Miss Granny (Korean: 수상한 그녀) is a 2014 South Korean fantasy comedy-drama film directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk.[2] Na Moon-hee stars as a woman in her 70s who magically finds herself in the body of her 20-year-old self (Shim Eun-kyung) after having her picture taken at a mysterious photo studio.[3][4][5][6][7] After opening in theaters on January 22, 2014,[8] it became a huge box office hit, with 8.65 million tickets sold.
| Miss Granny | |
|---|---|
Promotional poster | |
| Hangul | 수상한 그녀 |
| Hanja | 殊常한 그女 |
| Literal meaning | Suspicious Girl |
| Revised Romanization | Susanghan Geunyeo |
| McCune–Reischauer | Susanhan Kŭnyŏ |
| Directed by | Hwang Dong-hyuk |
| Written by |
|
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Kim Ji-yong |
| Edited by | Nam Na-yeong |
| Music by | Mowg |
Production company | Yein Plus |
| Distributed by | CJ Entertainment |
Release date |
|
Running time | 124 minutes |
| Country | South Korea |
| Language | Korean |
| Budget | US$3.2 million |
| Box office | US$51.7 million[1] |
The film challenges social norms by focusing on an elderly woman, inviting the audience to connect with her. Through a magical shift between old and young, the film suggests that while modern society offers women more opportunities for self-expression, they still struggle for true agency. This is due to a conflict between hyper-individualism and relational values, which hinders them from fully realizing themselves.[9]
Plot
editOh Mal-soon, a 74-year-old widow, lives with her son and his family. Foul-mouthed, stubborn, controlling and shameless, she has a difficult relationship with her depressed daughter-in-law Ae-ja, but is very proud of her son Hyun-chul, who became a university professor of gerontology at Seoul National University and whom she raised by herself against all odds. One day, Ae-ja gets hospitalized after suddenly collapsing. Her doctors strongly advise her to live apart from Mal-soon. On the day she is told by her son that she is being sent to a nursing home, the dismayed Mal-soon wanders the streets and comes across a mysterious photo studio that claims it captures the moments of one's youth. She takes what she believes will be her last self-portrait for her not-so-far-off funeral, but when she comes out of the studio, Mal-soon is dumbfounded by her own reflection in the mirror: she's now a fresh, young 20-year-old woman.
At first not knowing what to do, she hides from her family and soon ends up lodging with her fellow café shop worker who used to be a servant of her family. With no one recognizing her, Mal-soon decides to make the most out of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. She renames herself Oh Doo-ri after her all-time favorite actress Audrey Hepburn, gets a haircut similar to Hepburn's in Roman Holiday, and takes advantage of her youth. As the "suspicious girl" of the Korean title, all anyone sees is that Doo-ri speaks with a regional accent and walks like an old lady, and that she acts very strangely and motherly for her age. After wowing a group of pensioners with a stirring karaoke tune one day, she attracts the notice of her unknowing grandson Ji-ha, a 4th year in university, and Han Seung-woo, a TV music producer. Ji-ha invites her to join his heavy metal band, and after she convinces them to switch to more audience-pleasing melodies.
She gets caught romantically between two men: Mr. Park, her now ex-café worker friend who had always secretly loved Mal-soon, and Seung-woo, who's doing his best to track her down again.[10][11][12] Mr. Park's daughter forces her out as she thinks Doo-ri is scheming after his money and she takes refuge in Mr. Han's apartment.
Meanwhile, the band becomes successful with her as vocalist and Seung-woo decides to take them under his wing. Doo-ri is thrilled to be pursuing a career in music ― something she had to give up when she was young. They are booked for an extravaganza at the studio and Ji-ha is late due to a traffic jam. He decides to leave the taxi and bike but is hit by a lorry on the way there. He is in a critical condition at the hospital but Doo-ri decides to go on stage so as to tell him that his song was a success afterwards. As she arrives at the hospital it is found that only she has the correct blood type for a transfusion. She does the transfusion knowing that it would return her back to her aged condition.
Ji-ha's band takes off with the sister as the lead singer and Doo-ri as a fan. Mr. Park finds the same photo studio and becomes young and handsome. He picks her up at a bus stop and rides off bickering good naturedly as they always do.
Cast
edit- Shim Eun-kyung as young Oh Mal-soon / Oh Doo-ri
- Na Moon-hee as Oh Mal-soon
- Park In-hwan as Mr. Park
- Sung Dong-il as Ban Hyun-chul
- Lee Jin-wook as Han Seung-woo
- Hwang Jung-min as Ae-ja
- Kim Seul-gi as Ban Ha-na
- Jinyoung as Ban Ji-ha
- Kim Hyun-sook as Park Na-young
- Ha Yeon-joo as Soo-yeon
- Park Hye-jin as Ok-ja
- Jung In-gi as Hyun-chul's doctor friend
- Hong Seok-yeon as chemist
- Lee Jang-yu as shoe stall owner
- Park Hyung-woo as bassist of Ji-ha's band
- Lee Sang-eon as drummer of Ji-ha's band
- Park Seung-tae as Oh Bok
- Han Ji-eun as Seo Mi-ae
- Hwang Young-hee as Chinese restaurant owner
- Kim Seon-ha as princess in TV drama
- Kim Dong-hee as Dragon
- Kim Dong-seok as music show MC
- Pyo Ye-jin as music show MC
- Kim Soo-hyun as young Mr. Park (cameo)
- Hwang Seung-eon as female college student applying make-up (cameo)
- Jang Gwang as photographer (cameo)
- Choi Hwa-jung as radio DJ (cameo)
- Yoo Se-yoon as legendary band vocalist (cameo)
Original soundtrack
edit| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "나성에 가면" (If You Go to Los Angeles) | Shim Eun-kyung | 2:56 |
| 2. | "반지하 인생" (Life of Half Underground) | Han Soo-yeon | 3:26 |
| 3. | "하얀나비" (White Butterfly) | Shim Eun-kyung | 3:39 |
| 4. | "한번 더" (Once More) | Shim Eun-kyung | 4:05 |
| 5. | "Waltz for Mother" | Mowg | 3:43 |
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "빗물" (Raindrop) | Shim Eun-kyung | 3:44 |
| 2. | "빗물 (Inst.)" (Raindrop (Inst.)) | 3:44 |
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "나성에 가면" (If You Go to Los Angeles) | Rose Motel, Shim Eun-kyung | 3:02 |
Box office
editMiss Granny was released in South Korea on January 22, 2014. It drew 850,000 admissions on its opening day, placing it second behind Hollywood animated film Frozen at the box office.[13]
By its second week, good word of mouth caused ticket sales to rise 106%, and Miss Granny became the surprise chart topper after accruing 1.76 million viewers over the Lunar New Year weekend.[14][15][16] After only 12 days in theaters, it reached close to 4 million admissions.[17][18][19] Miss Granny crossed 7 million admissions on February 17 after 27 days on release, with a gross of ₩51.1 billion (US$48.1 million).[20] To date, the film has had 8,656,417 admissions, earning ₩62.5 billion (US$61.8 million);[21] it climbed to number 13 on the all-time Korean box office chart in its eighth week.[22][23] Miss Granny grossed a total of US$59.6 million internationally.[24]
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 19th Chunsa Film Art Awards | Best Actress | Shim Eun-kyung | Won | [25][26] |
| Best Screenplay | Shin Dong-ik, Hong Yun-jeong, Dong Hee-seon | Won | |||
| 5th Okinawa International Movie Festival | Uminchu Prize Grand Prix, Peace category | Miss Granny | Won | [27][28][29][30] | |
| 50th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actress | Shim Eun-kyung | Won | [31][32] | |
| Best Screenplay | Shin Dong-ik, Hong Yun-jeong, Dong Hee-seon | Nominated | |||
| 18th Fantasia International Film Festival | Audience Award, Best Asian Film - Gold | Miss Granny | Won | ||
| 14th Director's Cut Awards | Best Actress | Shim Eun-kyung | Won | ||
| 23rd Buil Film Awards | Best Actress | Shim Eun-kyung | Won | [33] | |
| Best Screenplay | Shin Dong-ik, Hong Yun-jeong, Dong Hee-seon | Nominated | |||
| Best Music | Mowg | Nominated | |||
| 34th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | Critics' Top 10 | Miss Granny | Won | ||
| 51st Grand Bell Awards | Best Actress | Shim Eun-kyung | Nominated | [34][35] | |
| Best Screenplay | Shin Dong-ik, Hong Yun-jeong, Dong Hee-seon | Nominated | |||
| Best Music | Mowg | Won | |||
| 15th Women in Film Korea Awards | Best Producer | Im Ji-young | Won | ||
| Best Marketing | Won | ||||
| 35th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Film | Miss Granny | Nominated | ||
| Best Director | Hwang Dong-hyuk | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress | Shim Eun-kyung | Nominated | |||
| Best Screenplay | Shin Dong-ik, Hong Yun-jeong, Dong Hee-seon | Nominated | |||
| Best Music | Mowg | Nominated | |||
| 1st Korean Film Producers Association Awards | Best Actress | Shim Eun-kyung | Won | ||
| 2015 | 10th Max Movie Awards | Best Film | Miss Granny | Nominated | |
| Best Director | Hwang Dong-hyuk | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress | Shim Eun-kyung | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actor | Jinyoung | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actress | Na Moon-hee | Won | |||
| Shim Eun-kyung | Nominated | ||||
| Kim Seul-gi | Nominated | ||||
| Best Trailer | Miss Granny | Nominated | |||
| Best Poster | Miss Granny | Nominated |
Remakes
editMiss Granny has received several remakes in different countries and languages.
Film
edit| Year | English title | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 20 Once Again | China and Taiwan |
| 2015 | Sweet 20 | Vietnam |
| 2016 | Sing My Life | Japan |
| 2016 | Suddenly Twenty | Thailand |
| 2017 | Sweet 20 | Indonesia |
| 2018 | Miss Granny | Philippines |
| 2019 | Oh! Baby | India |
| 2022 | Cuando sea joven | Mexico |
| TBA | Ms. Granny[36] | United States |
Television
edit| Year | English title | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 20 Once Again | China |
| 2024 | Who Is She[37] | South Korea |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Miss Granny Box Office Gross". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 2014-05-29. Retrieved 2014-02-23.
- ^ "An interview with movie director Hwang Dong-hyuk". The Dong-a Ilbo. 10 February 2014. Archived from the original on 2015-12-22. Retrieved 2014-02-25.
- ^ Song, Soon-jin (20 December 2013). "Press Conference Held for MISS GRANNY". Korean Film Council. Archived from the original on 2021-10-03. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
- ^ Baek, Hee-youn (20 December 2013). "Age meets youth with comedy Miss Granny". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 2023-04-16. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
- ^ Lee, Claire (30 December 2013). "Rookies of 2014: Shim Eun-kyeong steps forward with Miss Granny". The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
- ^ "Shim Eun-kyung Sheds Inhibitions for Grandma Role". The Chosun Ilbo. 8 February 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-03-04. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
- ^ Kim, Jong-chul (2 May 2014). "SHIM Eun-kyoung of MISS GRANNY: Suspicious Girl Becomes a Glamorous Actress". Korean Cinema Today. Archived from the original on 2014-05-08. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
- ^ Song, Soon-jin (6 January 2014). "4 Big Releases March Into Theaters for Korean New Year". Korean Film Council. Archived from the original on 2021-05-25. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
- ^ Aharoni Lir, Shlomit; Ayalon, Liat (2023-10-03). "An old mind in a young body: womanhood between oppression and expression in Miss Granny". Feminist Media Studies. 23 (7): 3650–3665. doi:10.1080/14680777.2022.2129416. ISSN 1468-0777.
- ^ Tae, Sang-joon (30 December 2013). "Shhh..... I am your Granny!". Korean Cinema Today. Archived from the original on 2014-01-06. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
- ^ Lee, Claire (7 January 2014). "Herald Review: Grandma relives youth in Miss Granny". The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
- ^ Conran, Pierce (20 January 2014). "In Focus: Miss Granny". Korean Film Council. Archived from the original on 2014-02-23. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
- ^ Sunwoo, Carla (28 January 2014). "Frozen continues strong Korea run". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
- ^ Conran, Pierce (3 February 2014). "MISS GRANNY Tops Huge Lunar New Year Weekend". Korean Film Council. Archived from the original on 2014-02-23. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
- ^ Kim, Jessica (3 February 2014). "Miss Granny Pushes Past Frozen on Korean Box Office". TenAsia. Archived from the original on 13 February 2014. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
- ^ Sunwoo, Carla (4 February 2014). "Miss Granny leads big weekend for local films". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
- ^ Lee, Hyo-won (3 February 2014). "Frozen Sets South Korean Box-Office Record for Animated Film". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 2014-03-10. Retrieved 2014-03-27.
- ^ Conran, Pierce (10 February 2014). "Box Office: January 16-February 5, 2014". Korean Film Council. Archived from the original on 2014-02-23. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
- ^ Jin, Eun-soo (14 February 2014). "Stars give free hugs to fans". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 2014-02-28. Retrieved 2014-02-25.
- ^ Cremin, Stephen (18 February 2014). "Miss Granny stays young at South Korea B.O." Film Business Asia. Archived from the original on 2014-04-13. Retrieved 2014-03-27.
- ^ Cremin, Stephen (8 July 2014). "Market share of South Korean films plummets". Film Business Asia. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 2014-07-09.
- ^ "3 Young Women Show Long-Missing Movie Star Material". The Chosun Ilbo. 14 March 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-03-14. Retrieved 2014-03-14.
- ^ Tae, Sang-joon (24 March 2014). "Box Office: March 6-19, 2014". Korean Film Council. Archived from the original on 2021-03-13. Retrieved 2014-03-27.
- ^ Tartaglione, Nancy; Bloom, David (10 January 2015). "Transformers 4 Tops 2014's 100 Highest-Grossing International Films – Chart". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 2015-01-13. Retrieved 2015-01-10.
- ^ Kwon, Ji-youn (20 March 2014). "Actor Song Kang-ho wins Chunsa award". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on 2014-10-06. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
- ^ Cho, Suyoun (20 March 2014). "The 19th Chunsa Film Festival Awards the Best Actor and Actress of the Year". BNTNews. Archived from the original on 2014-04-07. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
- ^ Cremin, Stephen (25 March 2014). "One Third wins at Okinawa". Film Business Asia. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 2014-03-27.
- ^ Schilling, Mark (25 March 2014). "Okinawa Fest Wraps With One Third Taking Top Prize". Variety. Archived from the original on 2014-03-26. Retrieved 2014-03-27.
- ^ Conran, Pierce (27 March 2014). "Okinawa Awards MISS GRANNY Top Prize". Korean Film Council. Archived from the original on 2014-04-08. Retrieved 2014-03-27.
- ^ Jin, Eun-soo (27 March 2014). "Miss Granny wins prize in Japan". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 2014-03-26. Retrieved 2014-03-29.
- ^ Chung, Joo-won (27 May 2014). "Song Gang-ho, Jun Ji-hyun get top nods at Baeksang Awards". The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on 2020-06-13. Retrieved 2014-05-28.
- ^ Hong, Grace Danbi (28 May 2014). "Jun Ji Hyun and Song Kang Ho Receive Highest Honors at the Baeksang Arts Awards". enewsWorld. Archived from the original on 2014-05-29. Retrieved 2014-05-28.
- ^ Kim, June (6 October 2014). "SHIM Eun-kyung, SONG Kang-ho, HONG Sangsoo and ROARING CURRENTS Win at 23rd Buil Film Awards". Korean Film Council. Archived from the original on 2016-03-10. Retrieved 2014-10-09.
- ^ Kim, June (12 November 2014). "The 51st Daejong Film Awards Nominations Announced". Korean Film Council. Archived from the original on 2014-12-17. Retrieved 2014-11-12.
- ^ Conran, Pierce (24 November 2014). "ROARING CURRENTS Tops 51st Daejong Film Awards". Korean Film Council. Archived from the original on 2015-11-19. Retrieved 2014-11-25.
- ^ Park, Boram (29 November 2018). "CJ ENM, U.S. studios to remake 2 popular Korean films". Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
- ^ Conran, Pierce (20 July 2024). "Sweet Home's Jung Jin-young for Miss Granny, and more K-drama casting news". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
External links
edit- Miss Granny at HanCinema
- Miss Granny at the Korean Movie Database (in Korean)
- Miss Granny at IMDb