Review: How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies (2024)

In Los Angeles 1998, there was only one method for impressionable tweens to watch Thai pop stars like Tata Young and Mos Partiparn, or Pepsi’s X-Venture concerts, or any dramas and game shows from Thailand. That was to drive down Sunset Blvd and into the plaza across the street from the giant 99 cents store. In that plaza was a little store in the corner that promised to deliver any pop culture from Thailand by renting out out VHS tapes of copied media. There would be rows of VHS tapes organized by genres and labeled with bright stickers. It was pretty much a Blockbuster for Thai media. With a yearly fee, members would be able to catch up on whatever they liked by borrowing videos. Sometimes there would be weeks in between series or months for the next pop event to watch. It didn’t matter how long it would take, we would wait for it.

Over twenty years later, we’re proud to see that Thailand now exports movies worth of Oscar attention.

Sharing that personal story is to boost why How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies deserves attention. The ease of obtaining Thai cinema has improved by leaps and bounds so now the country needs to level up on showing the global audience what Thai creators are capable beyond BL Television shows and horror movies. Thai cinema is crucial not only to expand the global knowledge of Thailand but also to share their stories with Thai people who are spread around the world. The more eyeballs on this comedy/family drama the better. More eyeballs equates to more buzz which can lead to possible awards win and opens to the door to more green-lit projects.

What makes a movie an Oscar winning movie? That specific answer to that question is unknown as votes are subjective to the cinematic preferences of the Academy members. As a casual devourer of pop culture, the end results of an Oscar movie had never been significant until 2019. Unsurprisingly, the ripple effect resulting from 2019 Parasite’s Oscar win resulted in a greater influx of Korean cinematic reaching global audiences. Cheering How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies has become a sense of national pride for Thai cinema to make their mark with awards.

Aside from national pride, is How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies a movie worth rooting for? The answer is an honest, sort of. There’s the drama of family dynamics like Parasite but minus the bone-chilling plots. How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies is a leveled up typical Thai family drama that deals with heavy issues but with the typical witty and dark humor that Thai people love to do.

The heart of this unconventionally named film is cancer. Cancer is a disease that affects billions of people globally. It is near difficult to not be affected by cancer or know someone who has been affected by cancer. It is a topic that can triggering for many as the progression of cancer upon those afflicted with the disease can be brutally long and painful. The long process of treating the disease takes a heavy toll upon both the patient and the family.

For the Asian community, approaching cancer is an even more difficult path as it depends the community. Often the cancer is initially diagnosed at a later stage due to a reluctance for screening or cultural road blocks.

““Among Asian and NHPI subgroups, the frequency of late-stage diagnoses for screening-detected cancers ranged from 25.7% (Japanese) to 40.2% (Other Southeast Asian) and 40.3% (Pacific Islander) for breast cancer; from 38.1% (Other Asian) to 61.1% (Korean) for cervical cancer; from 52.4% (Other Asian) to 64.7% (Other Southeast Asian) for colorectal cancer; and from 70.0% (Other Asian) to 78.5% (Other Southeast Asian) for lung cancer”

— Cancer Distribution Among Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Subgroups — United States, 2015–2019

In How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies , it is clear who in the movie has been diagnosed with cancer (answer: Grandma).. The core of the movie follows the re-kindling of the bond between Amah (played by Usha “Taew” Seamkhum) and her grandson, M (played Putthipong “Billkin” Assaratankui) during her cancer.

Note for those unfamiliar with Thai names: Thai people carry two sets of names: their long name and their short name which could be considered their nickname. Throughout the movie, the characters will address one another by their casual short names.

Another note about this film: this a Thai-Chinese family. Thailand is a melting pot of many cultures from the surrounding countries and incoming visitors. Instead of a Buddha statue, Amah emphasizes the care and respect for Guanyin, who is a Chinese deity. Amah is also seen lightly teasing M for his poor understanding of Chinese language and traditions. For someone who also straddles two cultures, I would say to M: the struggle is completely relatable.

Thai dramas very heavy about stressing the importance of family and respecting the elders. What makes this movie pretty unique from typical Thai dramas is its honest. The re-kindling of the bond between Grandma and M was not an entirely altruistic move. M was definitely investing his time and energy into caring for his Amah because of traditional filially grandson duties. He wanted to make some easy money because his streaming hustle wasn’t working. Inspired by his cousin’s ability to nab and sell a million dollar home after the death of her own grandfather, M immediately heads to Amah after hearing the cancer news. That right there is the most brutally honest motive that has been seen in a Thai drama. Sometimes family are just selfish humans.

The honesty continues with Amah’s children. The elderly can experience a bittersweet mix of pride and loneliness watching their offspring succeed in living their own lives. They may not be perfect but they’re grown and are surviving on their own. Children grow and leave their parents behind with the parents adjusting to their much quieter existence. With Amah’s cancer diagnosis, the three adult children struggle to re-route their own lives to this new reality. They work with their inner turmoil of their mothers re-entrance into their lives and the gloom of accepting sad truth of adjusting to a future without her.

How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies acknowledges that family bonds are not pretty and can be unintentionally cruel. There are definitely some great scenes to illicit some giggles but there is just as much hearty moments that will grip the heartstrings. This is the kind of movie where elders will watch first and then drag their children along to watch it a second time. Tissues and speed-dialing your parents are a given. No matter which country the viewer is from, the story of loss and coming to terms of the new future without that person is relatable to all.

Visually, this movie was just absolutely gorgeous and so amazingly filmed . Many of the scenes were in Amah’s small tenement house that is covered with piles of knick knacks and everyday items. It should feel absolutely crowded but feels open, like we stepped into an boundless world of history and love.

Aside from the Oscar nomination, How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies is beautiful movie that should be experienced. It’s a slice of life story that many may find to bitter to enjoy but it’s still work the taste.

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