Made in China is a 2009 comedy film co-written, directed, and produced by Judith “Judi” Krant. It is also produced by James Choi, Bronwyn Cornelius and co-written by Dan Sumpter. The film stars Jackson Kuehn, Dan Sumpter, Syna Zhang, and Deng Juan. It follows Johnson, an optimistic albeit naïve Texan, as he navigates through Shanghai's foreign streets to make his dream a reality. The title, Made in China, is a reference to the commonly found manufacturing label.

Plot

The film focuses on a novelty inventor named "Johnson", a 20-something from Texas who has designed what he believes will be the next great novelty item - " a humorous domestic hygiene product". He makes contact with a Chinese manufacturer in Shanghai via Craigslist and decides to fly to China with his life savings to create his dream product. Upon arrival, his contact - the elusive James Choi, fails to show up or answer his phone. A fish out of water but optimistic and determined, Johnson decides to negotiate the manufacturing contract himself, without knowledge of Chinese. The film follows Johnson as he makes his journey through Shanghai to achieve his dreams, from nightclubs to market streets, after becoming involved with scam artists Magnus (Dan Sumpter) and Olive (Syna Zhang). Johnson explains, "every object has a story, and in that story is an inventor" and through his adventure, the history of iconic novelty inventors is revealed, including joy buzzer's Soren Sorensen Adams, pet rock's Gary Dahl, slinky's Richard T. James, and the ant farms' Milton Levine. The film's ending features a cameo of Matthew McConaughey, a fellow Texan and celebrity, using Johnson's new novelty product.