200 Pounds Beauty (2006) User Reviews

Fantastic movie, period...

[le_renard · 8/10 · 9 June 2007]

I will admit that I have not seen many Korean romantic comedies, so I can't say definitively how it compares to others. But I have definitely seen my fair share of U.S. romantic comedies. Frankly, the genre has become so clichéd, it's nearly impossible to find any decent new romantic comedies.

When I chose to watch "200 Pounds Beauty," I expected more of the same formulaic plot twists, etc. Yet I was pleasantly surprised at how beautifully produced this movie was. The actors did a superb job. My only contention is that there were several unexplained plot contents. I won't spoil it for any potential viewers, so I'll leave you to figure those out for yourselves.

Bottom line: if you want to watch a cute, funny and well done romantic comedy, then this is your movie. But make sure you have some Kleenex on hand! There are a few tugging-at-the-heart strings scenes.

Actually quite good...

[paul_haakonsen · 7/10 · 19 December 2015]

"200 Pounds Beauty" (aka "Minyeo-neun goerowo") sort of is a modern day Cinderella story, although with a twist. And it does differentiate itself from the numerous South Korean romantic comedy movies, which in itself in an impressive feat.

Director Yong-Hwa Kim has managed to put together a great romantic comedy that didn't follow the standard recipe of how to make a successful rom-com. As such, "200 Pounds Beauty" was a nice breath of fresh air to the genre.

Think Cinderella and you have the core essence of the movie. Han-na (played by Ah-Jung Kim) is a large singer who is doing the singing for a lip syncing popstar, hidden away because of her size and appearance. Undergoing full cosmetic surgery Han-na becomes everything she dreamed of, but she loses herself along the way and turns into what she always hated.

This comedy is not the kind that will leave you flat out laughing, but instead it is a good story with subtle comedy that will make you feel good. The nice storyline is accompanied by equally nice acting performances.

A big thumbs up to Ah-Jung Kim for her performance in this movie. She really did carry the movie quite nicely.

"200 Pounds Beauty" is a benchmark in the South Korean romantic comedy genre, and it is a must watch if you enjoy this particular genre. It is a beautiful movie that will leave a lasting impression. Highly recommended that you sit down to watch this movie.

Could have been funnier

[phd_travel · 6/10 · 1 June 2020]

This movie is alright but could have been funnier and more meaningful. Although she owned up to having plastic surgery the message is still that she found love and success because of her weight loss. Maybe its just realistic and not preachy. Shallow Hal is a better movie. The actress is a real singer and that shows. The lead actor and actress have chemistry.

Decent comedy, some romance and a middling story means it's decent mindless summer entertainment

[refresh_daemon · 6/10 · 28 June 2009]

A sort-of romantic comedy, 200 Pounds Beauty, is a likable, although limited shot at romantic comedy popularity, sustained by a charismatic lead performance by Kim Ajoong and a high concept.

The story revolves around an obese woman who happens to be "the voice" of a popular singer in Corea. Of course, she doesn't look the part, so she just sings in the background. And he happens to be head over heels for her producer, who also happens to be friendly with her. Due to lack of confidence, she undergoes a radical total body plastic surgery procedure and is reborn at the pretty girl she thinks she needs to be to catch her crush. I think the story overall is a little mixed up and doesn't always do a great job of keeping conflicts clear. Sometimes I wasn't sure what the real conflict was with the main character and I find its wishy washy attitude towards societal standards of beauty, as well as plastic surgery, to be too anemic to appreciate. But the film does get many moments of comedy right. Special attention should be given to Kim Ajoong's portrayal of Kim Hana. Although at first I was a little annoyed by her "clumsy fat girl" antics, in the unbelievable fat suit, because I thought it was a negative stereotype of large bodied people, I came to appreciate her performance as she continued the same character after she becomes "beautiful". I loved how awkward her body language as the skinny girl she becomes is and there are some amusing bits of comedy that come from both her and others reacting to her new appearance.

I guess the big criticism I have is the lightweightedness of the story. Despite its romantic comedy billing, I still didn't feel like that much was at stake for Kim Hana, because I don't think the story effectively sold what it was that she cared about, in addition to splitting her interest in more than three directions. Furthermore, the producer character's position never becomes really clear. Many of the actors, being given limited characters, do an adequate job, but outside of the lead role, there's not much depth given to work with. Production value is high, as should be expected for a high-concept tentpole comedy and direction does a decent enough job of capturing a proper romantic comedy atmosphere.

In no way is anyone going to mistake 200 Pounds Beauty for high art, but its limited charms make for decent entertainment. I don't feel like the story is strong enough for the concept, but the execution is adequate enough and there's enough comedy present in the film to keep it floating through its running time. It also helps that Kim Ajoong turns out to be a good listen as well when she opens up her pipes to sing in the film. Thanks to her charming performance, I can give this one passing grade. It's not a special film, but basic romantic comedy entertainment that goes down easy and doesn't leave too big of an imprint in your mind. Decent. 6/10.

Soft ending and falls short on romance

[leahcubed · 7/10 · 18 February 2020]

7.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2006 Korean romantic comedy movie that runs for 120 minutes. It is based on a Japanese manga entitled "Kanna's Big Success."

Hannah King is a ghost singer for popular K-pop idol Ammy. She is overweight but has a beautiful voice. She further uses her musical talent to make money as a phone sex operator. Hannah is in love with the music Director, Han Sang-jun, and thinks he might return her feelings despite her unattractive appearance. The Director is very handsome and seems to be very nice and pays a lot of attention to Hannah. One day, when she is about to confess her feelings, she overhears a conversation between the producer and his star. Ammy played a mean trick on Hannah and Sang-jun was telling her not to do that because they needed Hanna for her voice. To Hanna's dismay she hears him tell Ammy that they are just using her and he doesn't really care if she hurts her feelings just not to do it in a way that she would leave. Hannah is devastated and decides to disappear and get a complete makeover with plastic surgery. The surgeon, Lee Kong-hak, at first does not want to because it is so drastic that it would put her life in danger. Ironically, the plastic surgeon is one of Hannah's phone sex customers so she is able to bribe him to do it despite his better judgment. While Hannah is gone Ammy's career flounders because while she is pretty and able to dance she's not at all able to sing and they cannot find anybody with the same level of voice talent to replace Hannah. After a year of healing, Hannah reemerges as Jenny an Korean American from California. She decides to audition as Amy's ghost singer again but her beauty lands her her own contract. She no longer needs to hide behind the curtain. Her change was so drastic that no one recognize her at first not even her best friend, Park Jung-Min, . At first it seems she will get everything she wants. But beauty and fame do not wind up being all she thought they would be. Does she still want the love of a guy who couldn't love her for who she was?

Kim Ah-joong as Kang Han-na / Jenny Joo Jin-mo as Han Sang-jun (Director and Han-na's one sided love interest) Kim Hyun-sook as Park Jung-min (Han-na's best friend) Lee Han-wi as Plastic surgeon Lee Kong-hak Ji Seo-yun as Ammy

I like the premise of this and found it interesting. What I wanted to see though was more of a revenge plot line. It really wasn't that it wasn't like she decided to have him fall in love with her and then dump him. She also didn't elect to make it big using her beauty just to show people. I don't know how true to life it is but it is a bit ironic that cultures can be so hard on ugly people and fat people yet equally hard when they take drastic measures to try to change it. Makes it a bit like dammed if you do damned if you don't. I know in my culture plastic surgery is mostly accepted especially for certain professions the only thing I think there's still a bit of a stigma against breast changes. Not as many people elect plastic surgery as there isn't as much pressure in general to be perfect unless you're in a job such as modeling or acting. I did not feel like it was much of a romance because it was pretty clear she would never get back with the guy and it would've been disappointI got if she would have. I would've liked it better if another guy had emerged and loved her for who she was and there was a big confession or something like that. I liked that she changed the axis of her success by being honest about her surgery and carrying her career on the merits of who she was in general. But I really wanted to see a romance and it just really wasn't an element in this.

Best Korean romantic comedy I've seen for a while.. and that really means something.

[aredotwice · 10/10 · 3 April 2007]

There's a reason this movie dominated the Korean box office over the holiday season. It was more popular than Night at the Museum and many other American films. It accomplishes many things that recent Korean romantic comedies have failed at. Basically, this movie is the star vehicle for new actress Kim Ah-Jung. She gives a great performance and fits the role perfectly. Even though the plot is simplistic, it is very witty and provides consistent comedy. The movie does not take itself too seriously like a lot of Korean movies that are all like "OMG LET'S BE FUNNY FOR THE FIRST HALF AND MAKE IT ALL DEPRESSING IN THE SECOND HALF!" While it provides many laughs, the story is still touching and meaningful. And what's amazing is that Kim Ah-Jung did all of her own singing, despite never having sung in a movie before nor being a singer. The soundtrack for 200 Pounds Beauty has topped the charts in Korea and "Maria" is one of the most popular songs in Korea right now.

Since this is basically my first review, I want to emphasize that I wanted to write it because no Korean movie has touched me this strongly since I saw My Sassy Girl.

I highly recommend this movie to anyone who wants to see a satisfying romantic comedy. 10/10

A Nutshell Review: 200 Pounds Beauty

[DICK STEEL · 7/10 · 12 April 2007]

I am not trying to sound like a pretentious fool, but seriously, I am curious how do fat people take towards the onslaught of movies taking the mickey out of the weight issue? From movies like Shallow Hal, to Eddie Murphy's Nutty Professor, The Klumps and the recent Norbit, and now, this Korean romantic-comedy 200 Pounds Beauty. You'll left to ponder, how many fat jokes are there left to tell?

200 Pounds Beauty surprisingly was entertaining. No, I wasn't referring to the quality of the fatty jokes, but rather in its premise it sets for the heroine Hanna (Kim A-jung), the titular character in question, a plus sized woman with an extremely marketable voice, who's actually employed in a ploy to be the cover singer for a talentless lass Ammy, who looks good, shakes that booty well, but just cannot sing. At night, Hanna moonlights as a chat line employee - you know, those sexy ads with pretty lasses tempting you to call them through some exorbitant pay-per-call telephone line for phone sex.

In love with Ammy's record producer Sang-joong (Joo Jin-mo), but self-conscious about her size and without the dare to admit her feelings, Hanna decides to transform herself after a turmoil of emotional upheavals, albeit with some help from plastic surgery, a full body one no less, and calls the new her Jenny. You might think that the movie is ripe for some criticism into Korea's #1 obsession amongst their womanfolk, you might want to think again. While there are moments where the characters seemingly lambast both male and female attitudes towards plastic surgery, such as low self esteem and lack of innate confidence, this is very soon forgotten when the movie stepped up a gear towards its fairy tale finale of sorts, which in an incredibly overstretched sequence, tried to elicit soppy tears from the soft hearted ones in the audience.

There are some nice, perhaps contrived even, touches built into the narrative, especially on the psychological effects on the changes that extreme plastic surgery - imagine waking up one day to find yourself a completely different person. However in general, it plays out like a fluffy romance comedy with jokes on secret identities, beauties who turn heads (heh, pun intended) and get their way in society, well balanced with dramatic moments of honouring the ties with family and friends.

Kim A-jung naturally is the star of the show, putting on the fat suit ala what Sammi Cheng did in Love on a Diet. She's naturally beautiful, with those innocent bambi-looking eyes, so it's hard for any hot blooded male out there not to fall for her charms. Also, the music added another dimension to the movie. Filled with pop tunes from the 80s and Korean tunes created for the movie (I read that the song Maria actually hit the K-pop charts), the staged musical concerts are a force to be reckoned with, especially since Kim A-jung really delved deep into the performances, and was credibly lending her own vocals to the songs. I thought at times these scenes played out similar to those in Nana, and similarly to the recent Dreamgirls, prepare for some lung bursting, loudspeaker busting singing.

Based on the Japanese manga by Suzuki Yumiko, 200 Pounds Beauty is an example of a perfect date movie, since the girls can ogle at the charmingly handsome Joo Jin-mo. With enough ups and downs and a feel good ending to boot, perhaps the messages in the movie, if there are any to be seriously taken to begin with, become diluted with the relatively long runtime of 120 minutes. The strongest message that comes out of it could probably be that reminder that you can't make everyone love you, no matter how hard you try.

Not another romantic Korean comedy, this is 200 pound beauty.

[halmonee · 10/10 · 11 April 2007]

Everyone knows the routine for a romantic Korean comedy that tugs at one's heart; but 200 pound beauty sets itself apart from the typical film. The humor in this film is placed in all the right moments, making you laugh at a moment so simple but right. This film definitely opens the eyes of individuals going through what Hanna does, or those who believe superficial beauty is the only beauty. The message of this film is not that plastic surgery is the key to being happy or successful, but any beauty is so much more beautiful and real than the superficial one. After you get done with this movie, I guarantee that you will either cry or feel a different air about the controversial topic we all face through in life.

A bit shallow, but still a enjoyable flick

[KineticSeoul · 7/10 · 12 May 2011]

This movie was a big success in Korea when it first came out. I personally thought it was a bit over hyped after watching the movie, but it's still a pretty good movie with many aspects and elements that work. I found it sort of interesting how the main actress went though plastic surgery in real life and she goes through plastic surgery in this movie. The movie has a message that works and understandable, like how you won't know how certain people feels or going through without being in their shoes and to not be judgmental of other people. And has other messages as well. So for a simple plot the movie has depth for the most part. The movie comes off a bit shallow at times but for the most part it's a enjoyable film, just a bit overrated.

7.6/10

If you thought Bill Maher did fat jokes...

[proterozoic · 3/10 · 1 July 2013]

"200 Pounds Beauty" is the story of Kang Hanna, a talented pop singer whose life is void of purpose because she is a sickeningly obese, nightmarish grotesque of a cow (a size 16). She hits the pit of despair (literally, falls through the floor because SHE'S REALLY FAT) and goes in for a full body hack-and-slash makeover that brings her money, respect, love, preferential treatment by traffic cops and general good fortune, so she can realize that true beauty lies on the inside. Overweight people don't come across too well in any movie industry, but this is some of the most relentless fat-bashing I've seen outside of a middle school.

First, for reference, google an image of Queen Latifah in 2006, where she's about the size of Pre-Op Hanna. You may notice two things - she looks pretty sexy, and she has a visible jaw line. The Korean art department, on the other hand, stuck the actress inside a fat suit that made her head and neck look like a swollen thumb, a la Mama June of Honey Boo Boo fame. The immense, distended face bottoms out in a rolling sac of flesh that only makes anatomical sense on someone the size of Gilbert Grape's mother. From the first scene, Hanna is a human wrecking ball, a disaster on legs that crashes through man-made environments like a grizzly bear in ballet flats. Other characters react to her weight with either disgust or astonishment, when they're not ducking for cover.

This is the unchanging tone of the movie until Hanna goes under the knife, and it's an incredibly alienating experience. A woman who barely rates as obese on the BMI chart is treated like a freak of nature that society isn't even equipped to handle. Floors can't support her, paramedics can't lift her onto a gurney, and her dementia-riddled father only goes lucid to tell her that she's fat.

To all this, add the sexism, aggression towards subordinates and mistreatment of lessers that seem to be the bedrock of social relations in every Korean movie, and you have a downright abusive piece of work.

After the bone-crushing overhaul, Hanna suddenly finds herself desired and popular. The rebuild allows her to get the attention of her previously unrequited crush, who is a K-pop producer. Hanna's big late-movie dilemma is how to hide her "work" from this guy who sternly tells her that he only dates all-natural women, even though his whole career is built on shilling the same beauty standards that drive women to get plastic surgery in the first place. It's like Donald Trump coming out against tacky casino decor.

Post-Op Hanna is plagued by the usual crises, but who can stay mad at someone that skinny and pretty? I'll leave you to guess whether she manages to triumph in the end and win the devotion of the man who had to choke down barf to hug her when she was fat.

But the important thing is that she learnstoloveherselfforwhosheis. Boom.

People call "200 Pounds Beauty" touching and cute because it makes a last-minute, barely detectable feint to talk up "true inner beauty" and wag a finger at shallow pop body standards, but it's undercut by the fact that the movie is, start to finish, a meretricious celebration of those standards. The main take-away here is forgiveness for people who used to look ugly if they currently look pretty. It's about as romantic as American Psycho, and perhaps even more depressing.

Funny, sweet, romantic, all-time awesome movie ever!

[chibifiedeyes · 10/10 · 11 May 2007]

This is a movie that follows a typical happy romantic comedy.. starts off happy, goes down.. back up.. and it hits the top and stays there. But then again, 200 pounds beauty is SO much more! On the surface it is already a great movie. The fat girl protagonist Hanna is very cute and kind, later she turns into beautiful and thin but still kind and innocent Jenny. So there's a bit of eyecandy, both cute and sexy throughout the whole movie. But then there's the funny bits, the movie has hilarious little kicks throughout the whole movie, making you laugh at all the right movies.

But then there's a deeper side. This movie talks about themes such as the superficial view of the world, how beauty becomes an obsession, how the most beautiful heart can hide inside a bigger girl, how people will give everything to a girl with beautiful face-- superficiality yet again.

The sad parts that touched deep to the heart of the film are very well scripted and acted.. I cried so many times watching it to see an 'ugly' girl turned beautiful, but having to give so much up and yet not quite happy with the shallow joys that this new body and face have given her.

A small disappointment however was that the story's villain did not do much and disappeared for the majority of the movie and out of the viewer's mind, rendering the character pretty useless and taking away a little something more the movie could have had.

Overall, a feel-good movie that is a definite must watch! It goes above all my initial expectations and is guaranteed to make you laugh, cry, love and think!

200 hundred pounds!

[helmutty · 30 May 2007]

For a month, I had been deciding whether I should watch this or skip it. I heard some friends wanted to watch this movie. Until now, I decided that I will give a shot. Amazing, I thought it is sightly funny which I thought by watching the trailers, it will be full of sexual jokes. It was what I thought. The story is about a fat woman, which is disgusting, falls for a young charming man and the point is she can sing. She is the voice for the sexy Ammy which only knows how to dance. Sang-joong is the producer of the show and has some feelings for the fat woman, Hanna. Hanna wants to slim down herself to save her life. After a hard year, she goes out, becoming the beautiful woman in everybody's eyes. That is funny. You then will see the victims caught, trying to care for her after seeing her. There may be some funny moments but in the same time, there is some touching moments too.

I heard it was based on the Japanese comic. Either you like seeing comic-to-film, you don't mind about watching this or you like seeing fat chicks getting slim, this is for you.

Plastic advertising in Korea

[g-89622 · 7/10 · 9 January 2022]

The songs are very nice, the others are just Korean plastic surgery ads! Which Korean beauty is strong, plastic surgery to find Lanxiang!

The songs are very nice, the others are just Korean plastic surgery ads! Which Korean beauty is strong, plastic surgery to find Lanxiang!

Totally Disappointing

[burcubazi · 3/10 · 27 July 2013]

First of all, I recommend you not to watch this movie, otherwise, you'll waste your time. Go and stare at the ceiling and dream about the things you like. It's far more better. Anyway, what I've learned from this movie is below:

1- If you are fat according to the society's standards, then you cannot be a singer or love someone. The worse is that if you're fat and a woman, the only way for you to survive and attract the attention of the one you like is to get plastic surgery.

2- If you are a woman and wear miniskirts that show your legs, then it means you're open to rapists and get raped.

As for the acting, it was not good, either. Especially Kim Jung Ah's exaggerated acting gave me headache.

200 Pounds Beauty: Movie Review

[shanatalks · 12 November 2011]

Full review posted at shanatalks.wordpress.com

200 Pounds Beauty is a Korean romantic comedy film based on a Japanese Manga, Kanna-San, Daiseikou Desu by Yumiro Suzuki. It's about a girl who only dreams of one thing—to be loved by the guy she secretly loves. There are just three problems. She's fat. He's her boss and she's just a shadow singer.

Anyone can easily relate to Hanna. Admit it or not, we've once felt ugly, used and useless. I'm pretty sure you've been humiliated for once in your life and had felt really down because of it. Hanna had to endure that for as long she can remember—and she gets that treatment all because she's fat.

The society's basis of what's beautiful in our present time is influenced by what people see in TV. I remember my history instructor once said that the society in the medieval times considers those on the plump side as sexy and attractive. But through the years, the basis of beauty gets thinner and slimmer—thanks to Barbie.

The plastic surgery topic delved in this movie has positive and negative feedback. A lot of conservative, religious individuals think that changing your physical appearance isn't right since you are altering what the Creator had given you. While others who are more open to today's innovations sees this as an opportunity for someone to enhance what he/she has. My side on the issue is neutral. I know that's a safe answer but hear me out first. I agree that God created us like what he wants us to be and everything he gave us is a gift. However, I also believe that nothing is constant in this world but change. You can't judge a person because she decided to undergo plastic surgery because she wants to be beautiful. Remember, they have their reason and most often than not, they resort to this because society judges them because they have this criteria of what's pretty and ugly.

I myself had gained weight tremendously since I started working and it's really hard to lose all the weight. At first, I'm insecure but then gaining weight is not a crime. Staying and feeling ugly is what I consider a crime. Ha-ha. With all the beauty enhancements we have right now, there's no reason for you to be ugly. And beauty is not only what you see outside, it should be inside and out. A person should be atoned with himself/herself. Love yourself before anything else.

Remember your physical appearance will not define you. It's your character that makes you—YOU. Beauty will fade. But your legacy will not.

Fun to Watch

[fino134 · 7/10 · 1 August 2018]

At first i thought it was a rip off Shallow Hal or at least it would be a usual cliched romcom. Instead, i found a real message through a simple and lighthearted plot. Yes, i know it has some silly moments, but we can overlook them as the whole experience of this feel-good movie is worth watching. Kim Ah Jung-in her first role-fits the role of the cute Hanna and the beautiful Jenny perfectly. She did all the songs by herself, despite not being a singer. I like all the songs. my favourit is Maria, which is originally by Blondie. Actually the songs topped the Korean charts at that year. "200 pounds beauty" was a super hit and won many awards and nominations including best actress and best film, so watch it. It is really a sweet one.

200 Pound Beauty is a MUST WATCH!!!

[cprojas · 10/10 · 10 April 2007]

This movie is able to bring a complex issue onto the audience and present it in such a warm, light-hearted and understanding manner. At first, I thought I would be in for a superficial and callous movie about plastic surgery. OH was I ever more wrong. 200 Pound Beauty manages to capture the complexity of the issue without it ever bearing down on the film. It is an extremely funny, witty and light-hearted commentary on the trend of plastic surgery in Korea. And it does so with grace, respect and understanding of the subject matter. Everyone must watch this film. No other film in recent history has ever captured my heart and imagination so well as this one did. I dare say it rivals the storytelling of My Sassy Girl; one of my all-time favorite films. This is a "MUST WATCH" for all those who love romantic comedies.

It Works On All Levels

[crossbow0106 · 9/10 · 6 June 2008]

This could have been a disaster. A story about a "ghost singer" (think Milli Vinilli) and phone sex operator changes her whole appearance, going from 200 pounds to becoming beautiful and shapely via full body plastic surgery, it could have been a silly film. It has silly moments, where guys are awestruck by her beauty, but this romantic comedy has a lot of heart. It succeeds in having Hanna, played by the beautiful Ah-jung Kim, and the guy she likes, Sang-jun, not become too serious, but also not become parodies of themselves. The movie, as you may have figured out, plays the fat card, but does it with restraint. Hanna becomes Jenny after her makeover, and works with Sang-jun. One thing I wished didn't happen thankfully didn't: She didn't all of a sudden begin sagging before our eyes. The music is good, some songs in English, some in Korean (I liked how they remade Blondie's "Maria"). Ah-jung Kim is a good actress, she plays Hanna/Jenny very well. I think you will get a lot from this film, and that is without the film being preachy about how everyone is beautiful, no matter what. There are nice sentimental touches in this film. I liked it a lot. I think Ah-jung Kim is someone to watch, she played the role perfectly. Its a feel good movie, so go ahead and see it.

Why people are giving so good reviews?

[Misss25 · 3/10 · 24 December 2021]

This is the worst korean movie I have seen so far. Korean industry has already made so higher standard that I didn't expect something like this. It's all about getting weight reduce and beautifying one girl through plastic surgery. It's like promoting surgery. She gets whatever she desired for throughout her life within a few days, even no one is able to recognise her voice too.

I just watched it in 1.30 speed, I was just going through the subs and waiting for this movie to end. I'm bored just . This movie isn't funny at all. I feel like It's promoting body shaming and plastic surgery.

200 Pounds of Happiness

[kojisuzuki · 8/10 · 16 April 2007]

200 pounds? That's a lot! The movie is very good, but not as good as some other Korean movies such as The Classic and Sassy Girl.

The movie is very enjoyable, very funny from the very first scene, and very heartbreaking near the end.

Well, the story is simple, a fat girl with a good voice is a ghost singer for a famous pop star, the pop star makes fun of her in front of the man she loves. She leaves for god knows how long, beautiful and thin.

You have to love Kim Aj-jung and Jo Jin-mo. Over all, I recommend the film. It's very enjoyable to watch all over again.

8/10

The beginning absorbs you right in, but the end leaves you feeling shallow.

[boom_e85 · 5/10 · 29 April 2007]

I rank this movie a 5 out of 10 because though I did enjoy the first half of the film (for its lightness in humor), it failed to do justice to the real message of the film: plastic surgery is a problematic trend (in Korea and elsewhere), and in order to get noticed, one has to undergo cosmetic surgery--not by talent alone.

The fact that this movie also tries to throw in the romance element really makes for an awkward message to viewers: you want the two to fall in love, but you know that the male character only likes the female character because she's undergone surgery.

Watch this movie not for your typical romance flick, but for a message on how dire the trend of cosmetic surgery is within the celebrity community. But even so, don't take the message this movie seems to be promoting (that full-body plastic surgery is OK if everyone can live with it).

An Impressive film

[anhhungnoob · 10/10 · 1 July 2007]

Unexpectedly I knew about this film when I was accessing Youtube.Oh yes I was finding Lee Hyori 's clip:"10 Minutes",and I saw the column "Also posted by this user" and detected "200 Pounds Beauty" part 7/15.What a clip!I laughed a lot when I watch this part,so I decided to hire the DVD but didn't succeed.Fortunately,this film was projected in Vietnam,also in Megastar cinema.And I decided,I would go to the cinema.And I didn't decide wrong.The film gave me not only funny time with smile but also a meditative mood because of the content that the film bring to:A beautiful mind is more important than good looks! Kim Ah Jung acted so well,the audience can smile or cry when watching her. The best in 200 Pounds Beauty is the soundtrack of film.11 track has 11 different melodies and sorts,they all awesome. And I rate it's a must-see movie,beside My sassy girl,The classic,The Host,The King and the clown

This film is pure magic :)

[v-v-vinaybabu · 10/10 · 15 March 2008]

I thought that this film would be nice, considering the fact that the storyline spoke about a "200 pound" beauty.( I wanted to watch it because I myself am obese). The way she suffers hurt because of the way the world perceives her was nicely presented.

The film is a indirect satire on the society, which DEMANDS that you look "good" and "presentable" to be "accepted". The way Hanna changes to Jenny, just to "prove her worth" in the eyes of the man, whom she loves so much, is something which we must together change as a society.

I'm surprised that this film doesn't figure in the must-watch list of Hollywood critics, who compile the top 100 lists regularly. This is an absolutely MUST WATCH film. The way the director presents the story is what makes it immensely heart touching. The end concert scene made me nearly cry. Wow!! Due credit must be given to the film's heroine Kim Ah-joong who lives her role. She communicates her emotions so clearly through her lovely eyes and face expressions that you end up admiring so much, because she makes you forget that she's acting!!! Kudos to her.

The male lead also suits perfectly. Hanna's friend and the recording company boss' son are superb.

The scenes between dog-Jenny and Jenny in lift make you laugh a lot. Oh I also cannot forget the love making scenes where she says "not here" and "not there, either"!!! The concert takes the film to amazing heights and makes it a movie-experience you don't wanna miss out. Hats off to the entire team for making such a fine film. You truly rocked my life!!!!

Good start - saggy middle...

[monkeyrebirth · 2/10 · 18 November 2007]

...flabby ending I set out with high hopes. Had 'em dashed.

This is a one-hour story squeezed into 2 hours!

Interesting that the story mirrors - to a point - the star's real life (her noticeably *ahem* different school photo is online). Yet the message seems to be "as long as people know your real name and that you've had cosmetic surgery, they'll like you more so it's still better to be skinny than fat" - as confirmed in the final sequence during the closing credits.

For a much better slice of romantic Korean drama, try "You are my sunshine".

Excellent

[purecrime · 10/10 · 13 July 2007]

Storyline ? Simple, common, and predictable like most of this kinda romantic comedies are. However i do not hesitate giving this film 10 stars, which does NOT mean this is equal to my other 10 star films like Godfather or Taxi Driver, but means this is at the highest for its own genre. Well scripted, superbly directed and paced, lots of funny scenes & emotional scenes, and the soundtrack is quite good also. You can laugh, think, and even cry in 2 hours, and you will feel good after the watch. What can we expect more for romantic comedy ?

And what makes this film more special is the heroine(Hanna/Jenny), Kim Ah-jung. Wow.. She's so beautiful, cute, sexy, can act and sing. She performed this difficult role PERFECTLY.

-- Spoiler --

And what makes me love this film even more is that this film DOES NOT forcibly try to give viewers clichéd messages. Yes, it says "The inside is important", but it does not say "Appearance is nothing but the shell" or something which most of general people like us cannot overcome anyway. Even after the watch of this film, most of us shall still like externally sexy person than '200 pounds beauty' if both has same insides. The film knows it and face it. A dialog between Sang-jun & his associate guy at the very last part of film is PRICELESS summary of all this.

Guy : Sang-jun, why do you like her ? Is it because she's pretty ? Sang-jun : SOB like you would say that Guy : Then it's because she's innocent ? Sang-jun : (Smiles and says) SOB like me would say that..