Released in cinemas on 9 February 2002, I Not Stupid earned over S$3.8 million. It is the third-highest grossing Singaporean movie, after Money No Enough and the film's sequel, I Not Stupid Too, which was released in cinemas on 27 January 2006. The film was nominated for Best Asian Film at the 2003 Hong Kong Film Awards but lost to My Sassy Girl.
The film portrays the lives, struggles, and adventures of three Primary 6 pupils who are placed in the academically inferior EM3 stream (which, as a result of parliamentary debates following the release of the film, was abolished in 2008). This satiricalcomedy criticises the Singaporean education system and social attitudes in Singapore, including the competitive kiasu (fear of losing) mentality and over-obedience to authority.
Production
Jack Neo's inspiration for the film was the Iranian movie Children of Heaven. Neo and his wife were moved to "holding hands and crying after seeing the love shared by the children", which motivated him to make his own movie about youth. ... Read More