Killing Romance (2023)

Lee Hanee and Lee Sun Kyun needs to be in more musicals

Yeo Raeism was the highlight of the movie. The 3 best scenes that if werent there wouldve made me think the movie was a flop: the car scene when they sang Yeo Raeism, Lee Hanee beatboxing in the sauna, the final song battle.

Movie has a simple plot. Yeo Rae, a popular but terrible actress fell in love with Jonathan, a good but very very evil businessman. She finally realizes she isnt happy with him and the marriage and tries to get away from it. Bumwoo is a huge fan of Yeo Rae and ends up helping her in trying to get rid of Jonathan.

Lee Hanee did an EXTRAORDINARY job in portraying her character as she always does in all of her roles. She did an amazing job at the musical scenes. Seriously why hasn't she been in more musicals?!! To be very honest I think someone else couldve done a better job at portraying Jonathan's character than Lee Sun Kyun did. He did a really great job (plus seeing him with that hair-do and mustache while dancing was a major treat to the eyes), but I just feel like someone else couldve done it better.

My favorite part about the movie was how it was filmed. Take for an example the part where Yeo Rae and Bumwoo were brainstorming ideas on how to kill Jonathan. It's just brilliant! Her explaining the peanut allergy plan and Jonathan next to her demonstrating it like those live tv shopping ads. And one of my favorite scenes, when they planned to kill Jon through a car accident and they realized neither of them could drive a car. That whole sequence was brilliant!

Overall it's a very unique movie, especially so if you compare it to other korean films. It had a customized Wes Anderson feel to it plus a touch of Willy Wonka. There were parts where it got boring and my attention shifted elsewhere. HOWEVER, the comedy in this movie is just pure gold and I would rewatch it again for that itselft.

Lees verder

A sad story camouflaged with vibrant colours and humour.

The first 20 minutes of the movie may seem comedic or light-hearted but it takes a drastic turn from the next 20 minutes. The movie highlights degrees of abuse in marriage and more.

Key Themes in the Movie:

Your happiness is dependent on yourself and what you like. - The movie highlights on how happiness comes from ourselves and not others even if the other person could be our husband or family. Yeo-rae and Bumsoo were both chasing happiness that came from others expectations, had they trusted themselves and found what they wanted to do they would of been more dependent on themselves in terms for their happiness.

Narcissistic husband on another level. - The mustache, the long hair and the shirt without collars. To top it up the portraits that resemble ancient Greek gods. Just a narcissist that has a god-complex, its not that he is competitive its just that he views himself so higher than others that he would rather die than lose. Yeo-rae being emotionally and physically in different ways by her narcissistic husband Jonathan. How he is controlling of everything she does to the extent that he knows what she says to herself on her own, when most likely no one could have heard her e.g. with the ostrich and how he then got her bags made out of ostrich leather.

Gas lighting and Control - A huge part of the movie, the Susans and Bob, just every part of Yeo-rae's life was controlled. If you think about it so was Bumsoo's with his families obsession and control to get into Seoul University,

Loneliness in materialism - Even the most rich are lonely and unhappy. Maybe Jonathan obsessed over Yeo-rae over the feeling of being lonely than betrayal? Yeo-rae being lonely even around all of the materialistic things that people would want but she was still alone and sad. It proves that even if you have everything under your feet, if you don't receive love you will be unhappy.

No matter the background everyone has their struggle - Look at Yeo-rae she was married rich but she was lonely and look at Bumsoo he came from a family that all got into Seoul University but him.

Indecisiveness and regret. - JUST MAKE A DECISION AND DON'T LINGER ON IT! Lingering is worse than regret, with regret you learn but with lingering onto something you don't learn or improve you just remain fixated.

Billionnaires and destroying nature - Nature will get its revenge lmao anyways it just another part of real life that is highlighted, illegally destroying nature for capital.

False representation of reality - Yeo-rae being happily married to a billionaire or the Jonathan world that was scene in the last scene compared to the reality.

Jonathan's Magic? - Even the most powerful and rich can disappear in the most absurd way, like Jonathan and the ostrich, that is just how life is. This could even be seen in real life events like recently with the millionaires stuck in the submarine that passed away.

Overall the movie highlighting real problems in the world in a vibrant and musical way, its very representative of the world. We all know that people are out there struggling, destroying the world and each other but just like the movie we ignore it and cover it with music and vibrancy to paint the total opposite of the reality. I personally thought this was an good movie, but I don't think I would watch it again the story-line is a bit too deep and dark if you think about it. Also with such a great cast I was expecting it would be something else like a light-hearted comedy similar to Extreme Job given that Lee Hanee and Gong Myoung are in it but I wasn't disappointed. Also Lee Sungkyun and Lee Hanne need to do more musicals if they aren't already!! Oh and just to add I liked the inclusion of old kpop songs, wonder if Rain really sang Yeo-raeism? XD.

Lees verder

Asinine, yet heartbreaking. Garish, yet beautiful.

Story: "Killing Romance" is mainly a story about abuse, and quite a poignant one at that. Although the plot is extremely simplistic, at times utterly silly, at times borderline obnoxious, it never fails to deliver its message perfectly and without cheapening it. That being said, there are many times when the things happening on screen feel disconnected, almost arbitrary. I get that this is done in the name of comedy, but still, I don't think it landed.

Acting/Cast: I love, love, LOVE Lee Ha Nee! She has this amazing combination of gorgeousness and hilarity that I find extremely charming. And she did not disappoint! She was stunningly beautiful, appropriately nutty, but she also exuded a certain vulnerability in the more sentimental parts of the movie that really resonated with me.
Lee Seon Kyun was perfect for the role of Jonathan, I can't think of anyone else who could play him better. He was the embodiment of kitsch. Unrelenting, over-the-top each and every moment he was on screen, ostentatious, ridiculous but also very believably threatening and cruel.
Gong Myeong was.... fine. I don't feel like he contributed anything more than an inoffensive performance and a cute face.
The rest of the cast (apart from Oh Jeong Se, who I found hilarious in his tiny bit) was perfectly average.

Music: Not my cup of tea, but I appreciated the performances. I especially liked Johnathan's last performance and how gradually more and more unhinged it got.

Rewatch value: None really... Maybe once again with friends to share the novelty of its style.

Overall: I feel like the weakest point of the movie is the comedy. I am one to admire absurd humor (huge fan of The Mighty Boosh), but I found most of the bits too silly for my liking. The ones that landed though, were very good. (The planning montage was a highlight in my opinion.) I also found myself quite bored at times, and I think it was mainly due to the disconnectedness I mentioned above. It was very disappointing because I could tell that the writers and the director KNEW how to make things work, but the whole thing was rushed and thus failed.
Apart from the performances of the two main leads, the other very strong asset of this movie is how aesthetically pleasing it is. This movie is f***ing STUNNING! The colors, the shots, the costumes, the makeup, the mustaches.... Everything is polished and very well thought out.
Ultimately, the absolute saving grace of "Killing Romance" is how deliciously camp it is. It never takes itself too seriously, but at the same time respects the seriousness of what it's trying to say. It's extra, loud, flamboyant, and, despite its many failings, FUN!

Lees verder