by Goliath1357, February 4, 2014
33

Asian Drama: The New Screwball Comedy



     I love Asian dramas and they take up the largest percentage of what I watch. I am often asked why I like Asian dramas so much and I never really could figure that out myself. While watching a movie with a friend it suddenly hit me. Asian dramas are very similar to classic screwball comedies. I had never noticed this before but it made sense because screwball is one of my favorite film genres. Below I have listed all the plot points commonly found in the genre accompanied by a movie and drama that best represent the element.





Farcical Situations



      Highly improbable situations are a common plot point in both dramas and screwball comedies-forced cohabitation, fake marriages/relationships, and so on.



Topper


https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/7fQaLiM2Ap3N6haI-syEXst9-1Pn21hlyd4tHiFyE9x5wGYiMSCGS9bfyrkV58mxFbAujYpBgpCjQIEfNEh2FihtjDDCCwCr--pwgpqo6z-7Ru-TNDU8quqaJg


      A man’s dull life is enlivened by the ghosts of a rich and carefree couple






https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/JhkLrtLnRVHmVzNiLS27oWKemL7r0LuR7r6TsmEcvbDNs46zwkN8_fXdDRUBZKylzLhfp3HgE2YdYP50XfHHWjhyQ2KOYv3iQT-4Gq0rM2zfOijV0004T8jI7w


      A rich businessman and a poor stuntwoman become entangled in each other’s lives after they switch bodies.





Slapstick



        Exaggerated physical comedy is exhibited in many screwball films and dramas. I find that Japanese dramas use slapstick most often, their comedies usually being a bit more silly and over the top but just as delightful as classic screwball.




The Lady Eve


https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/LdNeXEBOQ_vfGNoHvTiQeCB6tUenCifiO5lOzl0RvmbvHnH1zOVAZbY8hD7nd3BSwg0R3HWExATKe2OnqbECayZ9gFfYeblZU13cERea42cDfNwAh39SSffD9w


       A beautiful con artist targets a naive and rich man only to unexpectedly fall for him.






https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/VFlAX7GJkZjYMYLPD3Hfc6o2Y1jTS0oj7A9ckcczgxbbuYMsO4epBO5C0QDqsDMIX2lqNoBUrR12cKX5EV4LAK49XP98LrYkbtl6QuxlVBayg3_Ty9s8sZDLwg


      Chiaki Shinchi is an arrogant and talented musician whose life is thrown into disarray when he meets Nodame, a gifted pianist who has an unusual approach to music and life.






Fast-Paced and Witty Repartee



        Talking a mile a minute and exchanging barbs at lightning speeds, these elements are my favorite part of screwball films. Asian dramas are also ripe with this screwball form of communication, usually between a pair of individuals who have yet to admit their real feelings to one another.




His Girl Friday


https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/5gEw4Z1k7rELjNj3mmWNSnB3vNBNe3rgxX9hpU3HeuQQa_D888Xvh68BM0ZUC6BDuh7QzPNCNk5q1lRLxjAw5yIHXdbEZN4N1tgXp_oXkv2SwA4Bu_aMZK9HfA


     An editor sets out to sabotage the wedding plans of a famous reporter who also happens to be his ex-wife.






https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_NT5Y9t6a0LlGaoBjU6HI-BACCh3tPYMzZtQZFl3cxJbJgbi_R85mT_z7MD0daSLuCXlcQnZpP0x9RqtpuPTcQgU46FkIsSnlNUFE7Eg6qlMSUASLUjuH54Hxw


       Kim Sam Soon is a baker who always speaks her mind. She begins working at a restaurant and constantly finds herself butting heads with the owner.





Struggle Between Economic Classes


       Classic screwball plots usually featured a rich female lead and a less well off male lead, this was done to put the couple on a more even playing field. Also, a lot of screwball films were made during the Great Depression and the rich were often portrayed in a somewhat negative light to appease the poorer movie-goers. In contrast, most Asian dramas feature the reverse due to the popular “Cinderella” fantasy.



My Man Godfrey


https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/mglbo4X0B3tUV9QiY3rLt56ZXIeVHcFhF0SxOUtggwWuC3IhHlswMKC7P2mVdHjMlQyhHWS-Fh9l72z6fhD8ub_wu6OWY9jRxcSt37uqe_4kvxwy-Sh0Y5Gb2g


       Irene Bullock is a ditzy heiress who decides to hire a homeless man named Godfrey as her new butler.






http://i.imgur.com/VKN4wCP.jpg

       Geum Jan Di receives a swimming scholarship to prestigious Shinhwa High School after rescuing a suicidal student. She eventually clashes with the F4, the richest and best looking guys in the school, becoming the target of their bullying. She fights back and the members of the F4 began to change their ways. A romantic triangle forms between Jan Di, Goo Jun Pyo (leader of the F4) and Yoon Ji Hoo (member of the F4 and Jun Pyo’s best friend).






Self Confident and Stubborn Female Lead


        The central focus of most screwball comedies and Asian dramas is usually a confident and strong female character who is not afraid to argue her point or let her opinion be known.




Woman of the Year


https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/6dX-4q0bxM410t8OAchvObKTtQozMPrhGLDft-8S8gj9fS_0eg94gMaJk9WZ3zIXPNlRcHvQ1p9geaEQgtlt7U-RRZ7cHNC5rSWZ5yhI1F-SVLCa5ayUDnNjgg


       Two feuding journalists with vastly different backgrounds, personalities and interests fall in love.







https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/MUw-kKG2E2KOCERXM961Qt_Ef2Ek0bCbtAMDuzkO1Xrsz5ba97b3XdyQISC-XW5jq0-uOjnSoGoCwHf47rO3xENvdtMuEsW9j1BhNuRBuDtWbypgPvpAxOZJvA


        Anna Jo is a cold and rude heiress who inspires fear in all around her, especially her meek mannered husband. He eventually has had enough and asks for a divorce, prompting Anna to get drunk and go sailing. She falls overboard and awakens in a hospital with no memory. A handyman that she has verbally and physically abused decides to take revenge by making her think that they are in a relationship.





Mistaken Identity


         This plot element can be viewed as a farcical situation but it happens so regularly in dramas (usually gender benders) that I thought it deserved it’s own section.



Some Like it Hot


https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/eYBeCJiQM7ks95siDEedmaK89BqK_aDLiSVWmBqyzlrOE08f3m8Jfp3bdvYjbAltxrRIGrsPEfMuPoclieiXR6eI0TSziFyI4fElC2MX7vJnu4yU-pNqCddAgw


       Two musicians disguise themselves as women to hide from gangsters after witnessing a murder.






http://i.imgur.com/DPnOgDI.png

       Go Eun Chan is a tomboy who works multiple jobs to support her family. After losing her jobs, she is hired by Choi Han Gyul to pretend to be his gay lover to avoid blind dates. He then hires her to work at his all male staffed coffee shop. Things become complicated when they both began falling for each other.





Mismatched Couple


        Sometimes two people who are completely different end up being completely perfect for one another.





Bringing Up Baby


https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/L4UrisvBMNQV2AQDpLbJ3A2fXOJinj5reejuG3EuDbV9glBHrKO6OdFbdWLmP17a9Elnyz2dRlrDI7chTvuglF0Th6UfuW8lnIRYtplUyfaxN48exSLKCSjsiQ


       Vivacious heiress Susan Vance needs to deliver a tame leopard named ‘Baby’ to her aunt and persuades a timid paleontologist to accompany her after mistaking him for a zoologist.






https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/uF5ebo2NLY-IVh9Xd4lyiBbawNgWfrW5Zw3Kjfhy2-l3Cq86GCjklBAlO49IvWsRj_IxwiPw5dIQ0vKHGi7iOIUaNaFJI9Yjli6HYhNyi6ms3iMquNDmoqsr4g


       Yoo Eun Jae, a die hard Blue Seagulls fan and bodyguard, is forced to protect Park Moo Yul, a player for the rival team The Red Dreamers, following a drunken incident at a karaoke club.








Love/Hate Relationship


          In dramas and screwballs hate very easily turns to love. The more two people argue and fight, the more madly in love with each other they really are.



It Happened One Night


https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/yy8MZGVCR4L0BUiGsieYHzU2JeUj0WXO-oIbtAVGyzHr2tRwVCscbpfBEn7HnEWyvShOjtk4os5sptJPhR1Xz08He_d7Gtw-96N636Dx5B5ynUSI-_9_BOndDQ


      A spoiled heiress marries against her family’s wishes and runs away when they want it annulled. She encounters a reporter who promises to help her travel to meet her new husband if she gives him the exclusive on her story.






https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/O8NpKcHQG80LUCD6e3u8h0ECFm6KYXn50ElffEnfOE07rvdbMaSS03O6nl2udwPSO2gujyNB-KruCvGCkQQawxrX5-uuLYGRiqsZx2Y3o7yML_Qb4_p7e0tuUA


       Seo Jung In is abandoned by her husband on their wedding day after he learns of her parents financial ruin. She and her family are then forced to depend on the kindness of their former driver (Kang Man Bok), who invites them into his home. Jung In slowly forms a relationship with Man Bok’s grandson Hyun Su, which starts off as tumultuous but later turns to love.







Broken Relationships Being Fixed


          Past relationships being renewed is a common theme in both screwballs and dramas. Screwball films reflected the changing moral views and often featured a married couple who separate or divorce but later reconcile.



The Palm Beach Story


https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Xm2dreyoLXs0uvhCZpbP-R86ofif2kFzRMkPNReYPiCMBFzYJ3gye_Nm_bP3CWjNOxb6TXHLlYccT__hU2y5mINK-ALzpPOKNmdzrGu5qEn2hUjWPb7E1pX2kg


       Tom and Gerry are a married couple whose relationship has deteriorated due to financial issues, causing them to separate. Gerry takes off to Palm Beach where she encounters an eccentric millionaire who instantly falls for her but Tom wants her back.






https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/9SLGioxRvSo9mA0B7e19tjmczgWxJmKG9FWzHXmdhbimtZ4yD4vv14Yte_GUz9TocqiqWFTyAqOsTVZY00r612xMmca0r2B6_zG9sLwyx1TnVTElWbTCKPFV8Q

      
      Ren Guang Xi is a selfish and arrogant college student whose life changes when he meets Liang Mu Cheng. They fall in love but their happiness doesn’t last after a tragic occurrence causes Guang Xi to lose his memory.





        That’s my run down of the similarities between Asian dramas and classic screwball comedies. I highly recommend checking out all the films mentioned. Although older they are still a fun experience.