200 Pounds Beauty

This could have been a disaster. A story about a "ghost singer" (think Milli Vinilli) and phone sex operator changes her whole appearance, going from 200 pounds to becoming beautiful and shapely via full body plastic surgery, it could have been a silly film. It has silly moments, where guys are awestruck by her beauty, but this romantic comedy has a lot of heart. It succeeds in having Hanna, played by the beautiful Ah-jung Kim, and the guy she likes, Sang-jun, not become too serious, but also not become parodies of themselves. The movie, as you may have figured out, plays the fat card, but does it with restraint. Hanna becomes Jenny after her makeover, and works with Sang-jun. One thing I wished didn't happen thankfully didn't: She didn't all of a sudden begin sagging before our eyes. The music is good, some songs in English, some in Korean (I liked how they remade Blondie's "Maria"). Ah-jung Kim is a good actress, she plays Hanna/Jenny very well. I think you will get a lot from this film, and that is without the film being preachy about how everyone is beautiful, no matter what. There are nice sentimental touches in this film. I liked it a lot. I think Ah-jung Kim is someone to watch, she played the role perfectly. Its a feel good movie, so go ahead and see it.

I will admit that I have not seen many Korean romantic comedies, so I can't say definitively how it compares to others. But I have definitely seen my fair share of U.S. romantic comedies. Frankly, the genre has become so clichéd, it's nearly impossible to find any decent new romantic comedies.

When I chose to watch "200 Pounds Beauty," I expected more of the same formulaic plot twists, etc. Yet I was pleasantly surprised at how beautifully produced this movie was. The actors did a superb job. My only contention is that there were several unexplained plot contents. I won't spoil it for any potential viewers, so I'll leave you to figure those out for yourselves.

Bottom line: if you want to watch a cute, funny and well done romantic comedy, then this is your movie. But make sure you have some Kleenex on hand! There are a few tugging-at-the-heart strings scenes.

A sort-of romantic comedy, 200 Pounds Beauty, is a likable, although limited shot at romantic comedy popularity, sustained by a charismatic lead performance by Kim Ajoong and a high concept.

The story revolves around an obese woman who happens to be "the voice" of a popular singer in Corea. Of course, she doesn't look the part, so she just sings in the background. And he happens to be head over heels for her producer, who also happens to be friendly with her. Due to lack of confidence, she undergoes a radical total body plastic surgery procedure and is reborn at the pretty girl she thinks she needs to be to catch her crush. I think the story overall is a little mixed up and doesn't always do a great job of keeping conflicts clear. Sometimes I wasn't sure what the real conflict was with the main character and I find its wishy washy attitude towards societal standards of beauty, as well as plastic surgery, to be too anemic to appreciate. But the film does get many moments of comedy right. Special attention should be given to Kim Ajoong's portrayal of Kim Hana. Although at first I was a little annoyed by her "clumsy fat girl" antics, in the unbelievable fat suit, because I thought it was a negative stereotype of large bodied people, I came to appreciate her performance as she continued the same character after she becomes "beautiful". I loved how awkward her body language as the skinny girl she becomes is and there are some amusing bits of comedy that come from both her and others reacting to her new appearance.

I guess the big criticism I have is the lightweightedness of the story. Despite its romantic comedy billing, I still didn't feel like that much was at stake for Kim Hana, because I don't think the story effectively sold what it was that she cared about, in addition to splitting her interest in more than three directions. Furthermore, the producer character's position never becomes really clear. Many of the actors, being given limited characters, do an adequate job, but outside of the lead role, there's not much depth given to work with. Production value is high, as should be expected for a high-concept tentpole comedy and direction does a decent enough job of capturing a proper romantic comedy atmosphere.

In no way is anyone going to mistake 200 Pounds Beauty for high art, but its limited charms make for decent entertainment. I don't feel like the story is strong enough for the concept, but the execution is adequate enough and there's enough comedy present in the film to keep it floating through its running time. It also helps that Kim Ajoong turns out to be a good listen as well when she opens up her pipes to sing in the film. Thanks to her charming performance, I can give this one passing grade. It's not a special film, but basic romantic comedy entertainment that goes down easy and doesn't leave too big of an imprint in your mind. Decent. 6/10.

This movie is alright but could have been funnier and more meaningful. Although she owned up to having plastic surgery the message is still that she found love and success because of her weight loss. Maybe its just realistic and not preachy. Shallow Hal is a better movie. The actress is a real singer and that shows. The lead actor and actress have chemistry.

"200 Pounds Beauty" (aka "Minyeo-neun goerowo") sort of is a modern day Cinderella story, although with a twist. And it does differentiate itself from the numerous South Korean romantic comedy movies, which in itself in an impressive feat.

Director Yong-Hwa Kim has managed to put together a great romantic comedy that didn't follow the standard recipe of how to make a successful rom-com. As such, "200 Pounds Beauty" was a nice breath of fresh air to the genre.

Think Cinderella and you have the core essence of the movie. Han-na (played by Ah-Jung Kim) is a large singer who is doing the singing for a lip syncing popstar, hidden away because of her size and appearance. Undergoing full cosmetic surgery Han-na becomes everything she dreamed of, but she loses herself along the way and turns into what she always hated.

This comedy is not the kind that will leave you flat out laughing, but instead it is a good story with subtle comedy that will make you feel good. The nice storyline is accompanied by equally nice acting performances.

A big thumbs up to Ah-Jung Kim for her performance in this movie. She really did carry the movie quite nicely.

"200 Pounds Beauty" is a benchmark in the South Korean romantic comedy genre, and it is a must watch if you enjoy this particular genre. It is a beautiful movie that will leave a lasting impression. Highly recommended that you sit down to watch this movie.