The President's Barber

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"Even Song Kang-ho and Moon So-ri couldn't save this movie from being a second rate Korean drama."

- Equinox21


The President's Barber (2003)

Director: Im Chan-Sang

Writer: Im Chan-Sang

Producer: Choi Yong-Bae

Cast: Song Gang-Ho, Mun So-Ri, Lee Jae-Eung, Son Byeong-Ho, Park Yong-Su, Jo Young-Jin, Ryu Seung-Su, Yun Ju-Sang

Running Time: 116 min.

Plot: See review below.

Reviews

EQUINOX21'S REVIEW: I wouldn't say I had particularly high expectations for The President's Barber, but I did have some, seeing as it stars one of Korea's best and brightest, Song Kang-ho. Sometimes it was a comedy, sometimes it was a drama, sometimes it made you chuckle, sometimes it made you cringe, but it never seemed to find its place. It was a good movie, don't get me wrong, it just wasn't all that impressive.

The President's Barber follows Seong Han-mo, a barber in a neighborhood near the Blue House, through about 20-some years as he goes from a small time barber, to the private barber of the president and all his trials and tribulations. The story is narrated by Nak-an, the barber's son as he grows from a todler to an adult. What made this movie seem somewhat lackluster is that a situation would start out funny, but then events would make it almost tragic. Some of the things that were supposed to be funny were simply so far fetched that when those elements stretched into the dramatic, it was a downright waste of time.

Even Song Kang-ho and Moon So-ri couldn't save this movie from being a second rate Korean drama. It's really unfortunate, but even with the best actors and actresses, some movies are just hit or miss. This was more of a foul ball down the third base line.

EQUINOX21'S RATING: 6/10