Movie Review –  Miss Granny (Korean)

It is a little sad that out of the 10 movie reviews on my blog only 4 of them are on Korean films, The Train To Busan, The Man From Nowhere (Ajusshi), an independent short titled Selfish People, and The Devils Game.  I have lived here for 8 years and have only seen a handful of Korean Titles.  While Korea mostly stands out for its television drama, and action films such as Old Boy, and Ajusshi.  Korean does some very good Comedy.  With hits such as the 2003 hit Please Teach Me English, and the2014 film we will review today Miss Granny.

Miss Granny or it’s Korean name 수상한 그녀 “Suspicious Girl is a comedy directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk who is well known for his serious dramas such as My Father, and The Crucible (Silenced).  Miss Granny is a fun and lighthearted film about Ms. Oh, Mal-soon (Played by both Eun-Kyung Shim, and Man-hee Na), who is a stubborn and irreverent grandmother who has a hard time getting along with the almost everyone around her, including her family.  Constantly clashing with her mother in law and grandchildren.  It is this constant friction that leads  the mother to collapse due to stress, and the family’s physician warns that it may killer if she has a similar episode.  It is suggested that Ms. Oh be placed in a nursing home.

Depressed from overhearing the family discussing her placement in such a facility we see Ms. Oh  wanders  the streets of Seoul and stumbles upon and enters a photo studio to have her funeral picture taken.  The photographer then promises he will make her look 50 years younger. On the way home after having her photo taken, Ms. Oh is shocked to see a reflection of herself in a mirror that she looks to be in her 20s.

Afraid to go home she takes a room at the house of one of the members of her senior center while her family and those who care about her frantically search for her, thinking she may have committed suicide.  Making the best of the situation Ms. Oh decides to help out her grandsons heavy metal band while also using the opportunity to fulfill her childhood dream of becoming a performer.  Something she gave up to get married and have a family.

Through flashbacks we discover that shortly after marrying her husband, he  is sent away to Germany to work in the coal mines to gain experience to bring back to Korea to aid in its rapid industrialization.  She is also pregnant at the time of his departure.   She soon receives notice that her husband is killed and she must now struggle and sacrifice to raise her son to be the best!

The song she writes for her grandsons band turns out to be a huge hit, but on the day of the bands big public performance, Ji-ha is involved in an accident, and is rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment.  As the band is struggling with the news and is about to cancel the performance, Ms. Oh convinces the band to go through with the performance so they can tell Ji-Ha that they performed his song.  Ms. Oh then rushes off to the hospital to be with her family. Ms. Oh must then choose between enjoying the life she always wanted but had to give up for her son, or saving Ji-ha and her family. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the film, and found it humorous and easy to laugh throughout.  The film continued its fun and fast pace throughout, and never strayed into the childish teen humor that too many American comedies seem to these days.  It was a refreshing to look at the often overplayed “What if life gave you a second chance” genre.  The acting, directing, and cinematography was well done, and as always with a locally filmed movie if was fun picking out recognizable landmarks.

If you are looking for a different kind of comedy, or looking for a well done foreign film, I definitely would give Miss Granny a look.

My Rating *****
Apple Store Rating – ***** (2 Reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes – 80%

You can find Miss Granny available for purchase on Amazon, Formats and prices below.

Region Free DVD – 49.99

Amazon Prime – FREE

Non-Amazon Prime
Rent – $3.99
Buy – $14,99

It is also available at the iTunes music store
Rent – $3.99
Buy – $14.99

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https://www.catracing.org/hendrb/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=27399