Just Follow Law

This is the latest movie by Jack Neo, a local (Singaporean) director (the link is here). It stars Gurmit Singh and Fann Wong, both well-known celebrities in Singapore. This movie is about the civil service here, where everything must be in "black-and-white", where email is the main form of communication (even if you sit in the next cubicle), where you need to fill in forms and wait X number of working days before anything happens, where people avoid making decisions in case it lands them in trouble, where things are pushed from department (or agency) to department in a merry-go-round fashion.

People are forced to cut costs and work within tight budgets, scholars (elites) think they know everything, there is a constant craze to upgrade to avoid becoming obsolete, and rules govern everything. People are told to think out of the box, but no one is willing to bend or break rules for fear of getting themselves into trouble or having to take the blame should something fail.

There are many digs at the civil service in this movie, but none of it is harmful. It is especially close to heart to those who work in or with the civil service, and that includes all those who serve national service (in which two full fears, or more in the past, are spent serving the country). It brings fun to the public by making fun out of the monster called the civil service which we all love to hate but cannot do without.

Fann Wong is especially good in this movie, showing her potential at acting various roles. This time, she acts as the aloft, all-knowing scholar in the first part of the movie. Later, she acted as a man trapped inside a woman's body. Gurmit Singh had a harder time trying to play the woman trapped in a man's body, though.

So if you have time during this festive season, do catch this movie for a good laugh.