I went to a Sunday morning screening and was the only gringo among twenty Asians. This movie just charmed me from the outset. Ma Jiye is a billionaire's son, but his parents have set up an alternate universe for him with seemingly unlimited funds. Teng Shen and Li Ma are absolutely perfect in these roles. Only by overcoming the most incredible adversity can MJ grow up into a truly great man capable of running a giant corporation as the Successor. Ma Chenggang and Chunlan have engineered quite the environment. Ma Jiye is being raised by them, acting as a struggling couple, in a pathetic slum with a supposedly crippled grandmother in tow. Rina Sa was terrific as granny. Secret entrances and compartments reveal a sleek elevator, an esteemed chef and all of Ma Chenggang's employees. His English teachers were pretty cool, including a hot Russian babe. The whole conceit is so endearing and exciting to watch unfold. Despite knowing no Mandarin or Chinese, the subtitles were enough to keep me howling with laughter. He collects cans and bottles for family cash. He gets relentlessly bullied for being dirt poor. He runs three miles a day to get to school, then three back. This crazy routine impresses a track coach, who comes to their house to recruit him. But his parents fake a foot injury to keep him from becoming a jock. He's going to take the critical college entrance exam and get accepted into the best business school in the country if it kills them. The first born son inherits nothing in Chinese culture and here is painted as a loser idiot. But will MJ catch onto the family's elaborate scam and upset the apple cart? You'll never guess what's on the exam answer sheet that he submits to his proctor. The film is rather drawn out at 2:13 for a comedy. But unless you're dying to hit the bathroom, it's a nice long ride. There are also very good action scenes. Congratulations to directors Da-Mo Peng and Fei Yan.
