Hello Ghost

I am not a movie buff I just like watching films in any language as long as they fit my criteria. I don't usually go for horror, action or thrillers. I really like sci-fi, fantasy and romantic comedy. And this film ticks a lot of boxes for me. Being in my mid sixties I have got past being an adrenalin junkie and have had enough of crash- bang-wallop films and ones that attempt to give me a heart attack. I want films that make me feel warm and cuddly and put a wistful smile on my face. How Korea keep making films like this to such high standards of photography storyline and character development is beyond me. Hollywood is so predictable and boring that they are bottom of my list when checking out new releases, if they do by accident make an original film instead of a remake of some other countries they don't change the formula until all the other studios have made their version of the same or very similar film all of them crap by comparison. This film is straight into my list of all time favourites. It opens with a young man sitting in a sparsely furnished room shovelling handfuls of pills into his mouth when the phone rings......... He ends up with four ghosts as companions - an old man who has lost a camera another who has been looking for a car, a woman who can't stop crying and a small boy. They are all quirky and endearing and we begin to care about them as their stories unfold before us.........

Sang-man (Tae-hyun Cha) is an adult orphan, with no job, no friends and no life. So it's not surprising that he's seeking to end his life, only he's really bad at it and every time he tries to kill himself, he ends up in the hospital. On the most recent occasion, he finds some strange characters in the hospital with him – an Old Man (Moon-su Lee), a chain smoker (Chang-Seok Ko), a crying woman (Young-nam Jang) and a kid (Bo-geun Cheon); it isn't long before he realizes that they are all ghosts who, for some reason, have decided to stick to him like glue. An old fortune-teller (Ho-seok Kong) tells him they will only depart after he has fulfilled their wishes, and that he cannot take his own life until the ghosts are gone. Meanwhile, Jung Yun-Soo (Kang Hye-Won) is working at a hospice where the dying patients include a young child, a pregnant woman and an old man, her father. She must make her peace with them, and with their circumstances, and her life is made much more complicated when Sang-man meets her and falls in love....

This is a wonderful film, the first directed by Young-Tak Kim; it's funny, it's charming, and it's poignant, all without being in the least bit sappy. The revelations about the lives of the ghosts, about Yun-Soo's treatment of and by her father, and the denouement were all exciting and touching; I'm pretty sure there wasn't a dry eye in the house by the end. Tae-hyun Cha is delightful in the lead, but my favourite was Chang-Seok Ko as the chain smoker, a fat man with a sometimes sorrowful countenance but an absolutely stellar smile. My favourite film of FantAsia 2011 so far, and highly recommended if it comes to your town!

The movie is about a man obsessed by four ghosts.

These four ghosts refused to leave him alone until this poor guy help the ghosts to do what they didn't make it when they were alive.

Yes, like all Korean movies, it's also a love story.

Yes, this is such a cliché and I was about to give this movie 6 out of 10.

Yes, just everyone said. There came the ending ....... The best ending I haven't seen for a very long time. I loved it and I cried.

I guess the story was too plain so I ignored all the clues this movie has been telling the audiences. There are so many clues in this movie. I hate myself was too arrogant to think "ahh, another stupid movie. He helped the ghosts and the ghosts will help him." I was wrong.

i like the Korean movies,, specially for drama movies,, Korean drama movies are so romantics, humanities, and unpredictable for ending... cha tae hyon is the one of best Korean actor,, his movie like my sassy girl, ba-bo aka miracle of being fool, speed scandal,, and the newest hello ghost is one the best Korean drama movie for family... the story was comedy in the first of the movie,, but in ending you will find the unpredictable ending and also will make you very very melancholics and will remembered you about the most important person in your life.. FAMILY.... if you like drama comedy family this is the best i have ever seen... its will make you cry in the ending..... i love it i love cha tae hyon...

And I almost missed it. When I saw the poster, I thought to myself "Another stupid comedy making fun of ghosts". But due to the fact that Tae-hyun Cha is a very good actor, and he has never failed to impress me, I decided to force myself to watch it. And that is a very brilliant decision of mine.

Cha successfully plays the role of a hopeless guy, Sang-Man ,who doesn't have a family, friends, goals and desire to live. After a few attempts to commit suicide, he was stuck with 4 ghosts. While trying to fulfill their wishlist to free himself from those ghosts, he was helped by them to get close to the beautiful nurse Jung Yun-soo (Kang Hye-won). The movie moved at quite a slow pace at first but I didn't really mind. Every minute passed and you find yourself in more and more confusing questions about the ghosts and their stories that you couldn't wait for the next part of the movie to answer them.

The most shocking part is the ending. It is completely unpredictable. I watched the ending with my mouth wide open (because it was absolutely against what I thought it would be), tears keep falling from my eyes and I finished the movie with a very satisfy smile.

Excellent movie. I would highly recommend it. If you are searching for a light, touching, emotional (and sometimes hilarious) movie, this one is definitely for you.