Just Follow Law

I was kinda surprised when I saw the reasonably long queue for tickets at Eng Wah Suntec. Thought that the public holiday was over but I guess many people must have taken an extra day off or be still in the CNY mood.

Anyway, against my instincts, I decided to catch Just Follow Law. Actually, the other shows I wanted to watch, like Letters from Iwo Jima and Dreamgirls were only on preview and showing at odd times, so I decided to give JFL a chance. I was also pretty bored after being cooped up at home for the last few days.

One thing I must say is Jack Neo does an excellent job with showing us glimpses of real Singapore life. As others have mentioned about his movie, there is a strong heartland voice to them. He catches hold of some excellent nuances like the 'CC'&'BCC' culture in office emails. It's so, so, so, so true! His interpretation of what the two stand for are also hilarious. Another excellent snide comment he made was right at the end when Bamboo goes to apply for a new job. Not many people laughed at the reference coz I think they didn't get it. Listen out for it and see how daring Jack Neo is.

BUT.. and this is a ultra big 'BUT'... this movie just feels like a long school sketch. You know, the kind you watch for some school concert. There are funny scenes here and there but the movie just feels disconnected. I didn't really like the 'body-switch' storyline. Personally, I thought it was handled in a silly way and the resolution at the end was equally unsatisfying. Fann Wong and Gurmit Singh are the leads and I thought it was a totally imbalanced performance. Fann Wong actually did a pretty decent job. Maybe it wasn't too tough to try acting like a guy but she did a good job out of it. Gurmit on the other hand was quite lousy. His idea of a girl is some sobs and this constant putting his hair behind his ear action. Maybe he was trying not to make it camp. But seriously, with a movie like this, how can you not take it OTT? On a related note, I really think TCS should give Gurmit a break, not only for him but for us as well! How can it be that he is our ONLY sell-able 'star'.

JFL does give a good laugh. Anyone who goes for a Jack Neo show would probably not be expecting Academy-award-winning material. This isn't his best, but it's one of his usual.