Film Name:西虹市首富 / Hello Mr. Billionaire
It’s a hit. Another hit.
Honestly, I wasn’t too optimistic about “Hello Mr. Billionaire” before its release. While it had plenty of surface-level appeal, the underlying risks seemed high—who knows, maybe this time Happy Mahua’s film would flop… But reality slapped me in the face. The box office response these past few days proves they’ve pulled off another triumph.
After watching it, I’d even say “Hello Mr. Billionaire” is a gem that “looks like a sack of rags but hides a treasure within”—despite its poorly constructed story and lackluster gags. Yet upon reflection, this film is genuinely solid.
[Friendly reminder: Spoilers ahead.]
Although it’s an adaptation, “Hello Mr. Billionaire” can be viewed entirely as an original work, given its comprehensive localization overhaul.
“Spend a billion yuan in one month!” Sounds thrilling, but this selling point inevitably invites unavoidable criticism… Before and after its release, many have labeled it as morally corrupt and materialistic—after all, the story reeks of “the stench of money” no matter how you look at it.
Yet this core issue is resolved not long after the film begins.
Wang Duoyu, goalkeeper for the third-tier team “Daxiang FC,” is a middle-aged man with nothing to his name. To scrape by, he’s taken on every low-paying odd job imaginable.
By all accounts, at this stage of life, poverty dulls ambition. Taking 200,000 yuan to fix a match would be the most natural thing in the world—his good buddy Zhuang Qiang agreed for a mere 500 yuan… Yet Wang Duoyu said “no.” Even if he conceded five goals fairly, he refused to throw three on purpose. He might be incompetent, but he wasn’t shameless.
To secure the 30 billion yuan inheritance left by Second Master, Wang Duoyu accepted the challenge of “spending 1 billion yuan a month.” At first glance, it seemed he was preparing to indulge in extravagance and hedonism, but upon reading the conditions, I couldn’t help but feel a deep respect: No gambling, prostitution, or drugs. No splurging on every fancy thing he sees. No giving away or donating to charity. No hiring people without limits. No buying antiques or paintings just to destroy them…
Let me break it down: No reckless spending, no squandering valuable items, no cutting corners with shady deals—only legitimate investments and consumption through personal means.
…………Forget overnight millionaires like Wang Duoyu; even legitimate wealthy individuals would struggle to meet these standards! This film’s values on money and consumption are refreshingly “upstanding”!
Though the story itself is utterly mundane, “Hello Mr. Billionaire” imposes a strict constraint, preventing it from descending into complete banality (dangerous territory).
OK, dramatic tension emerges, and comedic effect follows naturally.
For a comedy film, “how funny it is” naturally becomes the primary criterion for most viewers. This film upholds the fine tradition of the Happy Mahua team, with most punchlines laid out upfront and plenty of hidden gags buried throughout. Audiences will inevitably find their own laugh-out-loud moments. Those who remain completely unmoved are likely just people who genuinely dislike this kind of film…
Personally, among Happy Mahua’s films to date—excluding the historically specific “Mr. Donkey”—I laughed less at “Hello Mr. Billionaire” than at “Goodbye Mr. Loser” or “Never Say Die.” Yet this film left me feeling the most thoroughly satisfied.
Because in its use of satire, absurdity, and dark humor, “Hello Mr. Billionaire” has reached a visibly mature level for a modern film, even showing a touch of effortless mastery.
Take Liu Jiannan, one of the “Ten Outstanding Young Persons,” whose main gig is peddling inspirational fluff. He’s essentially cut from the same cloth as those who manufacture anxiety, stoke material desires, and hawk success manuals. He puts on airs about “money being dirt to me,” only to reveal his true colors after Wang Duoyu’s generous support—happily taking on the dual role of a “gardener.” It’s nothing short of scathing.
But the scene that truly blew my mind was when Wang Duoyu, desperate to spend his money fast, kept urging everyone around him to share their “dreams” so he could invest: “Do you have a dream? Who still has dreams?!”
When everyone finally danced on the table celebrating their “dreams coming true,” that scene, that image, that vibe—it sent shivers down my spine.
As for the other satirical elements, everyone gets the point:
Buying a bunch of junk stocks in sunset industries, yet raking in a hundred million just because of a lunch with Lafite;
The Arctic ice-transport project, with its showy flair, unexpectedly hitting the jackpot for both fame and fortune;
A clearly doomed, money-losing construction project unexpectedly becoming a coveted school district property, turning a 10-billion-yuan profit by sheer luck;
Finally, he completed his mission with a novel charity stunt involving “fat insurance.” Despite squandering the funds, he earned the title of “Outstanding Youth” and gained immense popularity. With minor tweaks, turning a profit would be a sure thing (not to mention further boosting the market prospects of his bizarre invention, the “Road Traveler”).
Even paying for a friendly match with the Hengtai team nearly secured him a hundred million investment…
Capital, indeed~ Money begets money~
But the most ingeniously crafted element? The dynamic between Wang Duoyu and Xia Zhu.
Their first encounter was a classic “misunderstanding scenario”: Wang Duoyu and Zhuang Qiang were dealing with a scam artist, yet Xia Zhu saw them as brutal bullies. In her eyes, Wang Duoyu was utterly worthless.
After accepting the challenge to “spend 100 million in a month,” Wang Duoyu specifically demanded Xia Zhu as his accountant—even though he’d become a nouveau riche overnight, she still looked down on him, seeing him as nothing more than a hick who struck it rich, not someone from her world.
Just look at Xia Zhu’s former “perfect” boyfriend, Liu Jiannan (who, by ordinary standards, could barely be considered tall, rich, and handsome, but was exposed for what he truly was by the massive fortune). It becomes clear that Xia Zhu is a young woman with a rather severe petit bourgeois complex.
Alone in a foreign city, celebrating her birthday with a small cake, her boyfriend arrives with flowers and a “Happy Birthday”—just when things seemed about to turn from cloudy to sunny… This seems to be the life script for millions of “Xiazhus.”
But after being driven away by the greedy Liu Jiannan, she unexpectedly encounters Wang Duoyu setting off fireworks and burning money for fun. Mistaking the boss for hitting on her, the story starts to get interesting.
From “financial black widow” to citywide declarations of love, Wang Duoyu’s relentless antics toward Xia Zhu were all about spending money fast… While Xia Zhu began to see Wang Duoyu clearly, she realized the ‘scam’ was merely the surface trigger—ultimately, she fell for the “money offensive.”
Romance isn’t a spring without a source; “wealth” remains one of the top criteria for choosing a partner.
What’s commendable is that “Hello Mr. Billionaire” never shies away from this truth: After learning the facts, Xia Zhu doesn’t resort to clichéd drama by turning on Wang Duoyu. Instead, she directly faces the ultimate test—the “kidnapping” scenario—to settle things once and for all. She then smoothly inherits the fortune, marries, gets pregnant, and travels the world (even pulling off dark humor about child support when donating her fortune)…
“A gentleman loves wealth, but acquires it with integrity, views it with moderation, and uses it with restraint.” The film doesn’t shy away from the realities that “I love money” and “money can buy almost anything,” playfully portraying what most people think but dare not say aloud. This is likely why it garnered both immense popularity and endless criticism. After all, in artistic creations like films, this approach doesn’t exactly scream “politically correct.”
“Hello Mr. Billionaire” is the second Happy Mahua film directed by Yan Fei and Peng Damo, starring Shen Teng. Compared to “Goodbye Mr. Loser,” which pioneered the “Xihongshi Universe,” this film introduces numerous changes while never losing sight of its core essence—cherishing life’s “small” moments with candor and wit.
Even though Wang Duoyu can spend billions monthly and boasts a net worth of 30 billion, he remains a small-time figure in everyone’s eyes—a petty man who’s gotten lucky but hasn’t let it go to his head, stingy with money yet not solely driven by greed…
So even though I don’t find this film particularly brilliant, I’m still willing to give it a positive review.
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