Dancing Queen (Korean Movie)

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

• Uhm Jung-hwa - Jung-hwa^[2]
• Hwang Jung-min - Jung-min
• Jung Sung-hwa - Jong-chan
• Lee Han-wi - Han-wi
• Ra Mi-ran - Myung-ae
• Oh Na-ra - Ra-ri
• Choi Woo-ri - Rinda
• Ah-Rong - Eve
• Lee Dae-yeon - Pil-je
• Jeong Gyu-su - Myung-goo

• Seo Dong-won - Jung-chul
• Park Sa-rang - Yeon-woo
• Lee A-rin - Dorothy
• Yeo Moo-young - Political party leader
• Seong Byeong-suk - Jung-hwa's mother
• Kwon Byeong-kil - Jung-hwa's father
• Kim Young-sun - Jung-min's mom (flashback)
• Ma Dong-seok - Gay couple (cameo)
• Jo Dal-hwan - Manager (cameo)
• Lee Hyori - Judge of Superstar K (cameo)

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,^[4] 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".^[5] 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".^[6]
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.^[7] It ranked first and grossed ₩9.3 billion in its first week of release^[8] and grossed a total of ₩30 billion after seven weeks of screening.^[9]