Urineun Hyeongjeimnida

RATED 7/10 Language: Korean

Feel good family sentiment drama with superb presentation...the second half the scenes get repetitive and lost the sentiment connection... Still worth the watch for the acting and sentiment flavour with very good fun factor...

There were no reviews to be found for this one and I watched it just on a whim. The poster looked funny and so did the plot. But to my surprise it turned out to be a lot more than that. Yes, it was a comedy for sure, but it also had a lot of other elements blended in and came out as a well-rounded drama.

The story revolves around 2 brothers who got separated from an orphanage. Their father died and since their mother couldn't afford to raise them they were put in an orphanage. While the elder brother is adopted and taken to America the younger one runs off to look for his mother. Fast forward 30 years or so. A TV show tracks them down and plans to telecast their reunion. The brothers find out that one of them has become a pastor and another a shaman. Thus starts the bickering and the comedy. In spite of their newly found differences they find themselves working together once their senile mother takes off form the TV studio and they have to embark on a journey to track and bring her back.

The story does start as a comedy but soon turns into a gripping drama about family values and acceptance. The brothers who thought each other's lives to be perfect in the beginning soon realize the hardships each of them have faced. They fight and bond over trivial issues and learn more about each other.

The acting is very good mostly and makes the story more believable. The hate, the subsequent love and care and the realization among the brothers was filmed perfectly and makes you relate with them more than often. While you laugh at their histrionics and I found a lump in my throat during some of the scenes towards the end. The film surprisingly was a refreshing take on family reunions and I loved it for what it was. I would suggest it anyone who likes quirky and yet meaningful drama.

I say "okay" because while it's not a bad movie, it's not really "good" either. There are some funny moments, some heartfelt ones, some funny side characters, but large parts of the movie were just dragging on and felt a bit boring. The story is also a bit all over the place and feels kind of directionless at times. The upside is, it's not predictable at all. Should you watch it? Yeah if you don't have too high expectations.