It's Not 'He', It's 'Ha'! Kwon Sang-woo and Director Choi Won-seop Present Another Laugh with 'Heartman' Preview Review

The movie 〈Heartman〉 challenges many men and is set to be released on January 14. Recently, Kwon Sang-woo and Director Choi Won-seop, who have established themselves as a trend in comedy films with the successful 〈Hitman〉 series, have teamed up again, and the title itself grabs attention. However, aside from the similar-sounding title, 〈Heartman〉 can be said to be a new work that offers another kind of laughter from the Kwon Sang-woo and Choi Won-seop duo. Ahead of its release, I share my impressions after attending the press screening of 〈Heartman〉 on January 8.

〈Heartman〉 tells the story of Seung-min (Kwon Sang-woo), who once was a rocker but gave up that dream to live as the owner of a musical instrument store, and how his unfulfilled first love, Bona (Moon Chae-won), suddenly reappears after a long time. At first glance, it seems like the film will deal with the attempts to win back the first love, but 〈Heartman〉 takes a slight detour. Surprisingly, Seung-min and Bona's love quickly reignites after being on hold for a long time, but the problem arises from Seung-min's situation. Seung-min is actually a divorced man with a daughter. Bona is so infatuated with Seung-min that she doesn't mind his divorce, but due to her aversion to children, Seung-min ends up hiding the existence of his daughter. The main comedy of 〈Heartman〉 arises from this point.

As the title suggests, 〈Heartman〉 deals with passionate love, so there is a significant romantic sentiment flowing throughout. However, since the 〈Hitman〉 combination is back, it naturally pushes comedy with strong momentum from the very beginning. To what extent? From the start of the film, Kwon Sang-woo and Park Ji-hwan appear with long hair as band members, and the subtitles state '22 years old'. In this way, 〈Heartman〉 does not hide its fierce rush towards comedy, continuously creating humorous situations through situations and dialogues.

Nevertheless, 〈Heartman〉 and 〈Hitman〉 are quite different in their trajectories. While 〈Hitman〉 is composed of raw comedy centered around Jun (Kwon Sang-woo), Cheol (Lee Yi-kyung), and Cheon Deok-kyu (Jung Joon-ho), 〈Heartman〉 is closer to a sitcom that builds relationships centered around Seung-min, Bona, and So-young (Kim Seo-heon). Director Choi Won-seop himself stated, "If 〈Hitman〉 was about how to make every scene funny, 〈Heartman〉 is about whether we can create laughter naturally according to the flow," indicating that while the intensity of comedy may differ, its frequency is somewhat lighter. Instead, the relationships between Seung-min and Bona, Seung-min and So-young, and So-young and Bona fill that space.

At this point, we cannot overlook the presence of actress Kim Seo-heon. While the chemistry between Kwon Sang-woo, Park Ji-hwan, Moon Chae-won, and Pyo Ji-hoon met expectations, Kim Seo-heon provides a pleasant twist. Kim Seo-heon skillfully portrays a character that actively moves throughout the narrative, leaving a deep impression reminiscent of Wang Seok-hyun from the comedy film 〈Speed Scandal〉. Additionally, since Kwon Sang-woo himself stated, "Moon Chae-won looks the prettiest in this film," fans of Moon Chae-won should definitely check it out.

Among these advantages, there are some disappointing points, particularly regarding the utilization of Park Ji-hwan and Pyo Ji-hoon. Given that they are featured prominently on the poster, I expected them to play leading roles, but they do not significantly contribute to the narrative. Of course, both actors succeed in generating laughter due to their capabilities, but especially considering that Park Ji-hwan has received praise for his supporting character, it feels a bit bland. Also, considering that the story revolves around the relationship between a man with a daughter and his first love who dislikes children, the relationship between Seung-min and Bona progresses too quickly. The process of Seung-min and Bona coming together is so rapid that I even suspected that Bona might have a secret until the middle of the film. If the film was meant to focus on relationships, it would have been better to include more detailed depictions of Bona missing Seung-min, even if it meant reducing the comedy a bit.

Perhaps audiences expecting a second 〈Hitman〉 from the Kwon Sang-woo and Choi Won-seop combination might be somewhat surprised by the differences. Unlike 〈Hitman〉, which was filled with laughter, 〈Heartman〉 focuses more on the process of changing relationships among the three characters. It feels more appropriate to attach keywords like 'family' or 'romance' rather than just 'comedy'.

〈Heartman〉 is a new challenge for the 〈Hitman〉 team in a good way. It seems to be moving in a direction they wanted to explore based on the comedic sense built from the two films. It raises curiosity about whether this challenge will resonate with audiences once again. 〈Heartman〉 is set to be released on January 14.