Too Beautiful to Lie
Director: Bae Hyeong-jun
Year: 2004
Rating: 6.0
Country: Korea
A light screwball romance that could have been
produced in Hollywood in the 1930s. Starring perhaps Carole Lombard and Fred
McMurray. Though that may be overstating it. Actress Kim Ha-neul was very
popular when this came out, but she is not Carole Lombard. No one is. But
she was in some popular films back then - the horror flick Dead Friend, Ditto,
another comedy My Tutor Friend and the fun My Girlfriend is an Agent. I saw
this one years ago but admittedly forgot nearly all of it. It isn't the sort
of film that you will take home with you and put to bed, but it is pleasant
and unchallenging viewing. What I was in the mood for. Quite funny up front
that predictably evolves into drama and then sentimental mush. Just what
the audience expected and wanted. Kim Ha-neul won and was nominated for some
Best Actress Awards for this.
Yeong-ju (Kim) gives the performance of
her life to the parole board of the prison she is in with a sad story of
her sister and a wooden goose that she carved for her wedding. The Board
is in tears and gives her parole. She teaches classes in lying to her cellmates.
Later, she tells someone that lying well is not easy. It is a skill like
any other. "Lying is an intense mind game. You need a good memory and fast
co-ordination. And be painfully creative". Which is probably why I am so
bad at it. Never was, never will be. I don't even try any more. She was in
for fraud, so maybe she is not as good as she thinks.
But she was telling the truth about going
to her sister's wedding with a wooden goose. All the way to Busan. No zombies.
But when she falls asleep, the man sitting across from her drops a ring that
he wants to propose to his girlfriend (Nam Sang-mi) with. This is Hee-cheol
(Gang Dong-won), a bit nerdy, shy and inarticulate. With alien eyes. The
ring falls between her legs and he goes in for it. That does not go well,
but in circumstances too complicated to get into, she ends up at his family's
home while he is in Busan - and they mistake her for his fiancé. And
three months pregnant. She keeps trying to sneak out but just keeps getting
deeper in and when Hee-Cheol finally shows up, his family beats him up for
being so cruel to her. He tries to explain the truth but what chance does
he have against a professional liar. The extended family loves her, she begins
to love the family and it goes soft on us. But that was fine. A puffy sweet
comedy with a few good laughs.
