Just Follow Law
Encyclopedia
Just Follow Law is a 2007 Singaporean comedy
film directed by Jack Neo
, and starring Gurmit Singh
of Phua Chu Kang
fame, Fann Wong
, Moses Lim
, Samuel Chong, Lina Ng
and Steven Woon. The title is a pun
on the Singlish
phrase "just follow lor", which means to comply with orders without questioning why. This film also changes Neo's trademark of producing movies filled with dialects that will contain English in most parts.
In the film, a blue-collar technician and the events and promotion department director swap souls after a freak accident at a fictional government agency Work Allocation Singapore (WAS). It presents a satirical
look at the inflexibility of outdated governmental rules and regulations and the rigid mindsets of local civil servants
who follow rules to a fault is portrayed.
It was first released in Singapore
on 15 February 2007 and Malaysia and Brunei on 22 March 2007.
In an effort to prepare for the VIP
visit, they decide to put the things outside temporarily. However, during a Chinese minister's visit, Lim's poor work ethics, combined with his incompetence causes the minister to fall during a photoshoot when the wall gives way due to the use of masking tapes instead of nails. An investigation is carried out, and 'finger-pointing' is done to find the scapegoat
, in which Lim is blamed. As a result, his bonus is cut, and Lim stems his anger toward Tanya. Their confrontation leads into a car chase in which he chases Ms. Chew's 1998 Seat Toledo
in his Citroën Berlingo
until the vehicles collide, causing both to run off the flyover and fall down to the beach.
The duo are knocked unconscious due to this resulting accident, and are sent to the hospital. There, they are in critical condition, but amazingly, both recovers, but Lim wakes up and finds out that he is in Tanya's body. Whereas Tanya is in her employee's body. They are forced to accept into living in each other's roles and work under their respective bodies' occupation. "Lim" upgrades her/his skills as a technician, while "Tanya" idles around
, performing poorly in his/her capacity as a department director.
Due to "Tanya"'s negligence, the department grossly overspends and the CEO, together with Chee and Eric, two department heads who had been offended by Tanya earlier, plans to shut down the department. In an attempt to save the department from closure, Tanya and Lim plan to put on a successful Job Fair Exhibition so that the CEO would think twice about shutting it down. Tanya and Lim try ways of getting publicity, but red tape
and lack of information gets in their way and they would have to wait at least three months to be able to do anything. However, it proceeds smoothly, and Tanya hires a pyrotechnics operator, who is actually a demolition expert. After a series of trials and tribulations, the Job Fair is realized.
During the fair, Chee and Eric attempt to sabotage the Fair, but Tanya and Lim repaired quickly by means of masking tape. Tanya and Lim deal with the obstacles as they come until the final sing-along session on stage, with the Minister. However, the stage catches fire as the planned pyrotechnics, combined with the pyrotechnic launcher's disobedience and the direction of the launching cannon towards the curtain. Having trapped in the ensuing utter chaos, the people dash about the stage in every direction, finding a way out. The Minister finally finds an escape route when a taped board falls off. Many of them have run down without any single casualty, and thus the situation is under control. As the Civil Defense
firefighter
s arrive on the scene to put out the fires, Tanya rescues Lim's daughter.
A board of inquiry looks into the actions during the fire. During the 2007 National Creativity Award ceremony, Lim was awarded for his use of masking tapes to save 53 lives and his initiative to invent a fire escape wall. Two months later, the statutory board has folded as WAS shuts down. Uncle Tiong retires because of his heart attack. Eric is sacked and has his pension
(CPF) confiscated when their plot is discovered. Chee becomes the first director in history to receive pink slip for skills obsolete. The CEO is blacklisted for making too many mistakes, but later establishes the Minced Pork Organisation, only to be dissolved months later.
Lim and Tanya, having going in their separate ways other than working, decide to re-enact the accident in an attempt to switch back to their original bodies. They start their same vehicles and drive off at the same time and place, doing the same collision. The actual result is left for the audience to decided as there are two different endings.
Other notable Singaporean media personalities and actors such as Henry Thia
, Mark Lee
, Hossan Leong
, Selena Tan
and Joe Phua were also cast as minor characters.
Lee Hsien Loong
's speech at the 2006 National Day about the lack of professionalism among Singaporean workers. Most of the workers completes work on time during evenings and their mentality of staying beyond that time would be like doing as a favour. He hopes to use the movie to highlight the bureaucracy inefficiencies in office.
format starting in 1 February 2006 and ending in March 2006.
and Vice Versa.
During certain sequences, some of the sound effects come from various sources, notably including the 2004 video game Half-Life 2
. For example, the Minister falls down through a poorly erected wall during his visit of WAS; Lim Teng Zui's Citroën Berlingo
crashes on the ground. Later on, the Ssangyong Istana
doors open to reveal the bikini dancers and hunks; the Singapore Civil Defence Force
's Dennis Sabre
fire engine stops over a VIP lot.
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
film directed by Jack Neo
Jack Neo
Jack Neo Chee Keong , PBM, credited as Jack Neo on screen, is a Chinese Singaporean film and television actor, host and director...
, and starring Gurmit Singh
Gurmit Singh
Gurmit Ottawan Singh Gurmit Ottawan Singh Gurmit Ottawan Singh (born March 24, 1965; is a popular Singaporean actor, host and comedy performer. He is best known for his role in Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd, and is one of the leading artistes in MediaCorp.-Life:...
of Phua Chu Kang
Phua Chu Kang
Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd, also known as PCK Pte Ltd or Phua Chu Kang for short , was a Singaporean sitcom on MediaCorp TV Channel 5. The show debuted in Singapore in 1997. A sequel, Phua Chu Kang Sdn...
fame, Fann Wong
Fann Wong
Fann Woon Fong , better known by her stage name Fann Wong, is a Singaporean actress, singer and model.At Singapore's Star Awards 1995, Fann became the first actress to win both the Best Actress and Best Newcomer awards in the same year...
, Moses Lim
Moses Lim
Moses Lim is a Singaporean actor, gourmet, entrepreuner, and comedian, best known for playing Tan Ah Teck in the Singaporean sitcom Under One Roof . Recently he played Eric Tan in the Singaporean film Just Follow Law...
, Samuel Chong, Lina Ng
Lina Ng
Lina Ng is a Singaporean JTEAM actress, formerly under MediaCorp and MediaWorks. She was initiated into acting as the 1st runner-up for Star Search 1993. She currently runs a childcare centre with ex-MediaWorks actress Evelyn Tan...
and Steven Woon. The title is a pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
on the Singlish
Singlish
Colloquial Singaporean English, also known as Singlish, is an English-based creole language spoken in Singapore.Singlish is commonly regarded with low prestige in Singapore. The Singaporean government and many Singaporeans alike heavily discourage the use of Singlish in favour of Standard English...
phrase "just follow lor", which means to comply with orders without questioning why. This film also changes Neo's trademark of producing movies filled with dialects that will contain English in most parts.
In the film, a blue-collar technician and the events and promotion department director swap souls after a freak accident at a fictional government agency Work Allocation Singapore (WAS). It presents a satirical
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
look at the inflexibility of outdated governmental rules and regulations and the rigid mindsets of local civil servants
Singapore Civil Service
The Singapore Civil Service is the set of civil servants working for the Government of Singapore. Many of its principles were inherited from the administrative system left by the British Civil Service, as Singapore was once a British colony....
who follow rules to a fault is portrayed.
It was first released in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
on 15 February 2007 and Malaysia and Brunei on 22 March 2007.
Plot
Lim Teng Zui is a WAS technician who is a single father with a young girl named Xiao Mei. He is often at loggerheads with his supervisor Tanya Chew. Tanya stays in a high-end condominium with her mother but rarely spends time with her. Alan Lui, the CEO of WAS, briefs Lau Chee Hong, Eric Tan and Uncle Tiong about Minister Seetoh accompanying China's Minister of Manpower, Mr. Chen and his delegates will be visiting the department.In an effort to prepare for the VIP
Very Important Person
A Very Important Person, or VIP is a person who is accorded special privileges due to his or her status or importance.Examples include celebrities, heads of state/heads of government, major employers, high rollers, politicians, high-level corporate officers, wealthy individuals, or any other...
visit, they decide to put the things outside temporarily. However, during a Chinese minister's visit, Lim's poor work ethics, combined with his incompetence causes the minister to fall during a photoshoot when the wall gives way due to the use of masking tapes instead of nails. An investigation is carried out, and 'finger-pointing' is done to find the scapegoat
Scapegoat
Scapegoating is the practice of singling out any party for unmerited negative treatment or blame. Scapegoating may be conducted by individuals against individuals , individuals against groups , groups against individuals , and groups against groups Scapegoating is the practice of singling out any...
, in which Lim is blamed. As a result, his bonus is cut, and Lim stems his anger toward Tanya. Their confrontation leads into a car chase in which he chases Ms. Chew's 1998 Seat Toledo
SEAT Toledo
The second generation Toledo was introduced in 1998 and made its debut at the 1998 Paris Motor Show as a four-door notchback sedan. It was more rounded than the previous first generation shape and had a much more fluid design, although both were products of Giorgetto Giugiaro's Italdesign studio...
in his Citroën Berlingo
Citroën Berlingo
The Citroën Berlingo is a panel van and leisure activity vehicle produced by the French manufacturer Citroën since 1996. It was based on the Citroën ZX/Peugeot 306 estate floorpan and mechanicals...
until the vehicles collide, causing both to run off the flyover and fall down to the beach.
The duo are knocked unconscious due to this resulting accident, and are sent to the hospital. There, they are in critical condition, but amazingly, both recovers, but Lim wakes up and finds out that he is in Tanya's body. Whereas Tanya is in her employee's body. They are forced to accept into living in each other's roles and work under their respective bodies' occupation. "Lim" upgrades her/his skills as a technician, while "Tanya" idles around
Slacker
The term "slacker" is used to refer to a person who habitually avoids work. Slackers may be regarded as belonging to an antimaterialistic counterculture, though in some cases their behavior may be due to other causes ....
, performing poorly in his/her capacity as a department director.
Due to "Tanya"'s negligence, the department grossly overspends and the CEO, together with Chee and Eric, two department heads who had been offended by Tanya earlier, plans to shut down the department. In an attempt to save the department from closure, Tanya and Lim plan to put on a successful Job Fair Exhibition so that the CEO would think twice about shutting it down. Tanya and Lim try ways of getting publicity, but red tape
Red tape
Red tape is excessive regulation or rigid conformity to formal rules that is considered redundant or bureaucratic and hinders or prevents action or decision-making...
and lack of information gets in their way and they would have to wait at least three months to be able to do anything. However, it proceeds smoothly, and Tanya hires a pyrotechnics operator, who is actually a demolition expert. After a series of trials and tribulations, the Job Fair is realized.
During the fair, Chee and Eric attempt to sabotage the Fair, but Tanya and Lim repaired quickly by means of masking tape. Tanya and Lim deal with the obstacles as they come until the final sing-along session on stage, with the Minister. However, the stage catches fire as the planned pyrotechnics, combined with the pyrotechnic launcher's disobedience and the direction of the launching cannon towards the curtain. Having trapped in the ensuing utter chaos, the people dash about the stage in every direction, finding a way out. The Minister finally finds an escape route when a taped board falls off. Many of them have run down without any single casualty, and thus the situation is under control. As the Civil Defense
Singapore Civil Defence Force
The Singapore Civil Defence Force is the main agency in charge of the provision of emergency services in Singapore during peacetime and emergency.A uniformed organisation under the purview of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the main role of SCDF is to provide...
firefighter
Firefighter
Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...
s arrive on the scene to put out the fires, Tanya rescues Lim's daughter.
A board of inquiry looks into the actions during the fire. During the 2007 National Creativity Award ceremony, Lim was awarded for his use of masking tapes to save 53 lives and his initiative to invent a fire escape wall. Two months later, the statutory board has folded as WAS shuts down. Uncle Tiong retires because of his heart attack. Eric is sacked and has his pension
Pension
In general, a pension is an arrangement to provide people with an income when they are no longer earning a regular income from employment. Pensions should not be confused with severance pay; the former is paid in regular installments, while the latter is paid in one lump sum.The terms retirement...
(CPF) confiscated when their plot is discovered. Chee becomes the first director in history to receive pink slip for skills obsolete. The CEO is blacklisted for making too many mistakes, but later establishes the Minced Pork Organisation, only to be dissolved months later.
Lim and Tanya, having going in their separate ways other than working, decide to re-enact the accident in an attempt to switch back to their original bodies. They start their same vehicles and drive off at the same time and place, doing the same collision. The actual result is left for the audience to decided as there are two different endings.
Cast
- Fann WongFann WongFann Woon Fong , better known by her stage name Fann Wong, is a Singaporean actress, singer and model.At Singapore's Star Awards 1995, Fann became the first actress to win both the Best Actress and Best Newcomer awards in the same year...
as Tanya Chew - Gurmit SinghGurmit SinghGurmit Ottawan Singh Gurmit Ottawan Singh Gurmit Ottawan Singh (born March 24, 1965; is a popular Singaporean actor, host and comedy performer. He is best known for his role in Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd, and is one of the leading artistes in MediaCorp.-Life:...
as Lim Teng Zui - Moses LimMoses LimMoses Lim is a Singaporean actor, gourmet, entrepreuner, and comedian, best known for playing Tan Ah Teck in the Singaporean sitcom Under One Roof . Recently he played Eric Tan in the Singaporean film Just Follow Law...
played Eric Tan. - Samuel Chong played Alan Lui.
- Steven Woon played Lau Chee Hong.
Other notable Singaporean media personalities and actors such as Henry Thia
Henry Thia
Henry Thia is a Singaporean actor who is probably best known for his roles in Money No Enough and Police & Thief as Hui and Georgie Gan respectively...
, Mark Lee
Mark Lee (comedian)
Mark Lee Kok Huang is a Singaporean Chinese comedian, actor and film director. He works in MediaCorp and J Team Productions with Jack Neo. He is famous for, amongst others, playing the title role in Singapore's MediaCorp TV Channel 5 television sitcom Police & Thief as Lee Tok Kong, Phua Chu Kang...
, Hossan Leong
Hossan Leong
Hossan Leong is a stage and screen actor from Singapore.Educated at the Anglo-Chinese School for most his primary and secondary school years, Hossan was active in many stage productions even before he left the school system and embarked on a 2 year diploma course in electronics at the...
, Selena Tan
Selena Tan
Selena Tan is an actress and the owner of Dream Academy, most notable as one of the famous Dim Sum Dollies. Tan started acting at age 14. She was educated at Fairfield Medthodist Secondary School and graduated with a law degree from National University of Singapore.-Movies and TV appearances:*...
and Joe Phua were also cast as minor characters.
Development and writing
The development of Just Follow Law began when Jack Neo pitched the idea of Fann Wong during one of their backstage meetings, though they had yet to agree on the location of the agreement. It was inspired by then Prime MinisterPrime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Lee Hsien Loong
Lee Hsien Loong
Lee Hsien Loong is the third and current Prime Minister of Singapore. He is married to Ho Ching, who is the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Temasek Holdings. He is the eldest son of Singapore's first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew....
's speech at the 2006 National Day about the lack of professionalism among Singaporean workers. Most of the workers completes work on time during evenings and their mentality of staying beyond that time would be like doing as a favour. He hopes to use the movie to highlight the bureaucracy inefficiencies in office.
Filming
This film began shooting in high-definition videoHigh-definition video
High-definition video or HD video refers to any video system of higher resolution than standard-definition video, and most commonly involves display resolutions of 1,280×720 pixels or 1,920×1,080 pixels...
format starting in 1 February 2006 and ending in March 2006.
Release
It had a strong opening during Chinese New Year, earning $421,000 from 35 prints for second place in the chart.- SingaporeSingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
15 February 2007 - Malaysia 22 March 2007
- BruneiBruneiBrunei , officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace , is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia...
22 March 2007 - Hong KongHong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
10 May 2007 - IndonesiaIndonesiaIndonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
21 August 2007
Reception
At the Golden Horse Awards 2007, Just Follow Law was nominated for Best Original Screenplay and Best Visual Effects, while Gurmit Singh was one of four considered for Best Actor. He did not win.Movie connections
Just Follow Law contains many references and homages to films. The soul switching between the leading characters references to that from Freaky FridayFreaky Friday
Freaky Friday is a classic comedic children’s novel written by Mary Rodgers first published in the USA in 1972, and adapted for film several times.-Plot:...
and Vice Versa.
During certain sequences, some of the sound effects come from various sources, notably including the 2004 video game Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2 , the sequel to Half-Life, is a first-person shooter video game and a signature title in the Half-Life series. It is singleplayer, story-driven, science fiction, and linear...
. For example, the Minister falls down through a poorly erected wall during his visit of WAS; Lim Teng Zui's Citroën Berlingo
Citroën Berlingo
The Citroën Berlingo is a panel van and leisure activity vehicle produced by the French manufacturer Citroën since 1996. It was based on the Citroën ZX/Peugeot 306 estate floorpan and mechanicals...
crashes on the ground. Later on, the Ssangyong Istana
SsangYong Istana
The SsangYong Istana is a 2, 9, 12 and 15 seat van based on the Mercedes-Benz MB100 'Bus' variant. It comes with most of the options of the MB100 as well.-References:...
doors open to reveal the bikini dancers and hunks; the Singapore Civil Defence Force
Singapore Civil Defence Force
The Singapore Civil Defence Force is the main agency in charge of the provision of emergency services in Singapore during peacetime and emergency.A uniformed organisation under the purview of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the main role of SCDF is to provide...
's Dennis Sabre
Dennis Sabre
The Dennis Sabre was a purpose-built fire appliance introduced by Dennis Specialist Vehicles of Guildford, Surrey, England in the mid-1990s. The Sabre comes in three sizes, Sabre, Sabre ML, Sabre XL. Most of the coachbuilding on these chassis were by John Dennis Coachbuilders of Guildford, England....
fire engine stops over a VIP lot.