A sort-of romantic comedy, 200 Pounds Beauty, is a likable, although limited shot at romantic comedy popularity, sustained by a charismatic lead performance by Kim Ajoong and a high concept.
The story revolves around an obese woman who happens to be "the voice" of a popular singer in Corea. Of course, she doesn't look the part, so she just sings in the background. And he happens to be head over heels for her producer, who also happens to be friendly with her. Due to lack of confidence, she undergoes a radical total body plastic surgery procedure and is reborn at the pretty girl she thinks she needs to be to catch her crush. I think the story overall is a little mixed up and doesn't always do a great job of keeping conflicts clear. Sometimes I wasn't sure what the real conflict was with the main character and I find its wishy washy attitude towards societal standards of beauty, as well as plastic surgery, to be too anemic to appreciate. But the film does get many moments of comedy right. Special attention should be given to Kim Ajoong's portrayal of Kim Hana. Although at first I was a little annoyed by her "clumsy fat girl" antics, in the unbelievable fat suit, because I thought it was a negative stereotype of large bodied people, I came to appreciate her performance as she continued the same character after she becomes "beautiful". I loved how awkward her body language as the skinny girl she becomes is and there are some amusing bits of comedy that come from both her and others reacting to her new appearance.
I guess the big criticism I have is the lightweightedness of the story. Despite its romantic comedy billing, I still didn't feel like that much was at stake for Kim Hana, because I don't think the story effectively sold what it was that she cared about, in addition to splitting her interest in more than three directions. Furthermore, the producer character's position never becomes really clear. Many of the actors, being given limited characters, do an adequate job, but outside of the lead role, there's not much depth given to work with. Production value is high, as should be expected for a high-concept tentpole comedy and direction does a decent enough job of capturing a proper romantic comedy atmosphere.
In no way is anyone going to mistake 200 Pounds Beauty for high art, but its limited charms make for decent entertainment. I don't feel like the story is strong enough for the concept, but the execution is adequate enough and there's enough comedy present in the film to keep it floating through its running time. It also helps that Kim Ajoong turns out to be a good listen as well when she opens up her pipes to sing in the film. Thanks to her charming performance, I can give this one passing grade. It's not a special film, but basic romantic comedy entertainment that goes down easy and doesn't leave too big of an imprint in your mind. Decent. 6/10.
