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 Rated: PG
Widowed construction worker Ti (Chow) ekes out a living by working on tall sky scrapers so he can earn enough money to send his son Dicky (Jiao) to an elite private school for a good education. But, the tuition is high, causing Ti to cutback on food and clothing for Dicky.
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Starring: Stephen Chow, Xu Jiao, Tin Kai-man, Chan Kwok Kwan, Lee Sheung Ching
Directed by: Stephen Chow
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Getting ridiculed about his worn-out shoes and dirty face on a daily basis has been hard for Dicky, but he seems to manage. One day the bullies who have plagued Dicky bring in a new expensive toy called CJ1. The robotic dog does some great feats and makes Dicky very jealous. Being young and impetuous, Dicky demands to have the toy and his father refuses. One night while digging through the dump for a pair of shoes for Dicky, Ti finds a strange globe. When he brings it home to Dicky, something strange starts to happen that changes their whole lives, but not necessarily for the good.
The film does have some very funny scenes, especially the antics that go on in the classroom. The comedy here focuses on Dicky’s unprepared class work and untidiness, which stirs up the teacher and students.
Chow also infuses a lot of pathos into the film, mainly centering on the loss of Dicky’s mother and the toughness of Ti’s job. But, I think the most touching part of the film involves Ti and Dicky’s teacher Miss Yuen (Kitty Zhang) who goes out of her way to help him cope with his son’s problems.
There is a downside to CJ7. The film was made in China and has English subtitles. The Chinese language is spoken very fast causing the subtitles to fly by and may make it hard for children to keep the pace. However, since most of the film is very easy to understand visually, the young ones should still get the drift. Older teens will probably have little interest in the film, but if they are roped into going, maybe they can quietly pass along most of the sub plot to their brothers or sisters.
FINAL ANALYSIS: Unless you really want to see the film because you are a fan of Stephen Chow or you're addicted to Chinese movies with subtitles, you may want to make another choice for the family night out.
This Reviewer's Rating:    2.5 / 5
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