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I Not Stupid

2002 film directed by Jack Neo

Manuscripts, fine bindings, an engraving plate and preserved performance ephemera
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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 21, 2026
Entity authorityQ855114
Source-derived summary

I Not Stupid (Chinese: 小孩不笨; pinyin: Xiǎo Hái Bù Bèn; lit. 'Children are not stupid') is a 2002 Singaporean comedy film about the lives, struggles and adventures of three Singaporean Primary 6 pupils who are placed in the academically inferior EM3 stream. Written and directed by Jack Neo, and produced by Mediacorp Raintree Pictures, the film stars Huang Po Ju, Shawn Lee, Joshua Ang, Cheryl Desiree Chan, Xiang Yun, Jack Neo, Richard Low and Selena Tan.

Released in cinemas on 9 February 2002, the film earned over S$3.8 million (US$2.12 million), becoming the second-highest grossing Singaporean film. Its satirical take on the Singaporean education system and social attitudes in Singapore sparked public discussions and parliamentary debates that led to reforms in the education system.

Plot

I Not Stupid follows three Primary 6 students in Singapore's EM3 stream: Terry Khoo (Huang Po Ju), Liu Kok Pin (刘国彬; Liú Guóbīn; Shawn Lee), and Ang Boon Hock (洪文福; Hóng Wénfú; Joshua Ang). Each boy struggles with personal and academic challenges while facing societal pressure, bullying, and family expectations. Terry comes from a wealthy but strict family, with a domineering mother, Mrs. Khoo (Selena Tan), and a neglectful businessman father, Mr Khoo (Richard Low). Kok Pin is pushed by his mother, Mrs.

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “I Not Stupid” as 2002 film directed by Jack Neo. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewA useful identification and reception guide that helps separate the work itself from editions, performances, ownership and later interpretation. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—2002—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 2002-01-01. The account is most persuasive where Stupid, film and directed can be independently traced.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The subject matters to the arts & letters register because the source frames it as 2002 film directed by Jack Neo. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

Reception evidence should be dated and situated: later canonical status may differ sharply from the work’s initial circulation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 21, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q855114. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2002.

Critical limits

Titles can refer to several editions, objects or performances, making precise identification essential before interpretation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.

Best used for
  • Identifying works and editions
  • Tracing reception history
  • Finding collection records
Verify next

The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “I Not Stupid”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow I Not Stupid primary sources, I Not Stupid archive and Stupid research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “I Not Stupid”?
  2. Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
  3. Where is authorship, date or provenance documented?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from I Not Stupid” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.