Kate

Solid comedy that uses the body swap trope to the fullest. Does it rely on many cliches? Yes. But it works. Thanks to the amazing performances from the cast, even if you know where the plot is going, you still feel entertained.

Compared to other body swap comedies, The Dude in Me focuses mostly on Pan Soo’s story and his problems after he travels into Dong Hyun’s body. Even the stories that at first concern Dong Hyun, at the end were connected to Pan Soo himself through his relationship with other characters. It’s a one man story, sadly I was hoping for more of a duet, showing more evenly both sides of the swap.

Jung Jin Young did an amazing job portraying the characters, overshadowing even Park Sung Woong (let’s remember though, that he was far less involved in the story). He delivered with both comedy and action scenes, giving a well balanced performance.

One thing that I must complain about is the lack of redemption arc for Pan Soo. Everything just happens, without much of a reflection on his side. The opening scenes depicted him as too much of a villain, and later not enough work has been done to show him in a better light. The negative relationship between him and Dong Hyun’s dad was also brushed over and forgotten.

Overall: It’s, at times, a senseless comedy, but it will make you entertained. It works thanks to the good performance from the cast and reasonable duration - the movie does not drag.