Hello everyone and welcome back to another “Best Korean Movies” content by EonTalk! Following the “Best Korean Romance” content, I’ve prepared a new post on the Best Korean RomComs.
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Before getting into today’s list, as with the just mentioned content, I’ve compiled a list of my favorite Korean romance comedies that I believe are definitely worth checking out and are deserving of more recognition. The list is based completely on my personal preferences, and will be of not only more recent Korean romance comedies, but also older ones as well. I’ve mixed the two to keep a good balance, and so will be going back and forth between a more modern film and a more older one.
That being said, let’s get right into today’s list on Top 10 Korean RomComs!
#10
Starting off the list, the #10 film is the 2012 film <Watcha Wearin>, aka “My PS Partner.”
This film was directed by Byun Sung-Hyun, who also directed <The Merciless>, and the upcoming movie <King Maker>, and stars the couple of Ji Sung and Kim Ah-Joong, and supporting actors of Shin So-Yool, Kang Kyung-Jun, and Kim Sung-Oh. As you can probably tell by the title, <Watcha Wearin> is a highly provocative film, and is not something you would want to watch with your parents or kids. Sidenote, the “PS” in “My PS Partner” stands for “Phone Sex,” and by that you can get a grasp of how sexual the movie is.
The synopsis is as follows:
After hearing the news that his ex-girlfriend has got a new boyfriend, Hyun-Seung falls into depression. Then, one night, he receives a strange phone call. The call is from a woman he does not know, who makes sexual comments and tries to seduce him as soon as he picks up the phone. This woman turns out to be Yoon-Jung, who made the call thinking that it was her boyfriend, trying to have a steamy phone sex session with her significant other. Both Hyun-Seung and Yoon-Jung are understandably dumbfounded, but this is just the start of their unusual relationship.
#9
The #9 movie goes to the older film released in 2008, <My Wife Got Married>.
Directed by Jung Yoon-Soo, <My Wife Got Married> starred Son Ye-Jin and the late Kim Joo-Hyuk, as well as supporting actor Joo Sang-Wook. <My Wife Got Married> is a film that went over many people’s radar, and even with the people that watched the movie, the reception was fairly polarizing. Thus, the rating for the movie isn’t the best, but I found the film to be very unique in premise. It’s very different, not just in Korean culture, but just very different overall. When watching, I’m sure you’ll be asking yourself “what if?” and place yourself in that position and question yourself what you would do in that circumstance.
The synopsis is as follows:
In-Ah is an intellectual with a very cute appearance, and has a huge passion in watching soccer. The more Deok-Hoon meets her, the more eloquent she seems, and the more he falls for her charms. However, unlike Deok-Hoon, who wants to love her, and only her, for the rest of his life, In-Ah is a free soul, who loves Deok-Hoon, but doesn’t want to ONLY love him. Deok-Hoon comes to the conclusion that if he wants to be In-Ah’s only love, he needs to put a ring on it. Thus, he proposes and the two get married. The two seemingly have a loving marriage, but In-Ah drops a huge bomb on him: She has met another man, and wants to ALSO marry him. Shocked by his wife’s proposition of having two husbands, Deok-Hoon falls into an unimaginable dilemma. What is he to do?
#8
Next, the #8 film is a relatively newer film, being released in early 2019, <Rosebud>.
The movie was directed by the first time director Cho Seok-Hyun, and this is another film that I believe is very underrated. Despite starring great actors of Yoo Ho-Jung, Park Sung-Woong, Oh Sung-Je, Ha Yeon-Soo, Lee Won-Geun, Choi Woo-Shik, and Chae Soo-Bin, the movie didn’t receive as much attention as it deserves. <Rosebud> will make you laugh, while also hitting the feels at the same time. I’ve got a review of the film, and so if you would like to read more about it, you can find it here.
The synopsis is as follows:
Rose is an average single mother who would do anything for her daughter. By sheer coincidence, she runs into her old boyfriend, Myung-Hwan, and her surprising past is revealed. It turns out she isn’t very “average” after all; turns out that she used to be a singer, and nearly became the K-pop idol of her time! As more and more of her past is revealed, things get more and more complicated for Ms. Rose Hong.
#7
Moving along, the #7 movie is the 2010 romcom, <Finding Mr. Destiny>.
<Finding Mr. Destiny> was directed by Jang Yoo-Jung, who’s responsible for the recently released comedy <The Honest Candidate>, as well as <The Bros>, and stars the power couple of Lim Soo-Jung and Gong-Yoo, and supporting cast of Chun Ho-Jin, Jun Soo-Kyung, Ryu Seung-Soo, and Lee Chung-Ah. The movie had Gong Yoo as the male lead before <Train to Busan> and “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God,” and to my knowledge, this one of his first major film productions. Although the film is older, it’s a newer side to Gong Yoo that you can see. To be completely honest, the first 20 minutes of the movie is so-so, but it develops well as it progresses.
The synopsis is as follows:
Ki-Joon is a knowledgeable man who recently started his own company. His new business is a service for those that wants to find their first love. His new company’s first client is Ji-Woo a musical director looking for her first love in order to get her military dad off her back about getting married. However, her memory of her past lover is slowly fading away now, and the only thing she knows about her first love is his name: Kim Jong-Wook. Assigned with the task of finding Ji-Woo’s first love based on solely his name, Kim Jong-Wook, Ki-Joon does whatever he can to make his first assignment a success. As he digs deeper into Kim Jong-Wook and gets closer and closer to finding him, he gets closer and closer to Ji-Woo.
#6
The #6 movie is the 2012 film, <All About My Wife>.
Directed by Min Kyu-Dong, the director of <Herstory>, <The Treacherous>, and <All For Love>, <All About My Wife> takes a very real problem, and tries to resolve it in a very unique yet humorous way. The film had the cast of Lim Soo-Jung, Lee Sun-Kyun, Ryu Seung-Ryong, and Lee Kwang-Soo, and the actors alone is a reason to watch the movie.
The synopsis is as follows:
Jung-In is the “perfect” girl who’s not only beautiful yet sexy, but also knows how to cook. However, each day is a living hell for Doo-Hyun, Jung-In’s husband, because of her continuous nagging and negative remarks. He determines to get a divorce, but can’t bring it up to his wife because she’s too intimidating. That’s when he realizes the only way to separate with her is to make HER want to break it off with HIM. He does anything and everything he thinks would want her to leave him, but they all fail. Just then, a man that can seduce any woman he desires, named Sung-Ki, moves next door to the couple. Doo-Hyun asks his new neighbor to seduce his wife, but will Jung-In go head over heels for Sung-Ki like every other girl?
#5
Coming in at #5 of my list of favorite Korean romance comedies is the 2011 film, <Spellbound>.
<Spellbound> was directed by Hwang In-Ho, who also directed <Monster>, and although this movie came out nearly 9 years ago, I only recently watched this film while researching for this list. And I’m so happy I discovered it. The film has a very uncommon mixture of horror, romance, and comedy, and at first, you may think “How will that work?” But trust me, it works. The film captures your attention right from the get-go and even if you’re not a big fan of horror, like me, this is a good segway into the genre and makes it very enjoyable. <Spellbound> featured the amazing couple of Son Ye-Jin and Lee Min-Ki, and supporting actors of Park Chul-Min, Kim Hyun-Sook, and Lee Mi-Do. Continuing from the “Top Korean Romance Movies” content, Son Ye-Jin has come up again already twice in this one! You can put Son Ye-Jin in any type of work and she’ll get the job done, and she proves so in this as she is absolutely adorable in <Spellbound>.
The synopsis is as follows:
Yeo-Ri is a woman who’s never had a proper relationship before because of her “special” skills. Jo-Goo is a magician who falls for Yeo-Ri. The two’s relationship that should be sweet and romantic is threatened every day because of ghosts that simply cannot let the two be happy together. Although Yeo-Ri is used to the horror because she’s been suffering from the spirits every day, the horror encounters are new and traumatizing for Jo-Goo. However, despite the terrifying confrontations, Jo-Goo and Yeo-Ri decide to try giving the relationship a go, and try to overcome the horrifying challenge together.
#4
Moving onto the #4 spot, the #4 movie goes to the most recently released film on this list, <Crazy Romance>.
This very real movie was directed by Kim Han-Gyul, who’s only feature film directorial work is this film, but she had previously directed short films prior to this. <Crazy Romance> stars the great couple of Kim Rae-Won and Gong Hyo-Jin, and supporting actors Kang Ki-Young, Jung Woong-In, Jang So-Yeon, and Lee Chae-Eun. The two main leads Kim Rae-Won and Gong Hyo-Jin were able to execute their characters fantastically, but I believe the film went up another level with its supporting actors. The chemistry between all of the actors was amazing, and as I mentioned in my review of the film, the movie does a great job at really showcasing the “real” aspects of romantic relationships.
The synopsis is as follows:
After his ex-girlfriend leaves him, Jae-Hoon spends everyday drinking his sorrow away. One day, he wakes up with a major hangover, and after checking his phone, realizes that he called and talked to an unknown number for 2 hours. Who was the owner of the unknown number? It was none other than his work colleague, Sun-Young, who he just met that previous day. Sun-Young, who’s also recently broken up with her boyfriend, started working at the same company as Jae-Hoon the day before the call, and the two start off on the wrong foot, but gradually gets closer and closer.
#3
Next, the #3 spot is the older film released back in 2006, <200 Pounds Beauty>.
<200 Pounds Beauty> is a classic when it comes to Korean romcoms, and was directed by Kim Yong-Hwa, who also did the two “Along with the Gods” movies, <Mr. Go>, and <Takeoff>. <200 Pounds Beauty> stars the male lead Joo Jin-Mo and female lead Kim Ah-Joong, as well as supporting actors Sung Dong-Il, Kim Hyun-Sook, Lim Hyun-Shik, Lee Han-Wi, Ji Seo-Yoon, and Park No-Shik. This was one of the first Korean romance comedies I saw, and I’m glad it was, as it did a great job at addicting me into the genre. Although the movie is fairly old now, the movie has aged very well, and is still highly enjoyable to watch to this day.
The synopsis is as follows:
Hanna is a lip sync vocalist for Ami, the famous Korean pop singer. Even though she is always ignored because of her appearance, she has been a bright and lighthearted girl until Amy humiliates her in front of Sang-jun, her secret love. At last she makes a decision of a lifetime to have plastic surgery all over her body. Her unrequited love gets any return?
#2
And now, just two movies left. One newer film, and one older one. First, the newer film is the romcom that was released in 2018, titled <On Your Wedding Day>.
Directed by Lee Seok-Geun, who does not have other directorial works, but worked on adaptations for <The Honest Candidate>, <The Bros>, and <The Outlaws>, <On Your Wedding Day> is one of the realest movies I’ve seen. I found myself laughing out loud, while also being shaken by the emotional scenes as well. If you likedK-dramas like “Oh My Ghost” or “Let’s Fight Ghost,” or movies like <Very Ordinary Couple> or <Architecture 101> that I mentioned in the Best Romance content, I highly recommend you watch <On Your Wedding Day>. For more details, you can read my written review of the film, or listen to me talk about it with the guys over at “Getting Past the Subtitles” on their podcast.
The synopsis is as follows:
Turn back the clock to when you first fell in love. Do you remember the emotions you felt? Can you hear your heart beating as if it’ll burst out of your chest? That’s how Woo-Yeon felt when he first met Seung-Hee for the first time in the summer of 2005. After desperately following his first love around, the two finally start dating. But not for long. Woo-Yeon suddenly receives a call from his first love, telling him to be well, and disappears. A year later, with all hope lost, Woo-Yeon sees Seung-Hee on a brochure of a university out of sheer chance. That’s when he sets his mind and determines to study his ass off to get accepted into the same school as his first love. A year of sleepless nights and endless studying later, Woo-Yeon is admitted into the college. However, he finds out that the love of his life has a boyfriend… And that’s just the start of time and fate’s cruel play of trickery.
#1
And finally, the #1 Korean romcom of my choice. The #1 spot of EonTalk’s list of favorite Korean romance comedies goes to the oldest film on this list, <My Sassy Girl>.
If you’re a fan of Korean cinema, I’m sure you’ve seen, or at least heard, about this movie. <My Sassy Girl> was directed by Kwak Jae-Yong, who’s other works include <Time Renegades>, and <The Classic>, and although not all of this director’s works are good, when he gets it right, it’s top notch. <My Sassy Girl> stars one of the most notable duo of Jun Ji-Hyun and Chae Tae-Hyun, and is not only one of the best romcoms, but one of the best films in Korean cinema. I highly recommend watching if you haven’t seen this romcom (even if you did, watch it again!)
The synopsis is as follows:
Kyun-Woo is a kind-hearted college student who can be naive at times, and constantly gets into trouble. One day, on his way home, he encounters a beautiful but completely drunk woman causing a scene on the subway. The woman passes out in front of him, and with everyone on the subway’s eyes on him, he has little to no choice but to take care of her. And that’s how Kyun-Woo and “her,” a charming yet violent-at-times lady’s, relationship begins.
Conclusion
And that’s it for today’s content on my list of top Korean romcoms. Some movies that you believe should have made it on this list may not have been included, but please remember that this top 10 list was based on my personal tastes. Nonetheless, I’d love to hear which movies you believe are deserving to be on the list, and/or movies that were included on this list that you’ve seen and enjoyed, so please leave a comment or join the EonTalk Telegram group, where you can discuss with other K-film enthusiasts as well as myself on Korean movies.
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Disclaimer
Please keep in mind this review is composed of solely my own opinions, and should be taken with a grain of salt. I am in no way a professional writer, nor have I majored or studied journalism. This is for informative entertainment purpose only, representing my personal views. I do not own the images and/or videos used in the review. No copyright infringement intended.