South Korea
2019 122 mins OV Korean Subtitles : English
Forty-something businessman Jang Pan-su always gets his way — even if it requires asking his henchmen to use threats and violence. One fateful day, in a ramen shop, he runs into Dong-hyun, a 17-year-old boy with an endless appetite, whom he immediately scorns. Alas, soon after, the overweight teenager literally falls on him, and when he wakes up in the hospital, Jang Pan-su realizes to his great dismay that they have swapped bodies during the collision. When the boss in his new form discovers that Dong-hyun is the favourite target of the school bullies, his true natures comes out and he can’t help but slap them around. Things become more complicated with the introduction of a classmate who is also a bullying victim, and who happens to be the daughter of a woman Jang Pan-su once knew…
THE DUDE IN ME can accurately be described as a full-course meal: a fantasy comedy à la FREAKY FRIDAY that blends ingredients from high-school movies and gangster films with surprisingly brutal fights, before seasoning things with a few pinches of melodrama. Packed with outlandish twists and turns, it’s dynamically directed by Kang Hyo-jin (PUNCH LADY, WONDERFUL NIGHTMARE), who skilfully juggles gags, action and emotion. Among a great cast featuring experienced actors Park Sung-woong and Ra Mi-ran, heartthrob Young Jin (well-known by K-pop fans as one of the members of the boy band B1A4) makes a particularly strong impression. Whether you’re an adult in the body of a kid or vice versa, don’t miss THE DUDE IN ME! – Kevin Laforest
