Made in China 2009

The film follows Johnson Jackson Kuehn, a twenty-something from Texas who believes he has designed the next great novelty item—a humorous domestic hygiene product that could redefine everyday life. He reaches out to a Chinese manufacturer in Shanghai via Craigslist and stakes his life savings on turning his dream into a tangible product. Upon arrival, his contact, James Choi, fails to show up or answer his calls, leaving him to navigate a foreign business landscape with stubborn optimism. A determined yet inexperienced entrepreneur, he decides to negotiate the manufacturing contract himself, even though he doesn’t know Chinese, turning every obstacle into a test of his resolve.

His journey sweeps through Shanghai’s neon-lit nights, crowded markets, and lively street corners as he moves from nightclubs to market stalls in a relentless pursuit of a deal. Along the way he encounters scam artists Magnus Dan Sumpter and Olive Syna Zhang, who pull him into a web of schemes that blur the lines between opportunity and deceit. Johnson articulates a conviction that every object has a story, and in that story is an inventor, a line that anchors the film’s broader meditation on invention and imagination.

every object has a story, and in that story is an inventor

To illuminate this idea, the film threads in the histories of iconic novelty creators—from Soren Sorensen Adams, who popularized the joy buzzer, to Gary Dahl with the Pet Rock, Richard T. James and the Slinky, and Milton Levine with the ant farms—presenting a thoughtful retrospective on how peculiar ideas become enduring cultural touchstones. The narrative blends humor with cultural discovery, showing how ambitious dreams confront market realities, miscommunications, and the unpredictable human elements that accompany every new product.

In a playful, artful coda, the story culminates with a cameo by Matthew McConaughey, a fellow Texan, who appears using Johnson’s invention in a moment that ties the personal to a larger American mythos of invention and reinvention. The film remains anchored in a tone that is balanced, curious, and hopeful, inviting audiences to consider not only the gadgetry of novelty but the people, perspectives, and perseverance that bring ideas to life.