Here you will find reviews of Korean comedy films. Please click on the picture or the title, and you will be taken to the review.

200 Pounds Beauty (미녀는 괴로워) – ★★★☆☆

 “200 Pounds Beauty attempts to explore both sides of Korea’s obsession with cosmetic surgery, with a highly competent performance by Kim Ah-joong. While the film does depict a variety of social discourses surrounding the cultural phenomenon, 200 Pounds Beauty ultimately reinforces cosmetic surgery as the key to a successful and happy life.”

Boomerang Family (고령화가족) – ★☆☆☆☆

“Boomerang Family is a comedy-drama about bickering siblings that crucially is neither funny nor dramatic. The violence of hitting someone with a brick to the head is not comedic, nor is the rampant misogyny featured throughout where rape and sexual assault are not only intended to be entertaining, but also forgivable.”

Dasepo Naughty Girls (다세포 소녀) – ★★☆☆☆

“Dasepo Naughty Girls is stylized entertainment, one that uses imaginative colour and camera techniques to provide fun and quirky originality. Yet the stylization cannot hide the vacuous nature of the narrative which simultaneously celebrates and derides the protagonists within, and which also fails to merge the various threads into a coherent whole.”

Detective K: Secret of a Virtuous Widow (조선명탐정: 각시투구꽃의 비밀) – ★★★☆☆

“Detective K is a charming and amusing comedy, with enough wit and ingenuity to keep the narrative flowing well despite the convoluted plot threads. The recurring jokes and slapstick comedy routines make Detective K thoroughly enjoyable, thanks chiefly to the actors who all deeply understand the comedy style and perform accordingly.”

Detective K 2: Secret of the Lost Island (조선명탐정: 놉의 딸) – ★★★☆☆

“Comedy sequel Detective K: Secret of the Lost Island is a zany and cheerful jaunt through old Joseon, much like its predecessor only less so. While returning director Kim Seok-yoon helms the shenanigans competently, the film suffers greatly from mismanaged characterisation as well as employing weighty themes involving child murder, slavery and prostitution. Sporadically humorous, Detective K 2 is amiable, yet quite forgettable, matinee fare.”

Marrying the Mafia IV: Family Ordeal (가문의 영광 4: 가문의 수난) – ★☆☆☆☆

“Marrying the Mafia IV: Family Ordeal is without a doubt one of the worst films to emerge from Korea in recent times, a comedy that fails in every degree through the juvenile and absurd sensibilities within. The acting is nothing short of horrendous by all involved. It is offensive in the pursuit of cheap laughs, but it simply isn’t funny. Avoid.”

Miss Granny (수상한 그녀) – ★★★☆☆

“Miss Granny is a light-hearted and mild family comedy, one which pokes fun at the elderly in Korea in a fun, tongue-in-cheek fashion. The humour mainly derives from stereotypes, slapstick and body comedy. The story is incredibly cliched and predictable although it gels together well, while the additional melodrama is fleeting but poignant while it lasts.”

My Ordinary Love Story (내 연애의 기억) – ★★★☆☆

“My Ordinary Love Story is an enjoyable genre-bending outing by director Lee Kwon. The film elevates itself out of mediocrity by beginning as a generic rom-com before delving into darker territory, carried ably by the charismatic performance of Kang Ye-won. While there are pacing and technical issues within, it’s one of the more refreshing examples of the genre.”

Over My Dead Body (시체가 돌아왔다) – ★★★☆☆

“Over My Dead Body offers an interesting and comically-macabre spin on the crime heist sub-genre, and often succeeds in being entertaining throughout. Yet the film largely falls into cliche and predictability following the first act due to the reliance upon an array of stock characters and a lack of inventiveness.”

Save the Green Planet (지구를 지켜라!) – ★★★★☆

“Save the Green Planet is a thoroughly engaging and fun amalgamation of disparate generic features, all interwoven into a uniquely thrilling whole. Yet in addition to the madcap antics, director Jang Joon-hwan has crafted a biting social satire as well as a highly memorable, psychologically unbalanced anti-hero in the form of Byeong-gu. Save the Green Planet an incredibly enjoyable, strikingly powerful, and uniquely refreshing film.”

Secretly, Greatly (은밀하게 위대하게) – ★★☆☆☆

“Secretly, Greatly is a record breaking film, although unfortunately that doesn’t mean that it’s of high quality. While competently directed by Jang Cheol-soo and with a fun opening, things quickly become tedious due to an array of one dimensional stereotypes, while the drama and action are bland and uninspired. Secretly, Greatly’s successes seems to be based on fans of handsome actors, as there is little else to recommend.”

Sunny (써니) – ★★★★☆

“Sunny is certainly a ‘feel-good’ film that does a wonderful job of employing the nostalgia of the ’60s to help the characters grow in the present. It is also incredibly refreshing to see a film that portrays women so vibrantly, and although it’s not as insightful as other dramatic examples, it’s such a funny, uplifting and charming film in its own right. “

Venus Talk (관능의 법칙) – ★★★☆☆

“Venus Talk is an attempt at crafting a Sex and the City style, and for the opening 20~30 minutes director Kwon Chil-in and screenwriter Lee Soo-ah do well in portraying three empowered friends as they discuss life, love, and sex. Yet the film takes a turn into typical K-drama fare, and worst still, attempts to ‘punish’ the protagonists for being modern feminists.”

You Are My Vampire (그댄 나의 뱀파이어) – ★★☆☆☆

“You Are My Vampire attempts to capitalise on contemporary culture’s fascination with supernatural love stories by offering a decidedly quirky rom-com between a struggling screenwriter and man who displays all the hallmarks of vampirism. Director Lee Won-hoi employs quite gentle comedy, while the over-abundant supporting cast force the film into a series of vignettes.”