| Language: Korean Director: Hyeong-cheol Kang Running time: 108 min Release year: 2008 |
| Cast: Cha Tae-Hyun, Bo-yeong Park, Wang Seok-Hyeon, Hwang Woo Seul Hye, Lim Ji-Kyu, Lim Seung-Dae |
Movie Review:
Somewhat like “200 Pounds Beauty,” last year’s “Scandal Makers” turned into a huge sleeper hit that would go on to become South Korea’s top box office draw of 2008. That includes even surpassing Ji-woon Kim’s highly anticipated “The Good, The Bad, The Weird” in ticket sales. What made the success of “Scandal Makers” even more surprising is that the movie doesn’t have any big names. It does feature Tae-hyun Cha from “My Sassy Girl” in the lead role, but Cha hasn’t had a whole lot of success since Sassy Girl. So what’s the attraction of “Scandal Makers” you ask? Well, the movie cleverly adopts traits from “200 Pounds Beauty” that made it a hit and builds upon that foundation its own feel good story. The film also features a precocious little kid that will have a lot of people raving. |
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In “Scandal Makers,” former teen pop star now in his early 30’s Hyeon-su (Tae-hyun Cha) attempts to resurrect his entertainment career. He currently holds a low profile job as a radio talk show host, but hopes to use this gig as a stepping stone for better opportunities. One day, Hyeon-su receives a knock on his door and is surprised to find a teenage girl standing on his doorsteps. The girl named Jeong-nam (Bo-yeong Park) claims to be his daughter and also has with her a young boy who she claims to be his grandchild! Hyeon-su not wanting to believe any of this, asks the mother and son to leave, but Jeong-nam’s threat to go to the media makes Hyeon-su have a quick change of heart. Hyeon-su then allows Jeong-nam and her son to stay in his apartment as he devices a plan to quietly rid himself of them. Things become more complicated when Hyeon-su and Jeong-nam are spotted in public and assumed to be romantically involved.
The similarities between “Scandal Makers” and “200 Pounds Beauty” is evident throughout, but not so much that you feel you’re watching a badly made clone. Similarities exist from the secret father and daughter relationship, to the daughter’s transformation into a beauty, to the heavy use of live music performances in both films. There’s also the eerily similar scene when the father is rough-handled by security during the climatic concert in “200 Pounds Beauty” and when the daughter is rough-handled by security during the award ceremony in “Scandal Makers.” In both scenes the main character is forced to quickly choose between continuing their onstage persona or protecting their loved ones … and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to guess which one they will pick. Even with these similarities, “Speed Scandal” does a lot of other things right to make it stand on its own.
Tae-hyun Cha gets to unleash his biggest crowd pleasing performance since "My Sassy Girl" (possibly due to the parallels between Tae-hyun Cha's own career & Hyeon-su's entertainment career). Hyeon-su's transformation from a self centered person to a more well rounded fatherly figure is also done well - without that forced feeling. There's also young Seok-hyeon Wang who played the young grandchild Ki-dong. He will make just about everyone go "awwwwww" throughout the film. Bo-yeong Park. who played the teenage mother, has a more reserved role and doesn't really catch your eye until the more dramatic scenes later on in the film. During these moments you do take notice of her. The musical soundtrack also features plenty of nostalgic Korean pop tracks to bring smiles to those familiar with those songs.
After watching “Scandal Makers” it’s easy to understand why the film became such a huge hit in Korea. The comedic elements found in the first half of the film works well & the dramatic moments found in the second half doesn’t feel unnaturally forced. As a nice addition, the resulting feel good feeling from watching the movie is likely to linger with you well after the film’s conclusion. Make no doubt it, if you’re in the mood for a feel good comedy look no further than “Scandal Makers.” |
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