Dancing Queen (댄싱 퀸)
Warning! Spoilers!
3/24/2013
The beginning of the movie, honestly, kind of put me off because it starts off oddly. You meet our main characters (엄정화/ Uhm Jung Hwa and 황정민/ Hwang Jung Min) when they first meet in Elementary school. It's an interesting start but seems pretty prominent in Korean love stories. They meet when they are young then don't see each other again for awhile and happen to run into each other when they are in college. Kind of makes you wonder what happened in secondary school. It's sort of comical but also really messed up, how they end up getting back into each other's lives. A misunderstanding in a bus. They then end up in a police station where they learn each other's names and figure out they know each other and decide afterwards to go out to dinner and catch up. 정화 forces 정민 to go out to a club and have some fun. I feel like that part is essential. He is in school as a lawyer and she helps him learn to loosen up a little. It is a building block in their relationship.
As 정화 is dancing and having fun she is scouted by a talent agent from a well known company. But immediately afterward they are attacked by riot police and 정민 is hurt. I still wasn't sure why 정화 never called the talent agent. I feel like after 정민 healed she could have but I suppose she forgot. 정민 and 정화 fell in love, got married and had a daughter. Naturally that part is done via montage. They develop into having what I have seen as a typical Movie/TV show relationship where they each have their individual social worlds that they don't share with each other which naturally is what leads to the issues. They don't talk to each other about any dreams they have because they feel like their life is to now make money how they can and take care of their child. So when 정민 wants to do more than just be a lawyer 정화 thinks he's crazy and when 정화 wants to audition for Superstar K 정민 thinks she is crazy.
We are then introduced to a K-pop group that is set to audition with the agent that had tried to recruit 정화 when she was in college. One of the members of the soon-to-debut group, Dorothy, passes out during rehearsal and ends up being pregnant. The agent, while freaking out in his office, ends up seeing 정화의 Superstar K Audition and decides to get in touch with her and see how she is doing and if she would like to join the group he is trying to debut. So they meet up and have lunch. She decides , without talking to her husband about it, to join the group despite her age. She also, realizing how busy she'll be, asks her mother to watch their daughter. Naturally Dorothy gets jealous and wants to blackmail 정화 .
정민의 side of the story is a little less fascinating than 정화의 side. 정민 gets caught up in a bunch of political junk when he accidentally saves a man in the subway when he is pushed in the way as a train is coming. He then becomes a face and voice for the the unheard, usually-ignored people of Seoul. The political parties of Korea then decide to use him as a 'pacemaker' or 'pawn' in a scheme for the Mayoral elections. But 정민, being an a average 정, becomes a real voice for the people; some one they can really relate to. So, the people representing him decide to change their plans and have him really run for office. Naturally this freaks out the other candidates since they are rich and privileged and with as much political knowledge as they have; cannot relate to the people. Debates and pre-electoral speeches put 정민 in a place of power. With as much political and legal knowledge as he has 정민 also witnessed life as a underprivileged person and knows the trials and tribulations you go through when you can't fully support yourself or your family. He brings something to the table that only someone in his place could; understanding.
If you have ever watched a Korean movie or drama or really any comedy you see one of those 'he/she might see me moments'. This happens in Dancing Queen when 정화의 group is chosen to perform at a Mayoral party. She has to play both parts, 정화, the Mayor's Wife and Venus, The Dancing Queens Member. You see that 정민 kind of almost recognizes 정화 but nothing is said or done. Also, for some reason, another thing done in this movie that you see in a lot of Korean shows and movies is blackmail. Dorothy finds out 정화 is 정민의 wife and gives all the Mayoral candidates including 정민 pictures of 정화 practicing and performing with Dancing Queens.
When 정민 sees the pictures he fights with 정화 and decides all he can do now is step down. However, after learning that being Mayor has become his dream 정화 doesn't allow him to. She explains to him that she went after her dreams , not only for her own sake, but for their daughter too. She wanted their daughter to have dreams instead of feeling like it was a waste of time. And 정화 knew the only way their daughter would take goals and dreams seriously was if her parents did what they dreamed. The whole movie is a pillar to the concept 'You are never too old to achieve your dreams'. 정민, at age 35, was the oldest man in Korea to pass the Bar Exam and 정화 in her 40's was one of the oldest people to ever just join and debut with a K-pop group. While having some typical themes the movie sort of surprised me when 정민 started talking about how a wife and a family aren't there to be governed, but rather to be loved and taken care of. He talked about how his wife was not his property, like a house, but rather more like a wild flower that grew in front of it. Instead of putting her in a pot in the house and deciding how tall she grew or where she went he wanted to let her blossom on her own in her own space and love her just as she was.
정민의 openness and sincerity spoke to the people and he became Mayor. The movie has the usual fairytale ending but I feel like it reaches it in a much more meaningful way than most and definitely in a much different way than I expected. Honestly in any other Korean movie I feel like the wife would have decided her husband's dream was much more important and would have bent to his will and quit her real dream for the dream of taking care of her family and her husband, the mayor. This movie was a beautiful, though sort of typical, showing of love and marriage in the current era. With a real showcase of how South Korea has advanced into an era of some sort of gender neutrality. The fact that 정민 was ready to give up this fire in his eyes so his wife could have her dream. It shocked me in ways I never thought I could be. It was a refreshing change.
I have felt as I get older I do get sick of the teenage dramas and movies. They all seem to have the same plot and same general ending. We have all seen it before. Dramas like 최고의 사랑 and movies like 댄싱 퀸 truly take you out of the typical Korean Cinema box and make you feel like there is more to be seen, heard and felt. Growing up is not scary. It is normal and gives you a greater perspective on life. I was pleasantly surprised by this movie and will be showing it to all my friends and family. I highly recommend you watch it if you haven't. As much as I have said about the movie I still feel like you cannot understand the amazement I got from it unless you watch it yourself. It is on Netflix. I suggest you watch it on there in High Definition while you can. I'm sure it's also on one or more of the many sites that host Korean Dramas and Movies in decent quality. Wherever, Whatever you use to watch Korean Cinema I suggest you go there now and watch this movie, re-read this review, go to my contact page and let me know if you agree with me or not. Oh and please let me know if there are anymore movies or dramas like this. I'm really getting into this adult genre. I hope some of you are too.
( I swear the older I get the less interesting high school dramas are XD)
The beginning of the movie, honestly, kind of put me off because it starts off oddly. You meet our main characters (엄정화/ Uhm Jung Hwa and 황정민/ Hwang Jung Min) when they first meet in Elementary school. It's an interesting start but seems pretty prominent in Korean love stories. They meet when they are young then don't see each other again for awhile and happen to run into each other when they are in college. Kind of makes you wonder what happened in secondary school. It's sort of comical but also really messed up, how they end up getting back into each other's lives. A misunderstanding in a bus. They then end up in a police station where they learn each other's names and figure out they know each other and decide afterwards to go out to dinner and catch up. 정화 forces 정민 to go out to a club and have some fun. I feel like that part is essential. He is in school as a lawyer and she helps him learn to loosen up a little. It is a building block in their relationship.
As 정화 is dancing and having fun she is scouted by a talent agent from a well known company. But immediately afterward they are attacked by riot police and 정민 is hurt. I still wasn't sure why 정화 never called the talent agent. I feel like after 정민 healed she could have but I suppose she forgot. 정민 and 정화 fell in love, got married and had a daughter. Naturally that part is done via montage. They develop into having what I have seen as a typical Movie/TV show relationship where they each have their individual social worlds that they don't share with each other which naturally is what leads to the issues. They don't talk to each other about any dreams they have because they feel like their life is to now make money how they can and take care of their child. So when 정민 wants to do more than just be a lawyer 정화 thinks he's crazy and when 정화 wants to audition for Superstar K 정민 thinks she is crazy.
We are then introduced to a K-pop group that is set to audition with the agent that had tried to recruit 정화 when she was in college. One of the members of the soon-to-debut group, Dorothy, passes out during rehearsal and ends up being pregnant. The agent, while freaking out in his office, ends up seeing 정화의 Superstar K Audition and decides to get in touch with her and see how she is doing and if she would like to join the group he is trying to debut. So they meet up and have lunch. She decides , without talking to her husband about it, to join the group despite her age. She also, realizing how busy she'll be, asks her mother to watch their daughter. Naturally Dorothy gets jealous and wants to blackmail 정화 .
정민의 side of the story is a little less fascinating than 정화의 side. 정민 gets caught up in a bunch of political junk when he accidentally saves a man in the subway when he is pushed in the way as a train is coming. He then becomes a face and voice for the the unheard, usually-ignored people of Seoul. The political parties of Korea then decide to use him as a 'pacemaker' or 'pawn' in a scheme for the Mayoral elections. But 정민, being an a average 정, becomes a real voice for the people; some one they can really relate to. So, the people representing him decide to change their plans and have him really run for office. Naturally this freaks out the other candidates since they are rich and privileged and with as much political knowledge as they have; cannot relate to the people. Debates and pre-electoral speeches put 정민 in a place of power. With as much political and legal knowledge as he has 정민 also witnessed life as a underprivileged person and knows the trials and tribulations you go through when you can't fully support yourself or your family. He brings something to the table that only someone in his place could; understanding.
If you have ever watched a Korean movie or drama or really any comedy you see one of those 'he/she might see me moments'. This happens in Dancing Queen when 정화의 group is chosen to perform at a Mayoral party. She has to play both parts, 정화, the Mayor's Wife and Venus, The Dancing Queens Member. You see that 정민 kind of almost recognizes 정화 but nothing is said or done. Also, for some reason, another thing done in this movie that you see in a lot of Korean shows and movies is blackmail. Dorothy finds out 정화 is 정민의 wife and gives all the Mayoral candidates including 정민 pictures of 정화 practicing and performing with Dancing Queens.
When 정민 sees the pictures he fights with 정화 and decides all he can do now is step down. However, after learning that being Mayor has become his dream 정화 doesn't allow him to. She explains to him that she went after her dreams , not only for her own sake, but for their daughter too. She wanted their daughter to have dreams instead of feeling like it was a waste of time. And 정화 knew the only way their daughter would take goals and dreams seriously was if her parents did what they dreamed. The whole movie is a pillar to the concept 'You are never too old to achieve your dreams'. 정민, at age 35, was the oldest man in Korea to pass the Bar Exam and 정화 in her 40's was one of the oldest people to ever just join and debut with a K-pop group. While having some typical themes the movie sort of surprised me when 정민 started talking about how a wife and a family aren't there to be governed, but rather to be loved and taken care of. He talked about how his wife was not his property, like a house, but rather more like a wild flower that grew in front of it. Instead of putting her in a pot in the house and deciding how tall she grew or where she went he wanted to let her blossom on her own in her own space and love her just as she was.
정민의 openness and sincerity spoke to the people and he became Mayor. The movie has the usual fairytale ending but I feel like it reaches it in a much more meaningful way than most and definitely in a much different way than I expected. Honestly in any other Korean movie I feel like the wife would have decided her husband's dream was much more important and would have bent to his will and quit her real dream for the dream of taking care of her family and her husband, the mayor. This movie was a beautiful, though sort of typical, showing of love and marriage in the current era. With a real showcase of how South Korea has advanced into an era of some sort of gender neutrality. The fact that 정민 was ready to give up this fire in his eyes so his wife could have her dream. It shocked me in ways I never thought I could be. It was a refreshing change.
I have felt as I get older I do get sick of the teenage dramas and movies. They all seem to have the same plot and same general ending. We have all seen it before. Dramas like 최고의 사랑 and movies like 댄싱 퀸 truly take you out of the typical Korean Cinema box and make you feel like there is more to be seen, heard and felt. Growing up is not scary. It is normal and gives you a greater perspective on life. I was pleasantly surprised by this movie and will be showing it to all my friends and family. I highly recommend you watch it if you haven't. As much as I have said about the movie I still feel like you cannot understand the amazement I got from it unless you watch it yourself. It is on Netflix. I suggest you watch it on there in High Definition while you can. I'm sure it's also on one or more of the many sites that host Korean Dramas and Movies in decent quality. Wherever, Whatever you use to watch Korean Cinema I suggest you go there now and watch this movie, re-read this review, go to my contact page and let me know if you agree with me or not. Oh and please let me know if there are anymore movies or dramas like this. I'm really getting into this adult genre. I hope some of you are too.
( I swear the older I get the less interesting high school dramas are XD)