Innocent Steps (2005)

I really liked this movie! It was funny, angsty and had a good plot. I thought the whole movie would be just about dancing but was surprised to find that a development of a romance was a large part of the plot. There were some parts that did feel a little slow. The movie ended on a nice note.

I liked the leads and even with their large age gap they managed to convince me that their characters loved each other. Props to MGY who showed off excellent dancing skills. I can tell she had to work her butt off filming this movie.

I know I'll be watching this again in the future, just not right away.

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(Read the full review at my review blog, Re(mAAArk)able Reviews! [Link in my profile!])

Some criticize that the age difference is insurmountable, and that to them the pair seemed more like siblings than potential lovers--but I don't see it. That first time they really kill the dance, when Na Young-Sae asks Chae-Rin to "fall in love with him, even if you have to fake it" in order to show emotion during their dancing, I totally believed these two were the real deal. And given they were trying to fake a marriage to the authorities, too, I had no trouble believing when the authorities are duped.

The music is lovely, too, and makes you want to boogie in your seat. (Or perhaps strut.) Some of it is heartbreakingly romantic while others are pure cha-cha magic.

And the supporting characters, while rarely seen, are nevertheless phenomenal. The evil Hyun Soo is a little lacking in depth, but Young-Sae's dancer friends are hilarious and talented in their own right and just fun to watch. They're in on the fake marriage, but they see what the audience does--that there's something a little bit more real about it than first meets the eye.

It's an old favorite, but it's held against the test of time--watching it again I was still very much in love. Definitely check out Innocent Steps if you haven't, and remember if you've seen it how much it meant to you back then!

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Ok, so let me mention something first.I didn't like Moon Geun Young AT ALL before watching this.It's my first time seeing her act...I know why didn't you like her, right?Well I have to be completely hoest...her looks let me down a bit, and seeing 2 episodes of Marry stayed out all night really made me almost hate her....how wrong I was!!

Story: It was so beautiful.The idea wasn't reallyso unique but the way they made it look was beautiful.I fell in love with it and haven't fast-forward it at all.It was so innocent and well pictured that I've found myself crying at the end(it's not a sad movie)!
The way their relathionship developed was mesmerazing and I loved the fact that dancing really took a major part of the movie.

Acting/Cast: As I said I really didn't fancy Moon Geun Young at first.I watched this only because of Park Gun Hyung whom I adore and consider a great actor.When I saw they were almost 10 years apart I was almost sure I would dislike this...I was so wrong.Their age difference made the story even more charming and beautiful.The chemestry between them was breathtaking and it made me fall in love with Moon Geun Young.Thinking she was only 18 when this movie was made, I was simply starstruck...she is really talented.I don't have to say anything about Park Gun Hyung, because he was extrordinary as always.Both leads succeded in portraiting their character almost to perfection.

Music: It was a dance themed movie so it's obvious that msic played a big part.I can't say that it was the best I ever heard, I saw many more dramas with better OSTs, but it was just fitting so well with the film, making it so much more enjoyable.

Rewatch: This is definetely a rewatchable movie...it was just too inspiring and cte for me not to see it again!

People go and watch this because it's really worth you time, trust me!

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This was a cute little movie. Perfect if you're looking for something that doesn't require too much brain power.

The story was simple, one I've seen a number of times before in western cinema, but interesting for me nonetheless because of the exotic location and culture in which it plays out. Ever since I started watching Asian films on a regular basis a whole new world has been opened up to me. I'm discovering a lot about a region of the world I didn't really know or care so much about until recently.

The heroine's wide-eyed innocence took a little getting used to, but overall she had great chemistry with the hero. I did have difficulty suspending belief from time to time when it came to their romance because the age gap was just a tad distracting. Chae-rin didn't look a day pass 14 (even though she's actually 19) whilst Young-sae looked to be in his mid-to-late 30s. Every time I'd see them together I'd cringe a little because the cradle robber factor was coming across pretty strong. Haha. Also the fact that Chae-rin constantly referred to him as "sir" and "mister" served to only compound the issue.

That being said, however, there were a few very comedic and sweet moments between the two, and it was nice to see that under his gruff exterior Young-sae had a good heart. I think every once in a blue moon I might re-watch this.

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Story (5.0):
The story was off to a great start in my opinion, regardless if there are a fair amount of elements you have to turn your brain off to believe. But especially past the half way point, it really fell apart and didn't do much for me. It was honestly boring even when stuff was happening because I wasn't invested in the story line. I think it's because before watching I was expecting a bit more of a romance like My Little Bride, a bit of romantic comedy, and after the first 30 minutes I was also expecting one of those underdog success stories. However, in the long run, it didn't fulfill either tack for me; yes there's some fun romance stuff, and some good success, but it didn't commit to either and so it failed on both.

Acting/Cast (7.5):
This is mostly the only thing carrying the score for this movie. I actually like the two main characters and I even mostly like them together. And they can obviously dance. The dancing was probably the most interesting to watch besides a few fun moments (like inspection for fake marriage), but it wasn't like stunning or anything. The "big" and "new" dance movement that supposedly set them apart wasn't super special and they had to do special cuts on that scene anyway.
Almost all the other characters are completely irrelevant and flat, though there wasn't any noticeably terrible acting.

Music (5.0):
Well, come on, it's mostly dance music...

Rewatch Value (5.0):
I don't ever see myself watching this again. Even Geun Young's My Little Bride, which can't be called a masterpiece by any means, was way more fun imho.

Overall (5.5):
I think this could have been a lot more than it turned out to be. It's not a terrible story, but it didn't really touch me or stand out in anyway, or even leave me feeling satisfied. Still, I'm not super upset I watched this. It had its moments.

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