The success of “Extreme Job” upon its release was a surprise to most, its makers included. The unassuming action comedy, starring Ryu Seung-ryong, Lee Hanee and more, creeped up quietly and based off a strong word of mouth, went on to make history as the most financially successful Korean film of all time and the second most-attended domestic theatrical release ever in the country. On the back of its success, its director Lee Byeong-heon was able to have financed and produced “Dream”, a project that he had been wanting to make for nearly 10 years before the release of “Extreme Job”.
Dream is screening at New York Asian Film Festival
Park Seo-joon plays Yoon Hong-dae, a top footballer, who gets into a scandal after assaulting a rude journalist. Out of favour and slowing going out of money, he gets offered a job coaching the national team that is going to participate in the 2010 Homeless World Cup, which is to be the subject of a documentary directed by PD Lee So-jin. Seeing this as an opportunity to clean his tarnished image, Hong-dae takes up the offer but is in for a rude awakening when he sees the team, a collection of homeless people, most of who cannot play football to save their lives and should have no business being within touching distance of a football.
Everybody loves a good underdog story and Lee Byeong-heon takes the journey of the South Korean team at the 2010 Homeless World Cup, a team that won nothing but a nation's hearts, and spins a fictional tale in which the lead character may be Yoon Hong-dae, but is really the tale of this ragtag team of players who must overcome their inaptitude and just put on a good show. This provides for a number of humorous situations, both in the training sequences as well as when the team actually goes to the World Cup. Lee has proven time and again that comedy is his strong suit and “Dream” is, in that sense, no different. Starting from the very first scene, featuring a fun cameo, all the way to its very end, the feature never loses its humor and while it may not be as laugh-out-loud funny as “Extreme Job” or even “Twenty”, it still manages to hit its mark more often than not.
That is not to say that the narrative isn't a serious one at all either. Homelessness is a topic very rarely seen in Korean cinema, and lesser so in comedies, but Lee takes this opportunity to put across the harsh conditions and prejudices the homeless face in the country. The violence, the disregard, disrespect and ignorance is accurately portrayed, but the narrative doesn't delve too deep in this regard, nor does it give equal importance to its many characters. While some of them get sufficiently detailed storylines, others are relegated to mere one-sentence explanations. This is an inexcusable shortcoming, especially considering that the film runs just north of the two-hours mark. Most of that time, at least until the narrative gets to the World Cup, is utilised to tell Hong-dae's rather uninteresting story which swiftly runs out of steam, with some elements, like his mother, being quickly forgotten. The unrealistic commentary during the football matches is also going to prove quite bothersome for many.
Marking his first big screen appearance in four years, Park Seo-joon is effortlessly cool in his performance. This is a role that doesn't challenge the actor much, but his charm manages to make the character very likeable. His training and indeed his love for football shows through. What was supposed to be the debut film role for singer/actress IU unfortunately did not turn out to be that way, but nevertheless is very watchable. If “Broker” proved that she could put in a strong dramatic performance, “Dream” sees her be her usual cutesy self in an affable way. The two actors look adorable together and play off each other surprisingly well. The rest of the supporting cast is uniformly decent, and Lee does well to balance out screen-time between most of them.
Looking vibrant, “Dream” is a pleasing viewing experience that plays on the “Korean spirit” side of a sports movie, which the country's cinema seems to lean more towards, than on actually winning and being successful, and this is ultimately what one's enjoyment out of the narrative will depend upon. Well cast and funny, it sadly doesn't hold a candle to its predecessor in Lee Byeong-heon's filmography, and that is perhaps the biggest disappointment that it has in store for the audience and fans of Lee and “Extreme Job”.
