Abstract:

"Jack Neo has used the simple yet hilarious story of three young children and their families from different social backgrounds to create a social satire touching on issues of education streaming, the importance of the Chinese language and the focus on academic excellence. Twelve-year old Kok Pin, Boon Hock and Terry are classmates in EM3, which in Singapore means that the government has decided that they are not as academically inclined as their peers in the normal or express academic tracks. Kok Pin is creative and a born artist but his parents would rather he focus on his Maths and Sciences. Boon Hock comes from a poor family and needs to balance school and helping out at the hawker stall. Terry, a spoilt brat, is just too lazy... While the three children suffer from the pressure of school, their parents have another set of problems. Kok Pin's mother is passed over for a promotion because she does not have a university degree. His father, a Chinese advertising copywriter is struggling to move ahead at work where Caucasian and the English language means authority at most advertising agencies. Terry's father family business runs into a crisis when a competitive 'Ba Gua' company from Taiwan sets up a chain of shops in Singapore... Following the story of Kok Pin's and Terry's family, we see the different issues faced by Singapore families in a light hearted sometimes almost silly situation." --http://www.mediacorpraintree.com [Distributor website] With Jack Neo, Richard Low, Xiang Yun, Selena Tan, Shawn Lee, Huang Po Ju, Joshua Ang.