Reviewed by: Darryl Goh

When Jack Neo announced last year that he was going to make the third instalment of Money No Enough, some netizens joked that he was running out of film ideas. 16 years had passed since Money No Enough 2 was released, and Neo found greater box office success with the Ah Boys to Men film series of the 2010s. Why go back to a franchise that few youths—the typical demographic of cinema goers—have watched before or even know about? 

Very simply put, since the Internet boom, finance has changed. People make (and lose) money differently now. There was an opportunity to ‘update’ the everlasting tale of money woes in Singapore, and Neo wanted to seize on it. 

Featuring the same main cast of the franchise, the film follows young seniors Ah Huang (Mark Lee), Ah Hui (Henry Thia) and Ah Qiang (Neo) as they navigate family and financial problems. Delivery driver Ah Huang, the poorest of the trio, struggles with debt and after borrowing money from Ah Hui and Ah Qiang, starts selling unsafe health supplements online to great success. Ah Huang’s greediness soon causes problems for both his daughter and his close friends. 

 Just like Neo’s best films, Money No Enough 3 finds humour in trending stories of today, from the Ringgit exchange rate to unrealistic starting salary demands of fresh graduates. Cryptocurrency and e-commerce are also key plot points in the film, serving as a cautionary tale of investing recklessly and falling for product scams.  

Unfortunately, after a hilarious first half which features many relatable slice-of-life moments, the plot crumbles into a bizarre melodrama. Painfully cliche, the climax involves Ah Huang getting a taste of karma and he has to atone for his sins under absurd circumstances. Although jokes are peppered in, many do not land.  

Nevertheless, Neo’s comedic genius shines in the film’s subplot on religion. Throughout the film, Ah Hui’s Christian daughter tries to convert Ah Hui, against the wishes of his staunchly Buddhist wife (Xiang Yun). The conversations are a masterclass in observational comedy, uniquely Singaporean thanks to the multi-religious society we live in.  

Film still from Money No Enough 3 

One of Neo’s recent criticisms is how his films feature excessive product placements. Money No Enough 3 features fewer logos than his previous films but they are still awkwardly placed and ruin the pacing. Shockingly, a few financial companies thought it was a good idea to sponsor this film, seemingly oblivious that the film’s message of avoiding “too good to be true” investment products could backfire on them. The sponsors may realise that we are laughing at them, not with them. 

Ultimately, the film is full of ironies. Some of the cast are livestream sellers themselves, yet the film paints them as greedy and unethical. Film sponsors think they are immune to the film’s message on investments. The charismatic main cast, now in their 50s and 60s, spew juvenile, crude jokes which overshadow the clever ones.  

Money No Enough 3 offers a decent amount of laughs, but it takes more to live up to the legacy of the franchise.  

Money No Enough 3 is now playing in cinemas.   

Darryl Goh: Darryl obsesses over creative details in media, from films to brand campaigns. He writes about the local creative scene and makes art inspired by local news stories. These personal projects can be tiring at times, but they also make him feel truly alive.  

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This review is also published on Singapore Film Society as part of *SCAPE’s Film Critics Lab: A Writing Mentorship Programme.