‘Clash Of The Families’ is a 2011 South Korean crowd pleaser. It is a take on the meet-the-inlaws-to-be variant. Although incredibly formulaic it is a feel-good film and we can always use more of heart-warming, not less.
Peppy Da-hong is encouraged to settle down in the bonds of holy matrimony with one of the suitors chosen by her affluent family. She however is in love with Hyun-joon, an introverted, geeky cartoonist. Da-hong is from Gyeongsang and Hyun-joon from Jeolla. Both sets of parents – the fathers in particular - are prejudiced against people hailing from the other area.
I gathered that people from Gyeongsang are more urbane and affluent though considered less well-mannered while people from Jeolla are considered traditional and soft spoken.
Additionally, the fathers have some history together and this increases the tension between the families. Will Hyun-joon claim Da-hong as his bride or will loyalty to their families tear them apart?
The movie is divided into 3 parts – first; the lovers meet, fall in love and decide to marry, second; Hyun-joon sets out to win over Da-hong’s family (esp. her super-stern father) but his efforts fall apart and third; the melodrama is upped a bit as the lovers try to do what is right.
The problem with watching subtitled films is that one misses the jokes without the flavor of the original language. Without a grip on the cultural context and a grasp of the nuances of the language, the gestures, intonation and expressions look funny enough but with the translation only sketching the scene, it ends up being bland. Anyhoo, the translation was well done.
With good performances all around, this is silly, fun, popcorn entertainment. I only wished that Jo Seung-woo had been cast as Hyun-joon. Loved him in ‘Sword With No Name’. But he probably wouldn’t have fit as a geek.
And also wished I knew Korean.
