Top stars and the kid is cute but not that interesting and funny. It wants to be a drama but turns to be a comedy or the other way around.

Cha Tae-hyun has come a long way since his big debut in My Sassy Girl. 14 films later, he starred in a dramedy that potentially rivals the 2001 classic. Speedy Scandal contains similar lighthearted humor and serious drama that made My Sassy Girl such a hit. Just, with a different kind of love story. While My Sassy Girl centers around the romantic relationship, Speedy Scandal focuses on the love between family. Cha Tae-hyun's character, Nam Hyeon-soo, is a radio DJ who finds out he has a long lost daughter and grandson. Being a bachelor and a "famous" person, the sudden intrusion of taking in Hwang Jae-in (Park Bo-young the nation's little sister) and Hwang Ki-dong (Wang Seok-hyeon) is certainly overwhelming. And so the journey of accepting his (un)wanted family begins.Pretty much right off the bat, the premise of the story starts. The film does a great job of showing Hyeon-soo's uptight personality with the opening credits being a tour of his large apartment filled with neatly organized suits and cologne. His high class lifestyle makes the entrance of unknown dependents so much more shocking and entertaining. And it's not just Cha Tae-hyun that makes the film interesting to watch. Park Bo-young, who has since gained a lot of popularity for her role as the under aged mother, makes for a cute daughter who has a lot of spunk. And as for the little boy (who is also kind of cute), Wang Seok-hyeon, he's not only responsible for the main portion of the humor, but also acts as the catalyst to bring the family together. All the actors make the film very enjoyable and hard to let go.It's obvious that Nam Hyeon-soo will change his characteristics and become a better person in the end, so the conflicts that occur are what you're really watching the film for. Just because Cha Tae-hyun is the main protagonist doesn't mean that the film is all fun and games. The film touches upon some serious topics, such as abandonment, family values, and the need to be loved. Park Bo-young delivers some pretty great crying scenes that make even the viewer feel the guilt of the father.After watching the film, I couldn't help but feel the need for a sequel. Like when many good shows or movies end, people require a fair amount of closure to feel satisfied. The end of the Lord of the Rings trilogy is a good example. Ending scenes in The Return of the King seem to go on and on. For Speedy Scandal, the ending is complete and ties up all loose ends (unlike a lot of Korean films), but I guess I like the characters so much that I wish for a sequel. That will most likely not happen though, since Korean cinema isn't so keen on spin-offs. Maybe the film is missing just one more scene in the end to give it the perfect closure.

I became aware of this film because it's playing at the 2010 New York Asian Film Festival. It sounded sweet, but because the time it plays didn't work for me I picked it up on import DVD. I'm glad I did since this is one of the more heart warming and funny films I've seen this year.The plot has a radio talk show host finding out that the young mother he's been using for fodder on his radio show is actually his. Complications naturally ensue, especially since she's entered in the station music contest.Yes, the plot has been done before, especially in Hollywood where films like this have been a staple for decades. The key here is that even though the you know the plot and its variations, you really don't care because the filmmakers have given us characters and situations that really work. We genuinely like everyone and because of it we happily buy everything thats going on.Best of all the comedy is genuinely funny. (and the music is great) I love this film. That this hasn't been released in the US is a shame because its a great comedy.A must see.

I can tell why this film was such a big hit in Korea, it has a lot of elements that Asian audiences love to watch especially it's humor. The Korean humor of it fit right in with the movie, and although Korea really isn't known for making great comedies, this one really worked. And it's mix of funny, sad and touching moments kept me entertained throughout the whole film and although there is quite a bit of singing in this, it was well done as well, but wished they took the stuff about the kid in the story being a prodigy at playing cards, playing the piano, and etc in order to be likable. I also though the part of Cha Tae-Hyun singing in order to impress the teacher to be lame and not necessary, maybe it's cause he just doesn't have the charisma or cause he is just not a likable character. Anyways, nothing about this movie seemed really forced even the dramatic moments and the comedy worked fine as well. So any one who is into Korean movies, I recommend you check it out even if some of the Korean humor is difficult to understand for some.7.9/10