200 Pounds Beauty AKA : Two Hundred Pounds Beauty
Yong-hwa Kim (director) / Yong-hwa Kim, Hye-yeong No (screenplay),
Yumiko Suzuki (comic)
CAST: Ah-jung Kim …
Kang Han-na Jin-mo Ju …
Sang-jun Yong-geon Kim Dong-il Song Hyeon-shik Lim
FULL HD VIDEO
Reviewer : JAMES MUDGE
It is one of the great truths of cinema that fat suits are comedy gold, something which surely stands director Kim Yong Hwa’s “200 Pounds Beauty” in good stead from the start, as does the fact that it deals with the ever topical subject of plastic surgery and its place in modern Korea. Taking the concepts of the personal makeover and the obsession with appearances to a wacky extreme, the film manages to work in not only comedy, but also some surprisingly eloquent social commentary, all wrapped up with the expected romance and melodrama. The combination proved to be a successful one, and the film struck a cord with Korean audiences, emerging not only as one of the top ten domestic box office hits of all time, but also as the country’s highest grossing romantic comedy ever.
The film follows Hanna (actress Kim Ah Jung, recently in “When Romance Meets Destiny”), a friendly though unfortunately obese woman who works as a ghost singer for untalented pop idol Ammy and who secretly yearns for the heart of manager Sang Jun (Ju Jin Mo, also in “Musa”).
After a cruel joke leaves her self esteem in tatters, poor Hanna undergoes drastic plastic surgery and remerges a year later, completely transformed into the svelte, almost unrecognisable Jenny. Pursuing a singing career in her own right (rather ironically being marketed as a natural beauty) and working her way into the affections of the curiously blank Sang, everything seems to be going well, until the suspicious Ammy begins digging into her past. Although much of the humour in “200 Pounds Beauty” stems from embarrassment gags, the film is surprisingly free of the kind of cruel weight related slapstick at the expense of the protagonist that might have been expected. Instead, director Kim plays mainly upon the ways in which Hanna retains her pre-surgery mannerisms and shyness, and the fact that she is clearly not the sharpest tool in the box. Most of the jokes hit home, and the proceedings are amusing throughout, with a few odd subplots helping to give a somewhat eccentric air, such as her sideline as a phone sex worker or her poor, crazy old father who is shamelessly wheeled out every now and then for a quick shot of hilariously misplaced cheap sentiment. Whilst more in the way of fat suit action might not have gone astray, this does allow for a little more character development, and the film benefits from the fact that Hanna is a likeable enough figure whose naivety is charming rather than annoying.
As such the viewer comes to care for her and support her, if not in the rather redundant quest for the hand of the determinedly uncommunicative Sang, then at least in her efforts to get her life in order and to find some kind of peace with herself. Certainly, the film works better as a personal journey than as a romance, with life lessons a-plenty on the menu, and ultimately emerges as being more about Hanna learning to love herself rather than the floppy fringed dullard.
Director Kim also tackles, in a deceptively light-hearted manner, some fairly complex subjects. The film not only explores the ways in which people are treated differently according to their appearance, but also the inherent hypocrisy and double standards of a society which encourages the pursuit of beauty, yet criticises the methods taken by those not necessarily naturally blessed. In “200 Pounds Beauty”, plastic surgery is never demonised nor wholly condoned. Despite some surprisingly bitter themes lurking in the background of obsession, self loathing and suicide, the overall message which eventually emerges is a plea for tolerance and acceptance, and as such the film does have an upbeat, life-affirming feel.
This is echoed in Kim’s direction, which is colourful and energetic, though mercifully free of the kind of visual gimmickry which is often seen in such films, and he allows the story to play out in a pleasingly unforced manner, accompanied by a fitting soundtrack of bouncy pop songs. On the downside, the film is a little too long, especially since the plot plays out exactly as expected, with the initial joys of transformation giving way to Hanna undergoing personality changes and turning her back on her old life and friends, right through to the inevitable identity crisis and climatic emotional outpouring. Still, this doesn’t prevent “200 Pounds Beauty” from being a great deal of fun, and the film stands as one of the best romantic comedies from Korea in recent years. Offering an effective and thoughtful mix of laughs and social commentary, it should manage to win over even viewers who are not normally fans of the form.
Reviewer : Andrew Saroch
This Korean rom-com about beauty being in the eye of the beholder bewitched Korean audiences throughout winter of 2006, chalking up impressive figures at the box-office. Kim Yong-Hwa's second feature uses the preponderance of plastic surgery as a means of 'self-improvement' in modern society as a platform for this love story in which all the pre-requisites of Korean rom-coms re-appear.
Corpulent Hanna (Kim Ah-Joong complete with semi-convincing make-up) uses her velvety voice for her twin-fold professions as operator on a chat-line and vocal talent for perfectly formed, yet tone deaf K-Pop sensation Ammy. Aware that her looks keep her from getting the man of her dreams, Ammy's producer Sang-Jun, Hanna reluctantly hides in the shadows while others capitalise on her talents. One particularly harsh shaming at the hands of Ammy and the subsequent acceptance by Sang-Jun that he doesn't find Hanna remotely attractive sends the timid admirer into an abyss of depression.
Just before she attempts to take her own life though, the idea of re-inventing herself at the hands of a renowned plastic surgeon she knows comes to her. Black-mailing the reluctant surgeon into performing extensive work on her entire body, Hanna is transformed over the course of a year into a beautiful Jun Ji-hyun look-a-like who she christens Jenny. Hanna decides to audition for Sang-Jun using her new guise and become the star she thinks she should always have been. With stunning looks and her ability to sing, Jenny is signed up as a future pop star though jealous diva Ammy resolves to find out exactly who this new star really is.
Anyone who, in a moment of unflinching self-flagellation, has watched more than a few seconds of 'E-Entertainment channel' will see what extensive plastic surgery by yet another celebrity trying to claw back a few years of 'youth' really looks like; as if two separate packs of feral dogs are pulling either side of the said celeb's face, each smile looks like a task that Hercules would have flinched at. Yet Kim Yong-Hwa turns his leading lady into the kind of vision of beauty that looks like it has never been near a surgeon's knife, all to prove the ultimate point that beauty is only skin-deep. As with other films that have tried the same tactic - 'Love On A Diet' comes to mind - the results are mixed and the message hypocritical at times.
From the opening scene of clumsy ineptitude by Hanna to the expected conclusion, '200 Pounds Beauty' is a typically operatic Korean rom-com where subtlety is elbowed aside in favour of 'My Sassy Girl' style emotional fireworks. Whereas that benchmark of the niche still occupies the very summit, '200 Pounds Beauty' is a glossy film that is ultimately as superficial as Ammy, one of its air-headed characters. It purports to show how shallow the world can be and how someone's physical appearance should not be the criterion on which they are judged, the trials of Hanna/Jenny supposedly showing how inner purity are far more important. Yet the awkward fact is that the female protagonists are just as obsessed with looks and outward appearance as anyone else, including our heroine; the love of her life is, coincidentally, very handsome yet isn't exactly shown to have too much happening upstairs other than the requisite furrowed brow.
'200 Pounds Beauty' is slickly shot with an attractive cast and a couple of moments of mirth that succeed, a combination of attributes that nearly scrapes it a third star. Nevertheless, anyone who has seen more than a few of its ilk will fail to see the reason to sit through another two-hour retread of the same information. Nothing refreshing is brought to the screen and the execution of the story is workmanlike to say the least. The genre is full of such beautiful failures and despite its pretensions to dig beneath the surface this is another to add to the pile.
Ultimately there is something uncomfortable about the portrayal of the male characters and what it says about the gender as a whole that sticks in the mind with '200 Pounds Beauty'. This coruscating film highlights the fact that all men are only devoted to outward beauty and all women are merely victims of that desire. Apparently all of the magazines targeted specifically at women, where what you wear, what you eat and how you can be like your new demi-god (celebrity) don't sell in their millions and influence countless people around the world. That such information comes from a medium as notably narcissistic as cinema is the final nail in the productions coffin.
thanks for comming. this reviews just copy from another blog :)
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