Light-hearted comedy able to poke fun at traditions in fortune telling as well as story…
Set in the Joseon era during a severe drought and famine, the only hope to save the kingdom and make it rain is to find a husband for the Princess (Shim Eun Kyung). Her bad fortune as a bride is legendary, and Saju expert Seo Do-yoon (Lee Seung Ki) has orders to find matches for her, but when the candidates are narrowed down to three, she takes matters into her own hands and begins to seek them out.
Whilst the story itself lacked anything novel, preferring to follow a formula rather than innovate, I enjoyed how it made fun of some of the more traditional Korean Rom-Com tropes of disguise and gender swapping and perhaps the use of the formula was designed to emphasise the nature of fortune telling and predictability. This combination keeps you interested, but not necessarily engaged with the events. Perhaps too many minor storylines getting in the way of the message that your fate is really your own and you shouldn’t pick the path that everyone else directs you to follow. It is a first time directing a film for Hong Chang Pyo and the script is also a first from Lee Hyung Duk which could explain the decision to play it a little safe.
Shim Eun Kyung does well in the role of a woman taking charge of her own destiny rather than have it dictated to her. As in Miss Granny and Psychokenisis, the character she plays has a similar attitude to life as an independent woman, though in this latest film she adds just the right touch of vulnerability. She and Lee Seung-Ki have good comedic timing with each other, the humour not forced, relying on the chemistry between the two leads which was believable. I first encountered Lee Seung-ki as a singer back in 2004 and enjoyed some of his TV work in the SBS drama My Girlfriend is a 9 Tailed Fox. This is only his second film and his acting has developed well in the last 10 years.
The sets are superb with attention to detail and the costumes and colour palette of the whole film are bright and eye-catching. I can’t vouch for the historical accuracy of the dress, but it was authentic enough for a lighthearted comedy that was fun and engaging, even if you are a little weary of the genre. The language didn’t strike me as traditional saguk style in complexity, but I think that is common for big screen period comedy.
This film is the second of a project trilogy that deals with fortune telling traditions in Korea. The Face Reader (2013) and Feng Shui (2018), the first and third parts of the trilogy are also set in this period, though are not related in characters. Based on this film, I’m keen to see the rest, though I hope the balance between drama and comedy is a little more consistent.