Kuan meun ho

A rarity these days for film-makers to be proficient in varying genres. Director of acclaimed horror films "Shutter" and "Alone" carves a niche in his first romance comedy showcase that is very much fun and laughter inducing. Fans of Korean pop culture and TV dramas will not want to miss this.

Frankly speaking, upon knowing that Director Banjong Pisanthanakun (of Shutter and Alone fame) is doing a romance comedy, I'm really not that surprised. In fact I held high hopes as I've seen what he's capable of with his comedy-horror film segments in "4bia" and its sequel "Phobia 2". With a very good mix of humour and spooks for these two short films, he finally ventures away from horror for the first time with good results.

Capitalising upon his good comic sense of humour, he has written some very engaging screenplay together with his male lead Dhanasevi, which probably explains why he seems so natural in his wonderful role performance as the irritating cynic who meets a pure-hearted homely girl crazy over Korean dramas in South Korea.

Besides the hilarious and sparkling presence of Dhanasevi, new face Sophon (a.k.a NooNa) earns a great first feature grade for her film resume. Appearing blissful and bubbly while maintaining a girl-next-door image that appeals to the boys out there, she is one mesmerising newcomer to watch out for. When it comes to the sentimental scenes where she has to get wet in tears, she pulls it off like a seasoned natural (possibly with an acting coach as credited in the film).

Likely to be a reflection of the current Korean television drama craze that has overwhelmed Asian countries like Thailand, it sets off to be some sort of a Korean drama spoof attempting to poke fun at it through the cynicism of Dhanasevi. When paired with Korean drama lover NooNa, their interactions give rise to an influential synergetic ensemble that easily captivates our hearts. Thanks to some really interesting writing, this film is filled with several comical scenes that got us blatantly laughing out loud.

It's really all about the fun we enjoy from them.

Of course, what's a rom-com without the soppy melodrama? Unnecessarily long to cause a minor draggy feel, this is where we discover the Director's limitations of inexperience with romance. However, the romance plot elements somewhat reflect scenarios that are often common of couples in real life. Their development gets me nodding in agreement at times as I can totally relate couples around me to them, a credit that I have to give Pisanthanakun for.

Standing amidst the extensive humour, fun, and melodrama, one gets truly influenced to hold desires to visit South Korea with a prominent feature of South Korean culture and her scenic urban cityscape and snowscape.

Fun-filled culture exchange makes for good film material.

Those of us outside Thailand will regard the Thai film production company GTH with some of the best horror films to have come out of the Kingdom in recent years, and introducing a promising crop of young filmmakers under its fold to which audiences round the world have associated with Shutter, and the two 4bia films. Banjong Pisanthanakun, one half of the famed dynamic duo who brought us Shutter, now switches from horror to romantic comedy with Hello Stranger, and with Bangkok Traffic Love Story already under GTH's belt, one wonders if this is another genre that they're branching out since horror and romance are quite the crowd pleasers in Asia.

Strangely enough, this Thai romantic comedy is set in South Korea, a country which like Japan has their own fair share of genre films rolling off their assembly line. Perhaps it's a nod in their direction, and a knock on their doors that Thailand can produce an equally entertaining film that in my opinion can challenge some of their best, and that of Hollywood's as well. Needless to say the significance of setting it in South Korea, which has its romantic drama serials to thank for in boosting its tourism arrivals as its pop culture made waves throughout Asia, and the story here by Chantawit Thanasewee rides on that phenomenon, having the female lead (Nuengtida Sopon) as an equally inspired tourist that wriggles her way from her possessive manic boyfriend to make her solo fangirl trip to visit places made famous by the dramas.

I had visited Korea before the K-craze ruled supreme and having that re-look into the sights and sounds of Korea from a touristy perspective again was a treat. I'm sure there are many out there who have visited Korea thanks to being influenced by its dramas, and will probably find it easy to identify with the intentions of the female lead, going ga-ga over statues of stars, and having to eat and drink in the exact same places featured in films. A chance encounter, which is a clichéd staple for a romantic film to work, sees her bump into Chantavit Dhanasevi's lovelorn guy, who goes on a package tour after being dumped by his girlfriend, and through a series of errors, sees himself stuck with the fangirl.

I suppose one will never turn away a countryman in a foreign land who seems lost and doesn't speak the language nor English to get by, so the pair hook up for travels, but make a pact not to tell each other their names, which would suppose to get them to be brutally honest with each other. But you can bet your last dollar that with one just being dumped, and the other having to escape from the clutches of a possessive boyfriend, this new found freedom and opportunity, will lead to hearts set to flutter, but not before the story gets to put them through the paces necessary for chemistry to build, and for the characters to click. There's the obligatory outing where they discover more about themselves, a wedding to go to, counseling sessions to open up their hearts, and that proverbial spanner in the works to toss everything up and to test the strength of their new found friend/relation-ship.

Banjong Pisanthanakun seems comfortable in handling the genre, tackling mushy romance with comedy with aplomb, and you'll soon find yourself laughing along and at their antics. Given its run time of just over two hours, there are numerous sequences designed to cheer the duo on as we the audience find that they make quite the couple, but for them to constantly deny that absolute truth. The director also found plenty of opportunity to lampoon the Korean phenomenon on tourism and romantic films, and therein lies plenty of comedic irony in the story. The production stuck to safe parameters to deliver a romantic comedy within expectations, though of course given Pisanthanakun's first foray into the genre, he might have wanted to play it a little safe.

Unless you're Han Yew Kwang wanting to experiment with an unromantic film like in his When Hainan Meets Teochew, chances are the leads in any romantic flick tend to be extremely good looking. Newcomer Nuengtida Sopon plays her extremely likable character of optimistic nature with great comic timing and it'll be interesting to note how her film career will branch off from this. Chantavit Dhanasevi's character though calls for a lot more range as he begins as quite the sulker, before love transforms his demeanour from negative to positive, then followed by a pretty lovelorn turn into the wishy-washy, which is a big no-no. Both leads share a comfortable chemistry that made this believable without turning you off with too much clichéd and kitsch moments that will make your hair stand on ends. Instead you'll find this episode rather believable, though detractors will moan at the finale, which I agree tend to be a tad too dragged out, and interpretation will depend on the kind of mood you're in when you watch the film.

Thailand has shown that it has no lack of talent to tackle romantic leading roles, and I wonder how long it will take for Singapore to come out with something uniquely identifiable as our own, as past efforts don't really seem to be burning up the local box office like how the foreign films do. I'd recommend this film for the K-culture and romantic buffs most definitely.

This is a must-see movie for anybody who likes rom-coms. The mood in the movie is light and funny throughout. It is modern Harry Met Sally, updated for new generation. The peek into characters from a different country is an added bonus.

Of course as is the case with most of this kind of movies, it is a little formulaic and contrived and you can guess the directions the plot will take from the start. But it is more about the journey than about the destination. You know it is a bit far-fetched but you really don't care.

Both the leads have done an amazing work with any going overboard.

After a Long Time, I Watched a Heart Touching Romantic Movie. This Movie Tells a Beautiful Story about Two Peoples who don't know each other Fall In Love. Its Climax was So Unexpected. I liked that male Character who Plays that Lead Role. His Name was Chantavit Dhanasevi, One of the Best Actor in Thailand Performed Very Well !! And Also The Female Lead Nuengthida Sophon Perfomed Well Too. I'll Give this Movie 10/10 for Best Story,Screenplay,Performance, Climax. Romcom Drama Fans Check This Out ! Because This Movie is So Underrated !. A Worth Watch Movie !!

I guess I got to be the first one to review this movie then. Hello Stanger is probably the highest grossing movie of this year (2010) in the Thai Box Office and probably among of the top five of all time, so something must be right to make this movie to famous among its viewer and for me something was really right.

Synopsis: A cliché love story about two lonely people befriended in the foreign land. The name of the movie came as they refuse to tell each other name so that they don't have to care about one another but just part-time friend whom happens to travel and exploring Korea together.

Made by the GTH production house, for Thai people – this is like saying the movie came from Pixar – a quality production house that assure its viewer the quality of the flick. Despite being new to the industry with less than 10 years experience four movies from GTH made it to the highest grossing movie of all time.

The movie doesn't try to be anything else rather than the romantic comedy and from my point of view that what the movie deliver best. The movie consist some consistence witted humors, and some of the scene that will make your eye watery from the beginning to the end.

With Korean Fever on the rise (Korean Fever is a phase describing the popularity of Korean cultures, series, movie, K-pop singers etc on young people on other countries) this movie came exactly at the right time. It will truly help if you watch a lot of Korean Series, then you will know what they are talking about.

Another thing that I truly love about this movie is the casting. It is a perfect fit and it felt so natural. I guess since he is the one who wrote this movie he know exactly what to give to get the character and how to portray it. Yes, that right the main protagonist is the one who wrote this movie. I also love the casting of the female protagonist Noona, she was awesome in everyway even thought this way her debut in film industry. Surprisingly she also did an OST for this flick, which is truly touching.

Anyway overall I highly recommend this movie to anyone who have a good sense of humor and wanted to relax, and then this movie is definitely for you. Try it, truly worth it.

Recommendation: I definitely add this to my DVD collection.

Reason To Watch: Its Humor, Korea, and Actors.

Reason Not to: Personal dislike of this genre of movie, otherwise I don't see a reason not to at least try to watch it once.

Rating: 8.0/10 (Grade: A-)