A Romantic Papa is a film by one of Corea's most prominent directors during the 1960's, Shin Sang OK. Apparently an adaptation from another medium, A Romantic Papa clearly shows its adaptation and while it's buoyed by good performances and capable direction, the nature of the script keeps threatening to drag it under.
This is the story of the titular romantic papa, husband and father to five children who earns a modest income at an insurance company. Although he can't provide his family the luxuries of life, they all seem to get along well. The story is basically that, and although a noticeable turning point does eventually show up in the story towards the last third of the film, most of it is composed of little vignettes in the life of the family and doesn't carry much dramatic weight. As such, it becomes difficult to stay focused because the narrative isn't driving us anywhere and the problems that need to be resolved don't appear to be building to anything.
This is made clear when the conflict finally arrives, but doesn't appear to carry that much weight and is so quickly and easily resolved. In some sense, this is sort of a movie version of a sitcom like "Leave It to Beaver" or another clean-cut series where the troubles are simple and quickly resolved. But rather than building upon the premise and developing a more weighty plot, A Romantic Papa just stitches together these moments sequentially. While the characters are interesting, they aren't placed into situations that really arise any concerns.
The most interesting aspect of the film is the very beginning, after an image of a large smoking cauldron, the primary characters introduce themselves directly to the camera, interacting with each other as they do so. Afterward, while the film isn't forgettable, due to the strong performances, including a wonderful scene where the family enacts versions of their ideal movie script, which is actually just recollections of plays or stories that they already know, inserting themselves into the stories, the film still doesn't hold together very well as a whole, seeming to run too long and not giving many of these vignettes much of a point.
As such, the film can be a little tedious or boring. I kept waiting for something of significance to happen and by the time it does, it's too little and too late. Still, due to the amusement provided by the characters and their interactions, I can't claim that A Romantic Papa should be avoided, but perhaps cautioned. It's a slow ride and not particularly dramatic. But sometimes, people like that, especially if it's not without its charms. 6/10.
