Scandal Makers

A young woman turns up at the door of Nam Hyeon-soo, a former star now hosting a radio show. She says she is his daughter, and she has a six-year-old with her. Overnight he becomes both a father and a grandfather, and he can tell nobody. Kang Hyoung-chul's first film. Cha Tae-hyun plays Hyeon-soo, Park Bo-young the daughter, Wang Suk-hyun the grandson. It became an unexpected box office explosion in Korea, passing eight million admissions to rank among the most-watched films of its period and putting Kang at the top with his debut. The comic template is familiar, but what carries the film is the child actor's timing and Cha Tae-hyun sustaining panic without overplaying it. Music sits inside the story: the bond between father and daughter is built through song, and the final scene rests on it. Kang went on to make Sunny and the Tazza sequel. Who it is for: viewers who like family comedy and Korean mainstream cinema. Who it is not for: anyone avoiding an emotional finish; the film openly plays for tears at the end.