Wednesday, January 14, 2009

A MOMENT TO REMEMBER MOVIE (korean movie)


This sappy movie was the one of the most popular chick flicks to come out of Korea in 2004.

The plot involves a love story between two opposites. Soo-Jin, is an annoyingly feminine daddy’s girl. It’s love at first sight when lays her eyes on the ultra macho construction worker Chol-Soo. Chol-Soo is tough and sexy, and just what she needs after her recent break-up with her ex. As chance would have it, Chol Soo is foreman at one of her dad’s building sites.Even though Soo-Jin knows her dad would never approve of the match, love compels her to chase after the manly foreman anyway. She finally gets him after a few very silly and stereotypical courtship scenes. In one scene, Chol-Soo valiantly saves Soo-Jin’s stolen purse from a motorcycle bandit. He then proceeds to drive her home in a very cool beat-up jeep. She acts totally helpless, hanging on for dear life as the dirty jeep speeds along the highway. She dons his welding mask for protection. Beneath the window of the huge iron mask, she’s making a cute doe-eyed expression that seems to say, “I’m a helpless little girl who needs to be saved by a knight in shining armor.” I assume this is where all the teenage girls start sighing, but come on, how corny can you get!In another scene, he’s teaching her how to swing a bat at some kind of baseball driving range. Again she’s completely useless in her secretary skirt and stiletto heels. He has no choice but to come behind her and show her how to swing the bat. He wraps his studly body around her and they zoom in on the grinding bodies. I’m sure hordes of teeny bopper girls swooned over this scene, but all it got from me was a big roll of the eyes. PULEEZE!Even though Mr. Tough Guy insists he doesn’t want to be tied down, Soo-Jin decides that it’s time for them to get married. She stages a surprise dinner with the family because she wants to come out of the closet about who she’s dating. Her dad is furious when he finds out who her boyfriend is and Chol-Soo is put under a severe interrogation. The weak-hearted Soo-Jin can’t handle the situation and faints from extreme stress. Both men soften up and decide to accept each other after they see how vulnerable Soo-Jin is. After the wedding, daddy’s connections help Chol-Soo land a more prestigious job as an architect. Then, tragedy strikes the newlyweds when the 27 year old Soo-Jin gets diagnosed with (GASP!) Alzheimer’s disease! (YEAH, RIGHT!)This is one of those movies that really reinforce male/female roles in Korean society. Men are supposed to be tough and protect their women. (This attitude probably stems from years of war and Confucianism.) Women are meant to act meek, vulnerable and cute. Furthermore, the plot perpetuates an unbelieveable female fantasy that some tough guy would turn out to be so talented and devoted. In real life, manly men are usually just jerks. A Moment to Remember was so over the top, I wanted to turn it off halfway through.

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