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CJ7

EMAILPRINTSony Pictures Classics

CJ7 reviews
46
6.5 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 18 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 12 votes
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Movie Info

Genre(s): Comedy  |  Sci-fi

Written by: Stephen Chow

Directed by: Stephen Chow

Release Date:
Theatrical: March 7, 2008
DVD: August 12, 2008

Running Time: 86 minutes, Color

Origin: Hong Kong

Language(s): Mandarin

Summary

RATING: PG for language, thematic material, some rude humor and brief smoking

Starring Stephen Chow, Kitty Zhang Yuqi, and Xu Jian

Ti is a poor father who works all day, every day at a construction site to make sure his son Dicky Chow can attend an elite private school. Despite his father's good intentions to give his son the opportunities he never had, Dicky, with his dirty and tattered clothes and none of the "cool" toys, stands out from his schoolmates like a sore thumb. Ti can't afford to buy Dicky any expensive toys and goes to the best place he knows to get new stuff for Dicky: the junkyard! While out "shopping" for a new toy for his son, Ti finds a mysterious orb and brings it home for Dicky to play with. To his surprise and disbelief, the orb reveals itself to Dicky as a bizarre "pet" with extraordinary powers. Armed with his "CJ7," Dicky seizes this chance to overcome his poor background and shabby clothes and impress his fellow schoolmates for the first time in his life. But CJ7 has other ideas, and when Dicky brings it to class, chaos ensues. (Sony Pictures)

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

80

LA Weekly Ella Taylor

This utterly beguiling foray into family comedy from Hong Kong director Stephen Chow (Kung Fu Hustle, Shaolin Soccer) may be the tribute to Spielberg's "E.T. Extra-Terrestrial" the gleefully childlike filmmaker has had up his sleeve forever.

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75

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Kamal AL-Solaylee

If CJ7 feels like the love child of Charles Dickens, Mao Zedong and Steven Spielberg, it's because that's exactly what this PG-rated, Chinese-made fantasy is.

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75

Boston Globe Wesley Morris

CJ7 is precisely the 80-something minutes of delirium and cheesy special-effects you'd expect from the man responsible for the chaos of "Shaolin Soccer" and the lunacy of "Kung Fu Hustle."

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70

The New York Times Jeannette Catsoulis

A devilishly entertaining curveball thrown at unsuspecting family audiences.

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67

The Onion (A.V. Club) Tasha Robinson

C7J isn't as cutesy as "Batteries Not Included" or "Short Circuit," or as grim as "Gremlins," though it resembles them all in its jerky, semi-comic look at the havoc and helpfulness of weirdo artificial life.

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63

Premiere Glenn Kenny

The overall feel is Hong Kong to the core…which means CJ7, like the first 25 minutes or so of "Shaolin Soccer," doesn't make many allowances to Western sensibilities.

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50

Washington Post Desson Thomson

Its use of minor expletives and a depressing chapter late in the movie will not satisfy parents seeking something sweet and lively for their children; nor will it charm art house audiences up for a smart adult fairy tale.

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50

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker

Bright, bouncy, kooky and comically tone deaf, CJ7 is the most bizarre kids movie I've ever seen.

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50

New York Post Lou Lumenick

Heavy on slapstick and may appeal to very young viewers who won't need to bother much with the subtitles.

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50

San Francisco Chronicle G. Allen Johnson

A bit of a letdown. The manic comedian who has gained fans worldwide for his outrageous slapstick and special effects-driven antics in "Kung Fu Hustle" and "Shaolin Soccer" takes a backseat this time - and that's part of the problem: This is lesser Chow because there is less Chow.

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50

Variety Richard Kuipers

"E.T."-inspired comic fantasy about a poor boy adopting a cute alien catches the eye but not fully the heart with its undernourished father-son dynamics, critter hijinks and smattering of social commentary.

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50

The Hollywood Reporter Maggie Lee

A hyperactive, wishful-thinking special effects fantasy suitable for family outings.

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40

Los Angeles Times Kevin Crust

As clumsy and awkward as his previous films were stylishly silly.

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38

Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips

CJ7 is roughly as grating as that “Flubber” remake.

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33

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

Trivial and charmless.

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20

Austin Chronicle Marjorie Baumgarten

Chow's loyal fans are sure to be disappointed by CJ7, and the film faces one other significant problem in traveling to these shores: Any kid who is the right age to appreciate this pap is going to be too young to read subtitles.

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8

Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy

It's awful. Awful. That's all. Keep walking. For the love of all that's holy. Keep. Walking.

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0

Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow

You leave this movie feeling mugged.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 6.5 (out of 10) based on 12 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

E. H. gave it a0:
I am a fan of Stephen Chow's works. However, CJ7 was highly offensive due to the fact that the space alien "dog" was severely and continuously abused throughout it's short life! This was totally unnecessary and was not the kind of viewing that is "just for fun" viewing!

Nate H gave it a7:
I actually really enjoyed this movie. I can understand how many wouldn't though. It is very much geared towards the inner child as most of it is very light and full of heart. The switch to tragedy towards the end gives a bit of meaning and resonance to the whole story, a father-son pic at the very core, but some of the cliche scenes of "haha you're poor" felt a bit forced. The whole scene in the middle was great, as the young kid has CJ7 "help" him in class. The imagination of Stephen Chow is something to marvel at. This is a completely different type of movie from Kung Fu Hustle though, so don't see this hoping for anything like that. Still a very good film. Just don't set your hopes for something it's not.

Adam N gave it a9:
Seriously underrated. If you're a fan of Stephen Chow this is an instant must-have. Just because its no Kung Fu Hustle 2 and instead a movie that may look like Flubber at first glance the critics automatically dismissed it. I'm 26 and I was laughing throughout the movie and was glued from start to finish. Flubber was a disaster, CJ7 is a brilliant film for all ages.

Jay H. gave it a5:
A strange film, I think it would be more appreciated in China than elsewhere, but it was curiously fascinating. The acting isn't too bad. Ultimately, it didn't quite work.

[Anonymous] gave it a9:
I enjoyed this movie on several fronts. It took place in a very interesting cultural setting, and I found the class differences very interesting. This was not at all a Hollywood movie where you knew what was coming next. If you never like foreign movies, you obviously won't like this. If you sometimes like movies with a twist, watch the trailer. It gives you a good sense of the movie.

Bellino P gave it a10:
Mr. Chow is one of the best under rated Directors of all time. This is a great film.

Chad S. gave it an8:
"E.T." beget "The Last Mimzy" beget "Cheung Gong 7 hou"(American title: "C7"). It was a matter of time before this filmmaker turned his attention towards the sky. His live-action cartoon style is a natural for science fiction. The physical laws that govern time and space are ignored repeatedly in "Shaolin Soccer" and "Kung Fu Hustle". In "Cheung Gong 7 Hou", sci-fi is out of the closet. Ironically, the socio-economic status of Dicky and his father(Stephen Chow) suggests an affinity for Ken Loach films. Ti works as an unskilled laborer at a construction site so Dicky can attend a fancy private school. If "Riff-Raff"(Loach's best film) had a sci-fi component, it might look something like "Cheung Gong 7 hou". The alien that Dicky(a name that operates an inside joke; like "E.T.", the male owner presumes his new friend is a boy, but where's the genitalia?) cares for has the bloated head of an ugly bird that's seemingly grafted onto an elastic body. It's sort of cute, but you're always aware that C7 is a special effect, or an expensive toy. Dicky and the alien seem more like "Calvin & Hobbes" than Elliott(Henry Thomas) and the extra-terrestrial. Because C7 never truly feels alive, Dicky gets away with behavior that would raise the ire of the Humane Society. Dicky has a surprising cruel streak. He's not entirely sympathetic. In fact, he's whiny; sometimes exasperatingly so. In other words, he's like a real kid. Dicky uses C7 to improve his life, which is why the final act packs a surprising emotional wallop. The alien loves the boy more. Dicky just wanted to be the cool kid with the cool stuff at school. He used C7 to be popular. When it's too late, he finally learns to be a true friend. "Cheung Gong 7 hou" reminds me of the tamagotchi fad from last century. C7 is more virtual pet than alien.

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