Dancing Queen (2012 film)

Dancing Queen (Korean댄싱퀸) is a 2012 South Korean romantic comedy film starring Uhm Jung-hwa and Hwang Jung-min. The film tells a story of a married couple, who in the midst of their mundane lives decide to pursue their lost dreams. The husband finds himself accidentally running for Mayor of Seoul and his wife decides to become a pop singer. It was produced by JK Film and distributed by CJ Entertainment, and released on January 18, 2012.[2]

Dancing Queen
Promotional poster for Dancing Queen
Korean name
Hangul
댄싱퀸
Revised RomanizationDaensing Kwin
McCune–ReischauerTaensing K'win
Directed byLee Seok-hoon
Written byLee Seok-hoon
Yoon Je-kyoon
Park Su-jin
Kim Hwi
Produced byKim Nam-soo
Yoon Je-kyoon
StarringHwang Jung-min
Uhm Jung-hwa
CinematographyChoi Jin-woong
Edited byJin Lee
Music byHwang Sang-jun
Production
company
JK Film
Distributed byCJ Entertainment
Release date
  • 18 January 2012 (2012-01-18)
Running time
124 minutes
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean
Box officeUS$26.4 million[1]

Plot

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Uhm Jung-Hwa dreamed about becoming a singer when she was young but had to put her dream aside when she married Hwang Jung-min. 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 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 to sign with an entertainment agency, forcing her 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 come true.[3]

Cast

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  • Uhm Jung-hwa – Herself
  • Hwang Jung-min – Himself
  • 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
  • Song Jae-ho – Jung-hwa's father
  • Chun Bo-geun – young Jung-min
  • Kim Young-sun – Jung-min's mother (flashback)
  • Ma Dong-seok – Gay couple (cameo)
  • Jo Dal-hwan – Manager (cameo)
  • Lee Hyori – Judge of Superstar K (cameo)
  • Son Hee-soon – Jung-hwa's Aunt
  • Tae In-ho - Assistant director

Production

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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

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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 said "Dancing Queen is polished entertainment with a subtle message, anchored by an engaging (if physically awkward) performance by Uhm...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]

References

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  1. ^ "Dancing Queen". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  2. ^ "Dancing Queen (2011)". Korean Film Biz Zone. Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
  3. ^ a b "2012.2.3 Now Playing". Korea Joongang Daily. 3 February 2012. Archived from the original on 26 January 2013. Retrieved 2012-04-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. ^ Park, Ji-won (8 February 2012). "Popular Korean Films Reflecting Social Issues". Arirang News. Archived from the original on 2013-12-12. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
  5. ^ Lee, Hyo-won (19 January 2012). "Queen brings zesty humor, touching drama". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on 21 April 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
  6. ^ Kerr, Elizabeth (20 March 2012). "Dancing Queen: Filmart Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
  7. ^ Hong, Lucia (9 April 2012). "Korean movies notch up higher number in 1Q ticket sales". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-04-22.
  8. ^ "South Korea Box Office: January 20–22, 2012". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2012-04-24
  9. ^ "South Korea Box Office: March 2–4, 2012". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2012-04-42
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