[drama 2006] 101st Propsal (101번째 프로포즈)

[SBS] Lee Moon Shik & Park Sun Young

OFFICIAL SITE

STARRING
Lee Moon Shik as Park Dal Jeh



Park Sun Young as Han Su Jung



SUPPORTING CAST

Sohn Chang Yi as Seo Hyun Joon
Jung Sung Hwan as Jung Woo Suk
Hong Su Ah as Han Geum Jung (Han Su Jung's sister)
Lee Joong Moon as Park Min Jeh (Park Dal Jeh's brother)

SUPPORTING, SUPPORTING CAST

Lim Hyun Shik as Park Chang Man (Park Dal Jeh's father)
Choi Ran as Jang Eun Im
Jo Eun Sook as Noh Jung Soon
Kim Ji Hye as Noh Chae Young
Jung Kyung Ho as Oh Yong Pil

QUOTE(X)

내겐 너무 완벽한 그녀 (My Perfect Girl)
SBS - April, Weekend Drama , follows 하늘이시여 (Dear Heaven)
PD: 8/10 장태유 (Jang Tae-Yoo)
Jang was assistant producer in last year's excellent SBS Drama 불량주부 (Woman of The House), so that should be a good enough sign. 'Woman' had a breezy atmosphere, while at the same time talking about serious issues like the plight (!) of 'househusbands', much more interestingly rendered than in the similarly themed film 미스터주부 퀴즈왕 (Mr. Housewife). Although I haven't seen 선택 (Choice), a 2004 Daily Drama with Shim Hye-Jin and Kim Sang-Joong Jang produced, I only have good things to say about 2003's 때려 (Punch), where Jang acted as assistant producer. The show starred Shin Min-Ah and Joo Jin-Mo and mixed sports drama tropes with the 'melo code', yet it all felt really fresh and invigorating. I think we're pretty safe here.
WRITER: 8/10 윤영미 (Yoon Young-Mi)
Far from being a famous or even prolific writer, I'll trust Yoon Young-Mi based only on one project: last year's two episode special 내 사랑 토람이 (My Lovely Toram). The little show was about a blind woman (Ha Hee-Ra, returning to the small screen after a while, still as beautiful and talented as ever) and her friend Toram, the dog who helps her through her trials and tribulations. Back then I was thinking I would have rather gone through a marathon of Choi Ji-Woo Dramas than watch another animal-based show. I mean, weren't 3 Trillions Disney Channel 'specials' and a million films with the same old story (I have a dog. He's cute and like... nice. Joy to the world! I want a 'killer dog' flick...) enough? But 'My Lovely Toram' dropped all the cliches and featured what was possibly the Song Kang-Ho of Korean dogs. I don't know if it was because of the PD's exhausting work (for all I know they could have changed dog twenty times during the shoot) or it was just a very good acting dog, but the show was touching in ways other 'animal dramas' could never be. And of course casting people like Kim Young-Ho and Ha Hee-Ra helped. So while we're talking about an inexperienced writer, I think the PD/Writer duo could do well, especially in a breezy Drama like this. Plus there's no dogs, although I can't guarantee about cats and other animals...
CAST: 8 /10 이문식 (Lee Moon-Shik), 박선영 (Park Sun-Young), 홍수아 (Hong Soo-Ah), 김준성 (Kim Joon-Seong)
A couple of veterans away from looking like a top notch cast. Starting from the bottom, I still remember Kim Joon-Seong from his days as MC on Arirang TV shows, and I sort of liked his goofy role in Jung Ji-Woo's wonderful 사랑니 (Blossom Again). He still has a long way to become a good actor, but has the right physicality and even a little charisma. As for Hong Soo-Ah, well, what can you say. She's pretty. And... and... she starred in a few films and that 'timeless masterpiece', the last season of the 'youth sitcom' 논스톱 (Nonstop), which after 5 years managed to stink up one of the few decent sitcoms on TV. I doubt they'll give her anything special to work with, and if she keeps the image shown on various Variety shows, it's quite possible I might have to borrow your TV, as I don't think it will work with a brick inside. Still, the last two names earn that 8: other than being one of the sweetest celebrities on Korean TV, Park Sun-Young is also a major talent. It's a shame she'll only be familiar to movie fans as the heroine of 쇼쇼쇼 (Show Show Show) -- the love child of a Korean Cocktail and a melodrama from the 70s (complete with evil rich daddy having thugs beat up the poor lover of daddy's little girl) -- and a few other films. She's been active in TV Dramas for quite a few years, constantly stealing the show from more 'prestigious' leading stars like Chae Rim in last year's 오!필승 붕순영 (Oh! Feel Young), or the recently concluded Weekend Drama 슬픔이여 안녕 (Goodbye To Sadness). She can do super-cute, go into sassy mode and act more serious roles in her sleep. And when her leading partner is Lee Moon-Shik, longtime veteran of many glorious comedies, ever since debuting in Jang Jin films of the late 90s after an illustrious career in the 'Korean Broadway' Daehaek-Ro, things become much more interesting. This is his first leading role on TV, and I'm sure he'll do great. Great comic timing and ad-lib prowess, but all those years of theater make him an excellent dramatic actor, too. Although casting hasn't been completed yet, putting someone like Kim Soo-Mi or Yeo Woon-Gye as his mother in the show could set this thing on fire, at least in terms of comedy.
OUTLINE: 7/10
A remake of the 1991 Fuji TV Drama 101回目のプロポーズ (The 101st Proposal), 'My Perfect Girl' stars Lee Moon-Shik as Dal-Jae, one of those old bachelors who can't seem to get a wife no matter how many 맞선 (marriage meetings) they attend. I mean, he's got it all: he's good loo... OK, not really. But, hey, he's rich... at least inside. And despite his heavy Jeolla Province dialect, he certainly has many charms, it's just that he's too damn picky (or is it the other way around?)! But all of a sudden he finds his perfect girl, a 29 year old announcer (Park Sun-Young) who will rock his world. Man, I bet her parents will love her new conquest. Story has been done to death, but this being a Weekend Drama (more time to develop characters, less incentive to use educational 'shocking revelations' to make viewers practice new swear words) and having such a good cast, we might be dealing with the closest thing to MBC's glorious mid-to-late 90s Weekend Dramas like 아파트 (Apartment) or 장미와 콩나물 (Roses & Beansprouts) in a while. Shows which took a predictable formula and just let the cast act it out for an enjoyable 50 to 60 Episodes.
RATINGS POTENTIAL: 8/10
This show will follow the extremely popular Weekend Drama 하늘이시여 (Dear Heaven), which has been recording ratings between high 20s and early 30s for the last three months, so it could have a very strong start. The curiosity of seeing Lee Moon-Shik in a leading role, and the overall breezy aura the Drama carries around might actually be an important factor in the Drama's success. Potentially very popular, even 25 to 30%, as Weekend Dramas always have a big following.
OVERALL: 7.80