Son of a Rich (2019)

Son of a Rich takes a familiar “spoiled brat learns a lesson” setup and turns it into a surprisingly buoyant, cleverly engineered ride, using an immersive 19th-century “time travel” illusion as both a punchline machine and a moral mirror. Klim Shipenko keeps the comedy brisk and good-natured, letting the jokes land while still giving them a bit of bite and context, and the soundtrack adds a slick, modern energy that keeps the film moving like a crowd-pleaser should. Miloš Biković is terrific at making Grisha’s arrogance funny without making the movie mean, so you can enjoy the comeuppance while still rooting for him to grow up. If you’re allergic to broad, high-concept mainstream comedies, it may feel a touch engineered—but if you want a light romantic comedy with heart, momentum, and a genuinely satisfying shift in attitude, this one earns its laughs.

Son of a Rich wants to be a crowd-pleasing “spoiled brat learns humility” rom-com, using a high-concept fake time-travel setup to force its hero into hard work and basic decency. The problem is the story is pretty familiar, the supporting characters feel like props in the lesson, and the movie leans on humiliation and violence as “rehabilitation” in a way that can feel uncomfortable rather than cathartic. If you’re sensitive to coercive “tough love” played for laughs, or you want a romance with depth instead of a morality skit, this may wear thin fast. Still, it’s brisk, broadly funny in places, and Miloš Biković has enough charm to carry you through if you’re in the mood for lightweight, not-too-demanding holiday-style comedy.