Film

What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases

Search cinema listings

Browse cinemas A-Z

Search 20,000 reviews

 

CJ7 (2008)

Director: Stephen Chow

4

Time Out rating

Average user rating
No reviews

Movie review

From Time Out Film Guide

CJ7 is a squishy alien with rubber legs and a furry head that crash-lands ‘ET’ fashion into the life of Dicky (Jiao Xu), a Hong Kong boy. Dicky’s father, single parent Ti (Stephen Chow) struggles on a construction worker’s wage to have him educated at a private school. Life’s tough – but Ti instils in Dicky a set of social mores to which he expects him to adhere. When CJ7 arrives, Dicky’s education suffers. It takes a personal tragedy for the kid to tow the line.

Chow’s film is a charming, funny illustration of family life that explores the notion of being given a second chance. Xu, a girl playing a boy, is an expressive performer beyond her years. But CJ7 steals the show with its range of expressions; the scenes where it’s subjected to comic violence are especially funny. A kids’ comedy with a heart.

Author: Derek Adams 2008-08-05 12:46:38

Time Out Film Guide


  • Print this page
  • Send to a friend

What do you think?
Post your review now

clear rating
Min 1 star. Zero stars will be treated as unrated.

*mandatory fields


Cast & crew

Director: Stephen Chow

Cast: Stephen Chow, Xu Jiao, Kitty Zhang, Fung Min Hun, Lam Chi Chung, Lee Shing-Cheung, Yuqi Kitty Zhang full cast

Rated: PG

Duration: 86 mins

UK Release: Aug 8 2008
US Release: Mar 7 2008




Top Stories

Time Out's 101 Films of the Decade

Time Out's 101 Films of the Decade

Ten years, thousands of movies and millions of dollars in international box office, and it all boils down to this

Martin Provost discusses 'Séraphine'

Martin Provost discusses 'Séraphine'

Trevor Johnston talks to the director of 'Séraphine' about bringing a little known French painter back to life

Our verdict on Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones

Our verdict on Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones

Peter Jackson ends a triumphant decade with a sentimental misfire with this lush Alice Sebold adaptation

On the set of Ken Loach's 'Route Irish'

On the set of Ken Loach's 'Route Irish'

Dave Calhoun meets Ken Loach on the set of his forthcoming Iraq war movie

Stephen Poliakoff discusses 'Glorious 39'

Stephen Poliakoff discusses 'Glorious 39'

Stephen Poliakoff’s ‘Glorious 39’ is his first film for cinema since ‘Food of Love’ in 1997. Dave Calhoun met him

Is 'Paranormal Activity' the new 'Blair Witch'?

Is 'Paranormal Activity' the new 'Blair Witch'?

How does a film go from DIY experiment to box-office smash? 'Paranormal Activity' director Oren Peli explains

Steven Soderbergh on 'The Informant!' and 'The Girlfriend Experience'

Steven Soderbergh on 'The Informant!' and 'The Girlfriend Experience'

We talk to Steven Soderbergh about his two forthcoming films: one featuring a porn star, the other a chubby Matt Damon

A gateway to all things 'New Moon'

A gateway to all things 'New Moon'

In anticipation of 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon', Time Out is offering the chance to pick up a limited edition pack with three exclusive magazines and a free poster.

The films that deserve a TV spin-off

The films that deserve a TV spin-off

With Roland Emmerich suggesting he'd like to make a '2012' TV spin-off, we propose some more movie-to-TV serialisations

Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam

Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam

In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations