Oh! Funny Brothers

One day, Oh Sang-woo (Lee Jung-jae), who takes pictures of couples in inappropriate relationships and extorts money from them, hears surprising news that his father died and left him in debt. His father cheated on his mother who killed herself afterwards. Sang-woo tries to find a way out of the plight and decides to take care of his half-brother who he hasn`t even met to look for his stepmother who just disappeared.

What is worse, his half-brother Bong-gu (Lee Bum-soo) has got progeria, a disease that produces rapid aging starting in childhood. So Bong-gu looks as if he were Sang-soo`s younger brother. At the end of twists and turns, the two brothers work as a team. They help other people receive money that they lent a long time ago and take a daughter who ran away from home to her dying father.

The film `Oh! Brothers` is about a heartwarming story of the two unusual brothers. This comedy shows the love of family and brothers in a positive and warm way. Although Sang-woo turns his back on the world because of his father, his wounded heart becomes healed as he gets along with his brother. The reason why this movie is outstanding is it focuses on family values at a time when a talk of broken families are widespread.

Actor Lee Bum-soo internalizes and plays the character Bong-gu. Audiences can`t help laughing out at his facial expressions, the way he talks, and his gestures. They burst out laughter as se looks a 30-year-old man but acts like a little boy by screwing and frightening grown-ups.

One day Bong-gu tells a debtor in a tavern.

“I would have liked if you were responsible for your own behavior. Do you like to go to school?”

Big men get scared at the 12-year-old kid when he says this because he just looks like a gangster, even though he only learned from a video called `chucky.` The men are so frightened since they think the word `school` means `prison.`

There are many smart scenes such as the one on Bong-gu who is suffering juvenile diabetes, injecting insulin on his arm, making people misunderstand that he is on drugs. Police Chief Chung(Lee Mun-sik) who demands bribes from Sang-woo and other assistant actors acts make the movie more enjoyable. In particular, the picture taken by the police camera, when Sang-woo took Bong-gu to the highway, works as a killer in the last scene.

The `unhappy cohabitation` of the brothers turns into a `pleasant partnership` as the brothers work together as problem solvers, and it takes another turn into `warm companionship` as Sang-woo finally opens up his mind and accepts his brother. It seems like a story we have all seen from a Hollywood movie, but Director Kim Yong-hwa worked hard to prevent it. The kind explanation of all the inserted episodes in the movies can sometimes feel like being overly friendly, but Director Kim showed off his great movie making skill in his debut piece.

It is quiet comic for a popular movie. We can see the hard work of the director to break the low expectations of the public. NC-15. To be released on Sep. 5

mskoh119@donga.com