The newly added comedy film Husbands to the Netflix original lineup garnered somewhat mixed reactions from audiences immediately upon its release. The preliminary evaluations encountered through internet communities and social media before watching the film were enough to lower expectations. This was because a significant number of viewers expressed disappointment, stating that the plot development was somewhat childish or that the comedy's success rate fell short of expectations. Due to this negative initial word-of-mouth, I naturally lowered my expectations regarding its cinematic quality and pressed the play button with the mindset of watching it lightly just to kill time. However, as a result, these 'low expectations' actually served as an excellent viewing point that allowed me to fully enjoy the inherent cheerfulness the film possesses.
Looking at the casting lineup of the film, it is hard to find the names of top-tier A-list stars who guarantee ten million moviegoers or boast overwhelming ticket power. However, it is packed with a large number of top-notch, talented actors whose acting skills and individuality are second to none, including Jin Seon-kyu and Yoon Kyung-ho, who firmly hold the center of the play, as well as Gong Myung, whose comedic acting has reached its peak. What particularly caught my eye was the casting of actor Kim Ji-seok. Since he recently appeared on a broadcast program and expressed his honest concerns about not receiving casting offers, which evoked sympathy from the public, the very fact that he stood before the audience again in a significant role in this film was very welcoming and intriguing.
In this work, Kim Ji-seok boldly breaks away from the gentle and intellectual image he has mainly shown so far, capturing attention by appearing as a fresh villain who breathes palpable tension into the play. While his unfamiliar villainous acting was impressive, if one had to choose the actor who showed the most unconventional acting transformation through this film, it would undoubtedly be Lee Da-hee. Through numerous dramas, she has always played the epitome of a chic, haughty, and flawless career woman. However, in Husbands, she completely sheds her existing cold city woman image and skillfully pulls off unexpected eccentricity and comedic slapstick acting, delivering a fresh shock and big laughs to the audience.
Kang Han-na, who has proven her broad acting spectrum in various works, also takes charge of an important axis in the play. She has been recognized for her stable acting skills by digesting diverse characters of completely different textures without any sense of disparity in every work she appears in. However, in this Husbands, because there are so many lead and supporting actors and the story unfolds in the form of an ensemble cast, her screen time felt relatively small compared to her charm, leaving a sense of regret. On the other hand, Jeon So-min, a completely unexpected figure, made a surprise appearance as a scene-stealer, adding to the delight. Her joining, which radiates her unique bouncy energy across entertainment shows and dramas, reminds us once again that this film is clearly aiming for the comedy genre.
The comedic synergy of the male actors—Jin Seon-kyu, Yoon Kyung-ho, and Gong Myung—is also a powerful weapon of this film. Jin Seon-kyu has recently been receiving great love from the public for his lifestyle-oriented comedic acting utilizing his uniquely kind and unfairly treated impression through various works. In the case of Yoon Kyung-ho, he mostly took on ignorant and menacing villain roles in the past, but since gaining attention for his extraordinary conversational skills, he has built an unrivaled domain as a friendly and cute villain character whom you somehow cannot hate. Added to this is Gong Myung, who flexibly crosses between romance and comedy genres while radiating his signature puppy-like charm. Reflecting on the film after finishing it, I realized that the director strategically combined only those actors who possess a special knack for comedic acting.
While staring blankly at the screen without any expectations, the film disarms the viewer and induces bursting laughter from the beginning with somewhat absurd situational setups and the actors' sly performances. In fact, the comedy genre multiplies its fun when watched in a theater breathing together with numerous audiences rather than when watched alone. In a dark theater where many people are gathered, when there is a momentary hesitation about whether to laugh or not at a specific scene, a strange mob psychology comes into play where if someone nearby starts giggling first, you unknowingly become infected and burst into roaring laughter. Therefore, it is true that it is not as easy as expected to laugh out loud when watching a comedy movie alone at home through an OTT platform.
Nevertheless, the movie Husbands creates magical moments that make you unexpectedly burst out laughing out loud several times, even when facing the screen all alone in your room. Behind this comedy with a high batting average lies the extraordinary comedic sense of Director Park Gyu-tae, who took the megaphone for this work. Director Park Gyu-tae's previous work is the mega-hit comedy film 6/45, which delightfully depicted the scramble for lottery winnings between South and North Korean soldiers. I vividly remember holding my belly and laughing breathlessly while watching 6/45 at the time, and in this work as well, the director's uniquely outstanding directing ability, which elicits laughter by exquisitely twisting situations, was fully demonstrated.
The greatest virtue of the comedy in this film is that the actors do not overuse exaggerated skits or artificial slapstick just to force the audience to laugh. The characters simply act seriously and fiercely in the absurd and desperate situations they find themselves in, but the absurdity created by the ironic situation itself induces natural bursts of laughter. Creating laughter with thoroughly calculated situations and the sincere acting tones of the actors, rather than forced wordplay, is an immense directing talent that is never easy in the comedy genre. Such high-level situational comedy was possible because the director's detailed directing, which solidly designed the framework, perfectly meshed with the excellent acting chemistry of the veteran actors who ran around freely like fish in water within it.
Looking solely at the film's title, Husbands, it is hard to easily grasp what kind of story will unfold, but as the play progresses, the whole story of its unbelievable circumstances is gradually revealed. At the center of the intriguing story exist Hwang Choong-sik, a hot-blooded detective and 'ex-husband' played by Jin Seon-kyu, and Lee Min-seok, an affectionate 'current husband' played by Gong Myung. One day, an unprecedented crisis occurs when Si-nae (played by Kang Han-na), the common link and wife of the two men, is suddenly kidnapped by an unidentified woman, Hye-ran (played by Lee Da-hee). The sole reason Hye-ran carried out such a reckless kidnapping was to push through her threatening demand for the safe release of Ma Do-joon (played by Kim Ji-seok), a dangerous figure whom Hwang Choong-sik had personally handcuffed and arrested.
In this precarious rescue operation, Kim Yong-gang (played by Yoon Kyung-ho)—who once dominated an organization but harbors a deep grudge against Ma Do-joon and is sharpening his blade for revenge—gets entangled, making the incident spiral further out of control. Furthermore, Jo A-ra (played by Jeon So-min), a passionate reporter who has an incredible knack for sniffing out exclusive stories, relentlessly tracks them down, driving the play into a chaotic state where the next moment cannot be predicted. In the concluding part of the chaotic chase sequence, the movie wraps up warmly by putting forward warm family love and touching humanism, much like the formula of a comedy film, but there is no need to try hard to find a complex message. It is an excellent entertainment film that is more than perfect for emptying your mind of complicated thoughts and simply watching the screen with a relaxed heart, laughing and enjoying yourself to the fullest.
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