Dancing Queen (2012 film)

Dancing Queen

Promotional poster for Dancing Queen
Directed by Lee Suk-hoon
Produced by Kim Nam-soo
Yoon Je-kyoon
Written by Lee Suk-hoon
Yoon Je-kyoon
Park Su-jin
Kim Hwi
Starring Hwang Jung-min
Uhm Jung-hwa
Music by Hwang Sang-jun
Cinematography Choi Jin-woong
Production
company
JK Film
Distributed by CJ Entertainment
Release dates
  • 18 January 2012
Running time
 124 minutes
Country South Korea
Language Korean
Box office $26,411,266[1]

Dancing Queen (Hangul: 댄싱퀸; RR: Daensing Kwin) is 2012 South Korean romantic comedy film starring Uhm Jung-hwa and Hwang Jung-min. The film tells a story of a married couple, who in the midst of their mundane lives decides to pursue their lost dreams. The husband finds himself accidentally running for Mayor of Seoul and his wife decides to become a pop singer. It was produced by JK Film and distributed by CJ Entertainment, and released on January 18, 2012.[2]

Plot

Dancing Queen tells the story of Uhm Jung-hwa, who shares the name of the actress who plays her. In the film, Uhm is a girl who dreamed about becoming a singer when she was young but had to put her dream aside when she married Hwang Jung-min, who also uses his real name. Although Hwang is a lawyer, he is always worrying about paying the rent.

One day, Hwang rescues a drunk man who falls off of a subway platform and becomes an instant hero. His heroic act even pushes him into the political arena and he decides to run for Seoul mayor. Things go along just fine until Uhm receives a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in the form of a proposal from an entertainment agency and she is forced to choose between her dream and his. It’s not long before she realizes that she can’t give up her dream and she decides to pursue both.

The film demonstrates that age is just a number and that dreams can sometimes come true.[3]

Cast

Production

This is the third collaboration of singer-actress Uhm Jung-hwa and actor Hwang Jung-min. They burned up the screen in the 2005 hit All for Love, with Uhm playing a stuck-up divorced doctor and Hwang playing a foul-mouthed detective; the chemistry between the two boosted ticket sales back then. They again starred together in Five Senses of Eros.[3]

Reception

The film is lauded for reflecting social issues,[5] as The Korea Times in its review said "What makes the film interesting is that it opts to examine the psychology behind the precarious situation, when a couple’s individual interest is at odds with the other".[6] While The Hollywood Reporter quoted "Dancing Queen is polished entertainment with a subtle message, anchored by an engaging (if physically awkward) performances and a suitably pulsating empowerment anthem".[7]

According to data provided by Korean Film Council (KOFIC) it was the second most-watched film in South Korea in the first quarter of 2012, with a total of 4 million admissions.[8] It ranked first and grossed ₩9.3 billion in its first week of release[9] and grossed a total of ₩30 billion after seven weeks of screening.[10]

References

  1. ↑ http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/intl/?page=&id=_fDANCINGQUEEN01
  2. ↑ "Dancing Queen (2011)". Korean Film Biz Zone. Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "2012.2.3 Now Playing". Korea Joongang Daily. 3 February 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
  4. ↑ "Dancing Queen Uhm Returns to Screen After Thyroid Surgery". The Chosun Ilbo. 14 January 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
  5. ↑ Park, Ji-won (8 February 2012). "Popular Korean Films Reflecting Social Issues". Arirang News. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
  6. ↑ Lee, Hyo-won (19 January 2012). "Queen brings zesty humor, touching drama". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
  7. ↑ Kerr, Elizabeth (20 March 2012). "Dancing Queen: Filmart Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
  8. ↑ Hong, Lucia (9 April 2012). "Korean movies notch up higher number in 1Q ticket sales". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-04-22.
  9. ↑ "South Korea Box Office: January 20–22, 2012". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2012-04-24
  10. ↑ "South Korea Box Office: March 2–4, 2012". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2012-04-42

External links