Actress Gong Hyo-jin reigns supreme when it comes to romantic dramas for television, with any new series featuring her gaining a lot of momentum and fetching good ratings throughout its runtime and awards once its finished. On the silver screen though, she has consciously been trying to build a completely different image to her small screen avatar, featuring in actions films like “Hit-and-Run Squad” and thrillers like “Door Lock” and “Missing”. Likewise, actor Kim Rae-won has also had a strong presence and following in the romance genre on television but has been seen in action dramas like “The Prison” and “Gangnam Blues” on the big screen. Both of them haven't been in a romantic feature since “You are More than Beautiful” in 2013 and “My Little Bride” in 2003 respectively. So when director Kim Han-gyul managed to sign both of them for her debut “Crazy Romance” which of course, as the title suggests, is a romantic dramedy, interest was high in the finished product. But does it live up to the high expectations?
“Crazy Romance” is screening at Udine Far East Film Festival 2020
Lee Jae-hoon broke up with his fiancée only a few days ago on their wedding day and has been a sorry mess of a man ever since. Drinking heavily every night and drunk texting/calling friends and colleagues, he lives in a since-unkempt apartment and goes through his job at an advertising agency mechanically. Seon-yeong joins the same advertising agency but it soon becomes evident that she is just as broken emotionally, as Jae-hoon and the rest of her colleagues witness her in a rather embarrassing breakup with her cheating boyfriend. One night, Jae-hoon drunk-calls Seon-yeong but has no recollection of it the morning after, and a friendship develops as the two realize that they have much in common, but are wary as gossip has a way of spreading like wildfire in their small office.
“Crazy Romance” takes a very mature look at a modern day romance, but this isn't the overtly sweet, cheesy first-love story that we usually get. Both Jae-hoon and Seon-yeong are in their thirties and have battle-scars from past romances and relationships and are better or worse because of them. Director Kim Han-gyul, who also wrote the script, took on board stories from people around her and incorporated them into the script, as a result of which the incidences peppered throughout the narrative (and there are a lot of those) feel very slice-of-life. The script also subtly takes on the gender expectations on people of the protagonists' age in the conservative South Korean society, where responsibilities and behavioural expectations are dictated based on one's gender and age, and flips them over, which is an interesting approach.
Office dynamics are also well explored, the various traits of the different colleagues coming across as straight out of real-life. The frequent scenes of company dinners and excursions often remind of a tv K-Drama. In fact, the story as a whole feels like an abridged K-Drama and this is an issue that holds “Crazy Romance” back. There is a lot of familiarity and a sense of deja vu to the narrative throughout, particularly if one is well-versed with these tv dramas. This brings a lot of familiarity and predictability to the story and the film never really rises above that. The finished product would have been a lot poorer if it were not for the two lead actors.
Both Kim Rae-won and Gong Hyo-jin have previously worked together on one occasion, the 2003 tv drama “Snowman” and for fans, it is a joy to witness the two actors together again. But both Kim and Gong have since matured a lot in terms of their performances, which are the biggest reasons “Crazy Romance” remains watchable, both emoting the developing feelings for each other very organically. The rest of the casting further mirrors the K-Drama connection, being comprised mostly of tv regulars. Kang Ki-young plays Jae-hoon's best friend Byung-cheol which feels like an extension of his role in “What's Wrong with Secretary Kim?”, Jung Woong-in plays the Boss and Jang So-yeon plays Mi-yeong, all fun characters that provide most of the comic relief.
“Crazy Romance” does look good, with the many restaurant and office interiors filmed brightly by DOP Son Won-ho and is populated with beautiful actors, but one can't nudge the feeling of mediocrity off it, despite the two leads' immense likability. Ironically, the Korean title for it literally translates as “The Most Ordinary Romance”, which disappointingly also stands true for the hotly anticipated return of Kim Rae-won and Gong Hyo-jin to the romance genre too.
