Wiheomhan Sanggyeonrye

I sat down to watch the 2011 romantic comedy from writer Myung Mi Ha and director Jin-yeong Kim. Truth be told, I hadn't even heard about this movie prior to now in 2020 as I was given the chance to sit down and watch it. Given my interest in the Asian cinema and the track record of South Korean romantic comedies usually being quite good, of course I found the time to sit down and watch "Meet the In-Laws" (aka "Clash of the Families" and "Wi-heom-han sang-gyeon-rye").

Well, turns out that this movie wasn't a particularly great addition to the otherwise normally very enjoyable and entertaining romantic comedy genre that South Korean cinema do so well. Now, I wanted to like this movie, I really, really did.

The movie ran at almost two hours in length, but it felt like four hours or so. Let me be the first to say that the storyline here was horrible slow-paced, and it took director Jin-yeong Kim literally forever to get from point A to point B. And the movie was suffering terribly from its incredibly slow pacing, especially with so little of any interest happening throughout the course of the movie, much less did it help that the laughs were few and far between.

I am not joking when I said that I gave up on the movie with just 15 minutes left before the end. I was good and ready to do some self-mutilation at that point, because the movie was just so mundane and boring. And no, I virtually have no interest in returning to watch the ending of the movie, as I can guess what happens, given the movie's predictability.

It should be said that they actually had managed to get together a good cast ensemble, with some very talented actors and actresses. It was such a shame that the cast were restricted beyond belief by such a mundane script and a lack of proper story pacing.

For a romantic comedy, then "Meet the In-Laws" was a massive swing and a miss. I found very little enjoyment throughout the course of the prolonged storytelling. In fact, I think I laughed only twice along the way.

My rating for this 2011 movie is a generous three out of ten stars. If you enjoy South Korean romantic comedies, there are far better choices available.

Clash Of The Families or Meet The In Laws as it is also known, is a broad comedy that was a big hit at the box office in Korea that has managed to spawn a spin off film that was released earlier this year.

The film is set in the immediate aftermath of the Seoul 1988 Olympics and concerns itself with the blossoming relationship which starts during Hyun Jun's tenure in the army when he receives pen pal letters from Da Jong. The major obstacle in their relationship is that they are from two different regions in Korea; Hyun Jun is from the liberal, laid back Jeollanamdo area and Da Jong is a resident of Busan in Gyeongsangnamdo, renowned for its political conservatism, frankness, fiery tempers and bad driving. The parents of Da Jong and Hyun Jun are staunchly against their union due to their prejudices about their provinces. This is where all of the films humour comes from and as a non-Korean speaker, a lot of the gags surrounding accent and stereotypes may be lost.

The knockabout comedy is flimsy with regards to plot and though the leads are initially very endearing the script does little to keep interest. One of the best things about the film is Song Sae Byeok's portrayal of Hyun Jun, the quiet, romantic writer which is subtle and effective.

There is enough to enjoy in the first hour, the tone is light and playful and there are enough laughs but the second half drags, the plot, or what there is of a plot is overdrawn, the same jokes are rehashed over and over and the conclusion is visible a mile off. Some editing and a few more gags could have elevated the film into something more but as it stands, the film falls rather flat.