Very Ordinary Couple
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''Very Ordinary Couple'' () is a 2013 South Korean
romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and Romance novel, romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Ro ...
film written and directed by Roh Deok (alternatively spelled Noh Deok), starring
Lee Min-ki Lee Min-ki (born January 16, 1985) is a South Korean actor, singer, and model. Lee's first leading role in television was in the 2005 sports drama ''Taereung National Village''. He has gone on to star in many television series, including ''Lov ...
and Kim Min-hee as a recently separated couple who, being employees at the same bank, must deal with the prospect of continually seeing each other on a daily basis. This inevitably leads to tension and flareups, but over time their feelings towards each other begin to change. This is Roh Deok's feature directorial debut. She based the screenplay on her own love life and those of her circle of friends.


Plot

The film follows young bank clerks Lee Dong-hee (
Lee Min-ki Lee Min-ki (born January 16, 1985) is a South Korean actor, singer, and model. Lee's first leading role in television was in the 2005 sports drama ''Taereung National Village''. He has gone on to star in many television series, including ''Lov ...
) and Jang Young ( Kim Min-hee) who have just broken up with each other. They work at a local branch of
Standard Chartered Standard Chartered PLC is a British multinational bank with operations in wealth management, corporate and investment banking, and treasury services. Despite being headquartered in the United Kingdom, it does not conduct retail banking in th ...
, and their seemingly nasty split turns scandalous in the office. After going through a period of irrational behavior, including physical fights and Young's impulsive one-night stand with a mutual colleague at work, the two decide to give their relationship another try. Once again, they are madly in love. The real story of the film begins as the two begin to date again, in spite of their shared doubts and fears. As the second honeymoon phase ends, the same problems ― those that had led to their initial break-up ― surface: the boredom, the trust issues, and the mutual dishonesty about what they really want. The hot-tempered Dong-hee seems like he needs an anger management class, while Young tries to avoid conflicts by telling small lies ― unaware of how lies, regardless of the motivations, can destroy trust. Above all, the couple's shared experience of the break-up gradually makes them insecure about their relationship. This eventually leads to a suffocating disaster: Dong-hee tries very hard to pretend that he is interested in the things Young suggests doing, only to please her and save their relationship ― although he'd really rather sleep in than go to an amusement park on his day off. Young, on the other hand, gets extremely self-conscious of everything she tells Dong-hee, as she is worried that she will upset him off by "saying something wrong" ― just like how she did before the first break-up. There is a sadness that fills the screen as the two desperately try to save their relationship, pretending nothing is wrong and trying to believe that things will work out in the end. "I will be good to her," Dong-hee repeatedly says in the film. "I'll try harder to make this work." But watching them forcing on a smile while obviously annoyed by each other's company, the audience can instinctively tell that the two will soon part ways ― in spite of their genuine efforts and affection for each other. The movie reaches its climax as the two flawed characters realize that they've messed it up again, that they can no longer be in denial, and there are some things in life that cannot be controlled no matter how hard they try.


Cast

*
Lee Min-ki Lee Min-ki (born January 16, 1985) is a South Korean actor, singer, and model. Lee's first leading role in television was in the 2005 sports drama ''Taereung National Village''. He has gone on to star in many television series, including ''Lov ...
as Lee Dong-hee * Kim Min-hee as Jang Young * Ha Yeon-soo as Hyo-seon *
Ra Mi-ran Ra Mi-ran (; born March 6, 1975) is a South Korean actress and television personality. She is best known for her roles in the television series ''Reply 1988'' (2015–2016), '' Avengers Social Club'' (2017), and '' The Good Bad Mother'' (2023) ...
as Ms. Son, deputy department head in bank *
Choi Moo-sung Choi Myung-soo (; born January 12, 1968), better known by his stage name Choi Moo-sung (), is a South Korean actor. Filmography Film Television series Awards and nominations References External links * {{DEFAULTSORT:Choi, Moo-sung ...
as Mr. Kim, section chief in bank * Kim Kang-hyeon as Mr. Park, senior clerk in bank *
Park Byung-eun Park Byung-eun (; born July 14, 1977) is a South Korean actor. Early life and education Park majored in drama at Chung-Ang University. Park was set to debut with 90s South Korean boy group Taesaja in 1997, but gave up due to him feeling that ...
as Mr. Min, deputy department head in bank * Lee Moon-jeong as Ms. Choi, clerk in bank * Yoon Kyeong-hee as intern * Choi Gwi-hwa as husband of Ms. Son * Moon Chang-gil as bank branch manager *
Tae In-ho Tae In-ho (born Park Sang-yeon; May 2, 1980) is a South Korean actor. He starred in television series such as '' Misaeng: Incomplete Life'' (2014) and ''Descendants of the Sun ''Descendants of the Sun'' () is a 2016 South Korean television ...
as instructor


Reception

Billed as a
romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and Romance novel, romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Ro ...
, but which might also be described simply as a relationship drama, ''Very Ordinary Couple'' made an impressive start at the box office with 1.8 million admissions in four weeks. Viewers praised the strong acting in the film as well as its comparatively realistic, non-romantic view of contemporary relationships. Debut director Roh Deok had previously worked as a scripter on
Jang Joon-hwan Jang Joon-hwan (born January 18, 1970) is a South Korean film director. Life and career A graduate of Sungkyunkwan University, Jang's first directing job was on the 1994 short film ''2001 Imagine''. His feature-length debut was the science ficti ...
's
cult classic A cult following is a group of Fan (person), fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some List of art media, medium. The latter is often cal ...
''
Save the Green Planet! ''Save the Green Planet!'' (Korean title: 지구를 지켜라!, ''Jigureul Jikyeora!'') is a South Korean science fiction comedy film written and directed by Jang Joon-hwan, released on 4 April 2003. The basic story begins when the main characte ...
'' (2003) and also received praise for her
short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...
''The Secret within Her Mask'' (2005).


Awards and nominations

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
Baeksang Arts Awards The Baeksang Arts Awards (), also known as the Paeksang Arts Awards, are awards for excellence in film, television and theatre in South Korea. The awards were introduced in 1965 by Chang Key-young, the founder of the newspaper ''Hankook Ilbo'', ...
*Best Film Actress - Kim Min-hee 2013
Shanghai International Film Festival The Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF, , French: ''Festival international du film de Shanghai'') is the largest film festival in Asia and China's longest-running international cinema event. The first festival was established in Octobe ...
*Asian New Talent Award for Best Feature 2013
Mnet 20's Choice Awards The Mnet 20's Choice Awards was a major music awards show that was held annually in South Korea, organized by CJ E&M through its Mnet channel. 2013 The 2013 20's Choice Awards were held on July 18, 2013, at the Korea International Exhibition ...
*Nomination - 20's Movie Star, Female - Kim Min-hee
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
Buil Film Awards The Buil Film Awards () is a South Korean film awards ceremony hosted by the '' Busan Ilbo'' newspaper. It began in 1958 as one of the earliest film awards in the country. During the 1950s and 1960s, it was the biggest film awards event in the ...
*Nomination - Best Actress - Kim Min-hee *Nomination - Best New Director - Roh Deok *Nomination - Best New Actress - Ha Yeon-soo
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
Blue Dragon Film Awards The Blue Dragon Film Awards () is an annual awards ceremony that is presented by ''Sports Chosun'' (a sister brand of the ''Chosun Ilbo'') for excellence in film in South Korea. The Blue Dragon Film Awards considers only blockbusters and popula ...
*Nomination - Best Actress - Kim Min-hee *Nomination - Best New Director - Roh Deok


References


External links

* * * {{Han Jae-rim 2013 films 2013 romantic comedy films South Korean romantic comedy films 2013 directorial debut films Lotte Entertainment films 2010s Korean-language films Films directed by Roh Deok 2010s South Korean films