On Demand Weekly

On Demand Weekly provides new movie reviews of hot movies on demand from the POV of watching from the comfort of your home. Today’s review: MADE IN CHINA by new contributing writer Jean Tait. Email Jean your comments here.

Written and directed Judith Krant MADE IN CHINA, won the coveted SXSW Grand Jury Prize for Narrative Film.

MADE IN CHINA follows the adventures of our intrepid hero, Johnson, whose dream is to start a successful Novelty Item company. Candide-like, Johnson naively leaves his backwoods Texas home to start up manufacturing in China following a connection made on Craigslist. Reaching Shanghai, Johnson slowly realizes he’s been swindled, but still doesn’t develop the cynicism needed to make it in a cutthroat world. Jackson Kuehn handles the role of Johnson with keen comic timing and heart.

Debut writer/director/producer Judith Krant keeps the plot moving in Shanghai with flashbacks to Johnson’s small town search for investors and to animated clips telling the stories of the novelty inventors that inspired him.

This sweetly funny film will have you looking at the world around you in a different way, wondering if you, too, could come up with the next pet rock!


- Jean Tait

Jean Tait is a new contributing writer to On Demand Weekly. Currently the Director of Programming for the Connecticut Film Festival, Jean has programmed for the Jacksonville Film Festival and Sundance Channel.