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Super problematic movie!!!
I've never written reviews for dramas but this show is so messed up, it basically forced me to write one. Btw, tonnes of spoilers ahead, so beware!!!First of all, the intent of the movie is quite clear and a lot of people will realise that what it's trying to show is that inner beauty is what matters and that even after changing your outer appearance, you cannot change yourself. But what it really shows is that no matter how talented you are, you cannot fulfill your dreams and cannot have a normal social life, unless and until you fit into the beauty standards. And the movie makes this message so prominent that the inner beauty and stuff is pushed to the back of our minds and ultimately out of it.
Throughout the movie, we are being told that confidence is what matters, as long as you have it, nothing else matters. But that is always preceded by the fact that unless you look drop dead gorgeous, you cannot have confidence. So plastic surgery is always the answer.
And then there's the lift scene, VICTIM BLAMING at its finest. When will people understand that IF A GIRL GETS ASSAULTED, IT'S NOT HER FAULT. IT'S THE CULPRIT'S FAULT. That girl is allowed to wear whatever she wants, be it a short skirt or a crop top. I know that scene was probably for purposes of hilarity, but it sends the wrong message, and people tend to adapt to those messages.
Then there's the scene with the delivery guy, where he is seen stalking the female lead, but she ends up defending him saying he doesn't have any other ways to express his feelings and all that nonsense. Seriously, what was up with that?? What was the scene even trying to tell us?? That if a weirdo ends up stalking you, it's because he has pure, unadulterated love for you and you shouldn't blame him for that?? That you're allowed to stalk people?? That scene was super creepy and I genuinely hope that nobody takes any sort of advice from it. YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO STALK ANYBODY. IF ANYBODY IS STALKING YOU, THIS PERSON DOES NOT HAVE ANY PURE INTENTIONS TOWARDS YOU AND YOU SHOULD RUN LIKE YOUR HOUSE IS ON FIRE AND REPORT THIS PERSON. This might actually be a super scary scene for someone, and this movie basically made a joke out of it by trying to show how compassionate the female lead is. There are millions of other ways in which they could have shown that.
There are a lot more problems with the movie which I would list if I wasn't so tired, frustrated and pissed off at it.
The only redeeming quality of this movie was the music. But not enough to make me entertain even the thought of re-watching it. And the music was superb, so you can only imagine how bad the movie was.
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Where we supposed to like the main guy?
My thought throughout this movie: Are we supposed to be rooting for Hanna and Han Sang Joon? Because...I kind of think he is a douchebag. Let's keep watching. No. I feel like he is getting worse.Other than that, this drama movie came off like a quirky early 2000's girl power romance movie that I grew up watching as a kid and teenager (that usually starred Amanda Bynes). It had that nostalgic feel that I couldn't dislike. It had that girl power, "I am perfect the way I am" moment at the end that was cheesy but feel good.
I think the only thing that I wasn't a fan of was the romance because the main guy went through his little "oh...I'm shit person" moment at the very end, and because it was at the end...it didn't give me a chance to get to like him. Also, even though it did have that encouraging, "I am good enough, regardless of what I look like" moment, there were some undertones of "but it doesn't hurt to get work done; if you can, and want to, do it." Not saying plastic surgery is bad, do what you want to do, and be who you want to be, but the movie contradicted itself a bit in that credit scene.
Final thought, the OST was really good. I added Ave Maria to my playlist. And the main actress who played Hanna was really pretty and super cute and goofy. I want to watch more of her.
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Kim Ah Jung-in her first role-fits the role of the cute Hanna and the beautiful Jenny perfectly. She did all the songs by herself, despite not being a singer.
I like all the songs. my favourite is Maria, which is originally by Blondie. Actually the songs topped the Korean charts at that year.
"200 pounds beauty" was a super hit and won many awards and nominations including best actress and best film, so watch it. it is really a sweet one.
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I HATE THIS MOVIE.
I wish I had never laid eyes on it. Which makes me feel weird because EVERYWHERE I look, people are going nuts and giving it 10 stars. Don't get me wrong, if I rated by just the acting, I would give it 10 stars. My hate has nothing to do with the characters but more with the storyline. As someone who battles with her own body image, this movie made me feel as worthless as I always feel.
I wish so much that I could say that I laughed and loved this movie so much and that others should watch it too... But it would be a lie, and if you've known me long enough, I tell it like it is. Even if it hurts.
The only thing I took from this movie is that unless you are skinny, you are unlovable. You're not beautiful. You are just replaceable trash to those around you. Again, this is just my thoughts, Which is why I'm not saying anyone sound watch this. Because I don't want others who battle with self image feel the way I do right now. I'm not saying everyone will feel the same. I'm sure others will love the hell out of this movie. I'm just throwing this out there..... in case.
I did love the main character though. She was ditzy and cute in her own way. I hate that she couldn't see the beauty in herself until she changed. I hate that she loved someone so much that only *saw* her when she was skinny. I adored her friend who was always there for her no matter what though. She deserved better. The friend and the dad were to cute. I want to say the dad was my favorite out of the whole thing. It broke my heart how he got treated though.
If it was up to me, my tags for this movie would be different but I followed what it is really labeled under. I found no romance or comedy in this movie. I laughed a few times but it was quickly cut short every time. I cried watching this movie more than anything.
If you ask me why I rated it 4 stars, it's purely for the actors. As I said, if I could I would give it 10 stars just for their acting. But for the movie itself.... I wish I could give it 0 stars. Not a fan of watching things that makes people seem like trash when they aren't. You can be skinny and be loved. You can be "fat" and be loved. You just have to find the person that loves YOU. You shouldn't have to change for anyone. Remember, no matter how you look, YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!!!
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Just... WTF people??? [SPOILER]
This movie is sooooooo messed up!First of all, what's the point of becoming "beautiful" on the outside if you become so ugly on the inside and treat your best and only friend and your father in an old age like that!??
Not even talking abt decieving everyone including the guy she loves and then acting like she is the victim...
And let's be honest. The only reason why she admited everything is bc she was losing everything:friends,family,love,career+scandal. If everything was going well, this probably would have went on for years...
Second, just WTF! Nice message for all the people who are overweight.????Society already make them believe that they're ugly and this movie just had to add another *thick* layer.
The only things I liked were that it's from 2006 and about the music industry so you could actually see the influence of Black music. And that the actors are good.
I seriously wasn't expecting smth like that. And it's a real disappointment. Especially bc a lot of my friend told me abt it saying it's a famous movie that had adaptations in many countries and that they highly recommend it.....
Basically the message of this movie is: "If you're fat and ugly, go do surgery. Your life will become beautiful."
No wonder the plastic surgery industry is doing so well in Korea with people who grow up with this movie...
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This review may contain spoilers
perfect example of how a movie ages poorly
Obviously this movie was going to be fat-shaming but that wasn't even the worst thing about this movie.It was made in 2006, so I know that I cannot hold it up to today's standards but this movie was
really sexist(featuring the male gaze), unfunny and made me uncomfortable while watching.
The "romance" scenes were borderline assault in my opinion. I cannot believe they wanted us to think that the kissing scene on the couch was supposed to be romantic. The way he looked at her legs and then forcefully kissed her, was the straw that broke the camels back - and how he dismissed her when she was obviously uncomfortable... ugh it still makes me angry!
...don't even get me started on the countless times he dismissed her, telling her to be quiet when they were talking business. That wasn't even ML jerk-behavior. Just sexism.
And the typical "overheard-you-talking-bs-about-me-in-the-bathroom" trope was never resolved, so I guess he actually thought about her that way.
ANYWAYS, I did not like this movie one bit. For a long time I could not watch the ML actor in dramas because of that couch-scene. I felt so opposed by his male gaze.
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Incredible example of contradictory filmmaking
I actually think there is A LOT to talk about with this movie, and that is… concerning. Concerning because with a title like this, you'd expect something straightforward. Also concerning because I feel like the original intent was to portray this whole plastic surgery situation in South Korea and Kpop superficialism with… an introspective inclination, perhaps? But along the way, the purpose got completely lost.Never thought I'd sit down to write a 1000+ words essay after watching a cheesy Romcom like this, but here we are.
The conflicting/mixed messaging in this movie is a real sight to see. Wonderfully contradictory. It's just bonkers, and I love contradictory filmmaking! Well, actually, I didn't love this movie. But I loved how contradictory it is with its own self. I don't regret watching this for one second because it's so captivating how tone-deaf the whole ordeal is! It's hard to put a rating on this because I really enjoyed it for those reasons, but let's be honest here, it's not well made.
Let me try to summarize this.
According to this movie, being ugly is bad, being pretty is good, but it's bad if your good looks are fake, although looking good ultimately is a good thing even if it's bad that it's fake, because feeling good about yourself is good even if it's bad that you weren't good-looking before, which is why you wanted to look good in the first place.
And you have to accept that about yourself… I think?
Some horrible messaging in this movie (I may have missed a few):
- Being fat means being clumsy and ugly and worthless, even if you're talented
- If you're fat, tough luck. Kill yourself or get plastic surgery/find a way to get pretty, those are your only options for a better life
- You need to be good-looking to feel good about yourself
- You need to be good-looking to have any form of success
- You don't deserve the person you are infatuated with, even if they like you in return, unless you're good-looking which then becomes acceptable
Interesting messaging in this movie:
- You should accept your flaws as they're a part of you (contradicts above, more on that below)
- You should strive to be better and work on yourself
- You should be more assertive with others concerning your well-being
- Being a good person at heart matters (see the dad resolution)
- Knowing what you want and working to get there pays off
- Having actual talent pays off, being a talentless hack doesn't, even if you're pretty (also contradicts above)
So in light of this, it's funny how this movie clamors for so many things that are in direct contradiction with each other:
- She definitely has a better life now that she's pretty. It fixed most problems in her life, but at the same time, she looks at what she left behind and sees what being herself before brought her. But she was so explicitly and unequivocally miserable. Which one is it, movie?
- Her love interest says to his henchman at the end that they're all assholes for refusing to see Hanna for who she was all along. Wonderful right? Except it's a classic case of do as I say, not as I do. He only cares about her post-surgery, and while he wasn't hostile to her or anything before, he was still only using her and that's it.
- To continue on that, the movie makes a point of saying that who Hanna is inside is what matters (but only now that she's gorgeous, like shown above), then we see her "ugly" best friend lining up for head-to-toe surgery after she's seen what it did for her friend's life. It's shown as a good thing as she's finally fixing up her life. LMAO that's so tone-deaf. Incredible!
- Being fat sucks so much it ruins your life and you should kill yourself. But you should also accept that about yourself… What the hell
- The movie tries to show that talent trumps good looks, as Ammy fails because she's a talentless hack while Hanna succeeds because she's a good singer, but in the process of doing so makes being pretty a requisite of success as she failed earlier because she was ugly… which contradicts its own message as it's not just about talent. Moreover, Ammy doesn't really, actually "fail", she's simply not as successful as Hanna in the end. She still had her moment in the sun, for a talentless hack that's a far cry from failure. And I do mean talentless, even after years of practice her voice still sounds like a broken accordion.
A few positives I noticed
- Kim Ah-joong was actually quite good in the lead and gave a great, funny, varied, and expressive performance. Definitely not cast only because of her looks (ironically).
- Lots of hilarious comedy moments, the morality of them notwithstanding. There's some good fish out of water moments after she gets her surgery, in a "oh you sweet summer child" manner.
- The song "Ave Maria" (actually sang by the lead) is hella, hella catchy
A few negatives
- Script was uneven and by the end nothing makes sense
- Obviously, the epic mixed messaging
- The fat jokes are really, really unfunny
- The fat suit looked like shit
- Too much melodrama
- Main romance sucked
On the subject of the main romance, how can she have a crush on the guy even after she hears him say he's only using her because she sings well and that they have to tolerate her? He literally says that, she hears him say it, and yet she still has a huge crush on him as if nothing happened? Wow. When that happened I thought "oh so she's going to fall for some other guy when she's pretty right?" Love triangle or something? Nope. I guess then that she pursues him only because he's good-looking? I can live with that, it would further reinforce the overall irony of this movie. No matter what he does for her at the end, he's still a prick who was using her when she was fat and only came around because she's hot now.
And finally, in the most insane of ironies (add it to the pile), as if this movie's conflicted messaging couldn't get any more blurred, lead actress and singer Kim Ah-joong has had multiple, expensive plastic surgery done on herself. I'm not judging her for it, but it's so ironic in the context of this movie… You can't write this shit up! Or apparently you can?
Recommended because it's just a fascinating watch.
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This movie is a comedy, but there are a few sentimental moments. I could not stop crying near the end of the movie. However, every time, I think about this movie I always remembered what Hanna went through to become Jenny.
I love this movie because it is an underdog movie. The underdog, Hanna/Jenny, triumphs in the end. This movie was a joy to watch because the lead actress is brilliant as a comedienne. Unlike most people I don't rate a movie based on its last minutes. I always try to think about the good and fun parts of a movie. This movie had it's funny and sad parts, but for me the funny parts will always outweigh the sad parts.
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Yikes!
What a terrible plot. The FL apparently needs to change everything about herself and become ultra skinny, with no work on her part btw, for the ML to be interested. He was a crap ML, so I'm not sure why the FL should want to be with him in the first place. Move on to someone who's actually good. Also, if you want to change your body and be skinnier, you should do it for yourself, your health, and mental health (if it bothers you that much). And if you choose to do that, it will take a lot of work. Surgeries will not solve it for you and won't keep it solved either. Such a horrible message!Was this review helpful to you?
