''Small Town Rivals'' () is a 2007 South Korean film.

Plot

Cho Chun-sam and Noh Dae-gyu, now both in their thirties, are old friends who went to the same elementary school. In their school days, Chun-sam was always the ambitious class president, while Dae-gyu had to settle for a role as vice president. Twenty years later their roles are reversed: Chun-sam is now a humble farmer who has assumed the post of village chief in his hometown, while Dae-gyu is the newly elected county magistrate. At first, Chun-sam asks his old friend for favours regarding the development of his village, but these requests are turned down. Later, when Dae-gyu proposes building a nuclear waste disposal facility in the county, Chun-sam leads demonstrations against the plan, turning old friends into bitter rivals.

Cast

Cha Seung-won Cha Seung-won (born June 7, 1970) is a South Korean actor, who began his career as an in-demand fashion model in the 1990s. Cha achieved stardom through the hit comedy films '' Kick the Moon'' (2001), '' Jail Breakers'' (2002), ''My Teacher, Mr. ...

... Cho Chun-sam *

Yoo Hae-jin Yoo Hae-jin (born January 4, 1970) is a South Korean actor. Career As a child, Yoo Hae-jin would often slip in through the backdoor of a cultural center near his home to watch events that were being held there. After seeing a play in eighth gra ...

... Noh Dae-gyu *

Byun Hee-bong Byun Hee-bong (born Byun In-chul; June 8, 1942) is a South Korean actor. Career Byun In-chul was born in Jangseong County, South Jeolla Province, and attended Salesian High School in Gwangju. He took up law at Chosun University before droppin ...

* Choi Jung-won * Bae Il-jib * Nam Il-woo * Jeon Won-joo * Lee Jae-goo *

Kim Eung-soo Kim Eung-soo (; born February 12, 1961) is a South Korean actor. Kim lived in Japan for seven years, where he studied filmmaking at the Japan Institute of the Moving Image. Filmography Film Television series Variety show Web sh ...

... Mr. Kim *

Lee Won-jong Lee Won-jong (born January 1, 1966) is a South Korean actor. Filmography Film Television series Variety shows Theater *''Blind'' (2010) *''The Masked Hut Murder Case'' (2022) - Nobuhiko Awards *2002 SBS Drama Awards: Best Supporting Act ...

(cameo) *

Yum Jung-ah Yum Jung-ah (born July 28, 1972) is a South Korean actress. Her notable films include '' A Tale of Two Sisters'' (2003), ''The Big Swindle'' (2004), '' The Old Garden'' (2007), and ''Cart'' (2014), as well as the television series ''Royal Famil ...

(cameo)

Release

''Small Town Rivals'' was released in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

on March 29, 2007,Box-Office Admission Results
(2007). ''Koreanfilm.org''. Retrieved 5 December 2008. and topped the box office on its opening weekend with 440,516 admissions. The film went on to receive a total of 1,269,142 admissions nationwide, with a gross (as of May 27, 2007) of .

Critical response

Yang Sung-jin of ''

The Korea Herald ''The Korea Herald'' is a leading English-language daily newspaper founded in 1953 and published in Seoul, South Korea. The editorial staff is composed of Korean and international writers and editors, with additional news coverage drawn from int ...

'' was critical of the film's blend of comedy and politics, saying, "Director Jang has incorporated a political satire into the film, weakening its already fragile comic underpinnings." Kim Tae-jong of ''

The Korea Times ''The Korea Times'' is the oldest of three English-language newspapers published daily in South Korea. It is a sister paper of the '' Hankook Ilbo'', a major Korean language daily; both are owned by Dongwha Enterprise, a wood-based manufacture ...

'' made similar comments, saying, "the funny moments often sidetrack from the storyline and do not successfully intermingle with the heavy sarcasm placed on political issues", but also noted, "The two actors deliver impeccable performances of the slapstick variety in the wacky situations they act in."Kim Tae-jong.
'Rivals' Is Funny With Clumsy Story
. '' Hancinema'', 29 March 2007; originally published by ''

''. Retrieved 5 December 2008.

References

External links

* * * {{hancinema film, Small_Town_Rivals, Small Town Rivals 2007 films 2007 comedy films 2000s Korean-language films South Korean comedy films CJ Entertainment films 2000s South Korean films