Line #14 Film/CJ7


1	[[quoteright:301:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cj7_movie_poster.jpg]]
2	''[=CJ7=]'' is a UsefulNotes/HongKong movie directed by Creator/StephenChow of ''Film/ShaolinSoccer'' and ''Film/KungFuHustle'' fame.
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4	Chow, a homeless single-father laborer, and his young son, Dicky (played by actress Xu Jiao, who was 11 at the time), make a meager living, their home an abandoned lot near a garbage dump. One day, the laborer scavenges the dump for usable items when he comes across something that's literally out of this world...
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6	The name [=CJ7=] actually comes from a known riverboat in UsefulNotes/{{China}}; "CJ" means ''Chang Jiang'', the Chinese name for the Yangtze River, and is unrelated to the 1976-86 Jeep CJ-7.
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8	There was also an anime version of the film, with much more fantastical elements. As of 2023, this is the last film whereby Stephen played the male lead.
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10	----
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12	!!''[=CJ7=]'' has examples of:
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14	* AbhorrentAdmirer: Maggie. She develops a crush on Dicky for sticking up to her against bullies. Needless to say, Dicky is [[TinyGuyHugeGirl slightly intimidated]].
15	%%* AllJustADream: Dicky's first day at school with [=CJ7=].
16	%%* AlwaysABiggerFish
17	%%* AndroclesLion: Parodied.
18	* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: Dicky and Chow. Even though they tend to argue a lot, deep down they can't live without each other.
19	%%* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler: Chow, after a HeroicSacrifice by [=CJ7=]]]
20	* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: [[spoiler:After getting into some trouble, Dicky and Chow get into an argument that results in Dicky wishing for his father to go away forever and Chow promising to if Dicky gets at least a 60% on his exam. One 60% mark and construction accident later...]]
21	%%* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: Maggie towards Dicky.
22	* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Chow is brought back from the dead and everything is back to normal. Unfortunately, this was at the cost of [=CJ7=]'s life.]] [[spoiler:This is later subverted, when a spacecraft lands and many other aliens like [=CJ7=] of different colors and patterns come out, making Dicky realize that the beings are headed by his very own toy.]]
23	* BreakTheCutie: Poor, poor Dicky... [[spoiler:After a very heated argument with his father, Dicky wishes his father would leave him alone forever. The next day, Chow is killed in a construction accident. This leaves Dicky emotionally devastated, telling himself it's just a dream and that he'll wake up to find his father sleeping next to him again. He does, but with a tragic cost.]]
24	* CowTools: [=CJ7=] can be seen pulling out a multitude of tools, including a ray gun, and a propeller-driven alarm clock... [[AllJustADream But that's just during a dream sequence...]] However, afterwards we see the elementary schoolkids chasing down [=CJ7=] using the kind of foreign objects you'd see at a wrestling match...
25	* CrosscastRole:
26	** Xu Jiao, who plays Dicky, is actually a ''girl.'' In fact, most of the supporting boy cast are actually young girls (including, but not limited to, Huang Lei and Yao Wenxue).
27	** Maggie, Dicky's AbhorrentAdmirer, is played by Han Yong Hua, ''a large weightlifting man.''
28	%%* {{Determinator}}: [=CJ7=] at the end of the movie.
29	%%* DisasterDominoes: [[spoiler: Played painfully straight with Chow's DisneyDeath.]]
30	* {{Foreshadowing}}:
31	** Dicky activates [=CJ7=] and it shows instructions for how to use it. And when [[spoiler: its batteries stop working, thus "dying."]]
32	** Chow and Dicky get into an argument. [[spoiler: Chow promises Dicky to leave him alone forever if Dicky passes his next test. As you can guess, Karma was keeping a watchful eye that day...]]
33	** [=CJ7=] uses its powers to repair the fan, after which it ends up extremely tired. [[spoiler: [=CJ7=] does the same to revive Chow... [[HeroicSacrifice And dies in the process.]]]]
34	%%* FourEyesZeroSoul: That one teacher who has it in for Dicky is conveniently bespectacled.
35	* {{Gonk}}: Maggie, who looks like a full-grown fat guy. Probably because she ''[[CrosscastRole was]]'' a full-grown fat guy.
36	* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:After Chow is killed in a construction accident, CJ decides to revive him by pushing its reconstruction abilities to the absolute limit, despite knowing that this will kill it too.]]
37	%%* {{Homage}}: Several, including {{Shout Out}}s to ''Film/ShaolinSoccer'' and ''Film/KungFuHustle.''
38	%%* HotTeacher: Dicky's teacher, Ms. Yuen, who is one of the only teachers that doesn't give Dicky a hard time and is the [[ParentalSubstitute closest thing he has to a mother.]]
39	%%* HugeSchoolgirl: Over the top with Maggie.
40	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Chow's foreman. He can be very hard on him at times, but is later revealed to be sympathetic to Chow's situation with his son. After angrily firing Chow, [[PetTheDog he later apologizes for calling Dicky a cheater, offers him his job back and throws in a bonus to help pay for Dicky's textbooks.]] [[spoiler:He's also distraught when he learns about Chow's death.]]
41	%%* KickTheDog: Aside from Dicky and Chow, [=CJ7=] gets a LOT of physical abuse, and not in a [[TheChewToy in a funny way]].
42	* KidsAreCruel: The kids who bully Dicky and abuse [=CJ7=]. This is later subverted when Dicky and the main bully shake hands and leave on better terms.
43	* LoveAtFirstPunch: Johnny's fat mook is smitten with Maggie when she catches his pull-backed punch.
44	* LoveDodecahedron: The ending to the film shows one: A fat mook under Johnny's employ is in love with Maggie, but Maggie is in love with Dicky, who has requited feelings for a girl, who is already taken by Johnny.
45	* MechanicalLifeforms: [=CJ7=] might possibly be one, given that springs stick out of its head when it's injured, and it [[ExplosiveInstrumentation malfunctions spectacularly]] when given too many emotion commands.
46	%%* OhCrap: Dicky when he realizes that Maggie has a crush on him.
47	* OffTheShelfFX: [[spoiler: [=CJ7=]'s SleepModeSize was made from fabric scraps with a markered face, and a green rubber loop from a toy.]]
48	* ParentsAsPeople: Chow. While he can come off as impatient at times, it's all because he's working tirelessly so he can keep paying for Dicky's education and feels like his son doesn't appreciate it. It doesn't help that this includes their poverty-stricken lifestyle. At the end of the day, all Chow really wants is for his son to have a better future.
49	* PerpetualPoverty: Chow and Dicky are so poor that they live in the ruins of an old house ''and'' finally getting to buy an electric fan is like getting a plasma screen TV for them.
50	* ProductPlacement: The "[=CJ1=]" toy is actually from the existing ''Robosapiens'' toyline.
51	* {{Retraux}}: Apart from the toy and some traffic lights, this movieverse seems to be stuck in the 1970's.
52	* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: [=CJ7=] and [[spoiler: the ensuing horde of its own species that are dropped off on Earth.]] Holy mother of cuteness, [=CJ7=] is incredibly cute and lively for a pet that's not even technically alive!
53	* RubberMan: [=CJ7=]'s body is pliable and stretchy, as it turns out.
54	* SecondaryCharacterTitle: Believe it or not, [=CJ7=] is not the main focus of the plot. The movie is about Dicky and Chow overcoming their problems with each other and their lifestyle. The premise of a boy finding an alien and keeping it as a toy is barely expanded upon.
55	* ShoutOut:
56	%%** [=CJ7=] has a ''lot'' in common with the classic Creator/{{Disney}} movie ''Film/PetesDragon1977''.
57	** One of Dicky's {{Imagine Spot}}s has him throwing a set of shades at the camera, who then explodes in slow-motion, imitating a shot from the opening of ''Film/MissionImpossibleII''.
58	* SleepModeSize: [[spoiler: When [=CJ7=] uses all its power to [[BackFromTheDead bring Chow back to life,]] its antennae ball thingy falls out and disintegrates, and it shrinks down to the size of a small(er) doll, complete with [[WingdingEyes X's for eyes.]]]]
59	* StarringSpecialEffects: [=CJ7=] is CGI and interacts with live-action actors.
60	* TitleDrop: When bullies mock Dicky's newfound toy (what seems to be a rubber ball), Dicky declares it to be the "[=CJ7=]".
61	%%* TokenRomance: Subverted -- [[CasanovaWannabe Chow]] has ''no luck at all'' with Dicky's hot teacher.
62	* VocalDissonance: Maggie retains the voice of a little girl despite having the physical appearance of a large weightlifting man.

Context Film / CJ7