Official website: http://www.moneynoenough2.com/
10 years after the release of Money No Enough, Jack Neo is finally back with Money No Enough II, a story injected with comedy and the use of dialects that revolves around the problem of having not enough money in modern Singapore.
As film director Jack Neo is renowned for producing comedy films and movies, many of us may enter the cinema expecting to watch a show entirely filled with humorous scenarios and conversations. However, this time round, Jack Neo actually succeeded in stirring up different emotions in each individual watching the show. On a negative note, foreigners who are unfamiliar with Hokkien may find it slightly difficult to understand the humor content although subtitles are provided. 
The main storyline of this movie is about the lives of three brothers (Henry Thia, Jack Neo, Mark Lee) who are striving very hard to earn as much as money they can. The oldest brother, despite being the poorest of the three, is in charge of taking care of their aged mother. However, after being inspired by his brothers to venture into business, they soon begin to neglect her. Frequent quarrels arise, debating on who is supposed to take care of their aged mother and who is supposed to pay her medical fees. The lack of transactional communication between the three bothers and the old lady caused her to live in misery. Decisions were made between the three brothers, however, they did not take into consideration the opinion of their mother. There was no opportunity for feedback at all. All she could do was accept what her children planned for her (linear model of communication), even when she was left to sleep in the bathroom.
Scenarios of strong verbal communication, whereby second son (Mark Lee) shouted incessantly at his own wife even though she was not the one at fault, provokes the audience to feel a sense of sympathy for his wife. Despite the use of harsh words on his wife, Mark Lee's clever use of facial expressions (nonverbal communication) proved to us that he actually cares for his wife deep inside. Nonverbal forms of communications were also largely portrayed in this movie. A particular scene which I found really tear-jerking was where eldest son (Henry Thia) was assigned to send the old lady to the old folks' home whereby she will be able to receive better medical treatment and care from the nurses over there since the three brothers are busy with their businesses which were on the rocks. In order to avoid hearing his mother's sorrowful cries, Henry Thia ran as fast as he could, without knowing that his poor mother has already collapsed outside the Home. Paired together with a Hokkien song about the woes of being a mother, I feel that this particular scene has successfully reached the hearts of the audience, especially in our society whereby the elderly increasingly becoming neglected by their children.
I feel that the importance of interpersonal communication is strongly highlighted in this movie. Although verbal communication is important, it is crucial for us to not neglect the significance of nonverbal communication. The receiver of the message should be able to decode the message correctly, otherwise there may be certain consequences to bear. An instance in the movie would be a scene whereby Mark Lee's wife secretly misappropriated her company's funds in order to finance her husband's company. All these were done in the name of love, yet they were being misinterpreted as being nosy. Yet another scene is where the old lady kept repeating her questions to her sons because she was suffering from Alzheimer's, yet her sons felt that she was being naggy and irritating. This negligence led to the worsening of her medical conditions as no appropriate treatment was given.
Due to the fact that this film is a local production, it is inevitable, or rather, necessary (i feel), for the inclusion of different dialects to reach out to our local audiences and further emphasize the impact of the messages that are supposed to be brought across. The use of Hokkien songs and conversations effectively allowed audiences to feel a tad "closer" to the movie and feel like they are able to connect with what the director is trying to bring across as they are familiar with the language used. This appropriate use of language clearly illustrates one of Francis Bacon's Idols in the modern period, Idols of the Marketplace. Money No Enough II touched on local issues such as the increase in the number of ERP gantries around the island, the importance of filial piety, integrity, and most importantly, the need of effective communication. The self-sacrificial actions of the old lady (her willingness to give up the last packet of blood for her granddaughter, to sleep in the bathroom in order to prevent creating inconveniences for her children) led us to reflect on the way we treat our elders and also motivates us to be better, more filial children in future.
Money No Enough II, I feel, has been a successful production as it has an emotional and rational appeal that stimulates the arousal of different emotions in every individual. Each of us leaves the cinema with a different feeling in our hearts, and a different goal on how to cherish our loved ones before it is too late.
