by running a small wonton noodle stall; to make up for the lack of a father figure, he places high value on loyalty and "manliness" in his friends.

I Not Stupid Too

I Not Stupid Too (Chinese: 小孩不笨2; pinyin: Xiǎohái Bù Bèn Èr; literally: "Children are not stupid 2") is a 2006 Singaporean satirical comedy film and the sequel to the 2002 film, I Not Stupid. It 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. A serialised version of the film was aired later that year.