Any resemblance between "CJ7" and "E.T." is purely continental. Once the novelty of Reese's Pieces wears off, cuddly little extraterrestrials tend to get bored with America and move on -- to Asia, in this case -- seeking a change of scenery, and diet.
"CJ7," director Stephen Chow's sci-fi kiddie dramedy, is notably more sociological than Spielberg's inspirational forerunner. In Chow's yarn, some travel agent back on the home planet has booked (or detoured) his tour group into a lower-class section of Hong Kong.
There, we meet single father Ti (played by the director), slaving away as a construction laborer to support his young son Dicky (Xu Jiao).
- Starring: Stephen Chow, Xu Jiao.
- Rating: PG-13 in nature for subtitles.
- Web site: sonyclassics.com/cj7
How many Chinese boys named "Dicky" do you know? Never mind. It's a dubious translation device to make the film more user-friendly to Westerners.
Daddy and Dicky live in a nightmare of a flat where the evening entertainment consists of smashing as many rampant cockroaches as they can. Their meals consist of semi-rotten leftovers salvaged from garbage dumps. But Daddy wants Dicky to have what he didn't: a good education at a private school.
Trouble is, the school is expensive and the kid is a lousy student -- an unkempt urchin, bullied and taunted by the rich kids. He tries to emulate his father's honest values (no matter how poor, one never lies or steals), but the boy can't help wildly coveting the new "CJ1" electronic toy dog his schoolmates have.
No way can Ti afford that. But on one of his late-night trips to the junkyard, he stumbles across a spaceship. Though unspoken, the aliens' first line upon landing there was surely a Bette Davis tribute: "What a dump!"
Nearby in the trash is a strange green rubber sphere, which Ti retrieves and -- in Dicky's hands -- turns into the cutest, fuzziest little dog-like alien you've ever seen: CJ7, whose amazing regenerative touch can turn a rotten apple core into a fresh, succulent Granny Smith.
CJ7 can do a lot of other magical things. But he can't convincingly make Dicky score 100 on his exams, defend him against the bullies or otherwise fulfill his fantasies. Turns out, CJ7 has potentially fatal electrical issues. Daddy Ti, for his part, has a potentially fatal construction-site accident.
Writer-star-director Chow gained international fame for the low-brow comic special F/X and martial-arts slapstick of "Shaolin Soccer" (2001) and "Kung Fu Hustle" (2005). His "CJ7" -- bright, derivative homage to "E.T." that it is -- aspires to more soulful impact in the family-comedy realm, with its poignant father-son dynamic and socioeconomic comment.
It hooks (if fails to reel in) adults, even as it presents a major built-in obstacle to (non-Chinese) children: Kids of the ideal age to most enjoy it will probably be too young to read subtitles.
On the other hand, Chow and young Jiao (who is actually a girl!) are nicely empathetic, and that little green CJ7 critter is a true charmer.
Bottom line: If this flying saucer isn't your cup of green tea, maybe one of the five remaining potential continental sequels might suit your taste: "TC9's Roman Holiday," "CT22 & Tutu Save Darfur," "ETC3's Adventures in Rio" and -- last but not least -- "CSNY2's March With the Penguins."
Assuming, of course, that you're not already too alienated.
Opens Friday at the Harris.
First Published: April 17, 2008, 8:00 a.m.
