The Suck Up Project: Mr. XXX-Kisser (also known as King of Abu) (Korean: 아부의 왕; RR: Ahbuwei Wang) is a 2012 South Korean comedy directed by Jung Seung-gu and starring Song Sae-byeok and Sung Dong-il. The film is a satire on Korean corporate culture.[1]
| Mr. XXX-Kisser | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Jung Seung-gu |
| Screenplay by | Kim Sun-young |
| Produced by | Kim Jin-Young, Choi Tae-Young |
| Starring | Song Sae-byeok Sung Dong-il |
| Distributed by | Lotte Entertainment |
Release date |
|
Running time | 118 minutes |
| Country | South Korea |
| Language | Korean |
Plot
editDong-sik (Song) is an employee at a large insurance company. He works hard and does everything by the book, in contrast to his colleagues, who are more interested in schmoozing their way into promotions. Dong-sik's naïve sense of ethics gets him into trouble in both his professional and private life. When he gets demoted to insurance salesman, Dong-sik struggles due to his tactlessness and lack of charm. He then discovers that his mother borrowed money from a loan shark to pay for his father's promotion to Principal at a local school. In order to improve his sales and pay back the loan sharks, Dong-sik seeks help from legendary silver-tongued master Hyeo Go-soo (Sung), whose book about wooing and persuading others is deeply prized among his colleagues.[2] Go-soo takes Dong-sik on as an apprentice, with Dong-sik desperately following his teachings in order to improve his sales.[3]
Cast
edit- Song Sae-byeok as Dong-sik
- Sung Dong-il as Go-soo
- Kim Sung-ryung as Ye-ji
- Ko Chang-seok as Seong-cheol
- Kim Min-jae as Seong-cheol's second
- Lee Byung-joon as President Lee
- Cha Seung-won as himself
- Park Bo-kyung as Middle aged woman
- Lee Cheol-min as Director Son
Release & Reception
editThe film was released on March 2, 2012,[4] and grossed $3 million at the South Korean box office.[5] It received generally positive reviews and was described by The Korea Times and The Chosun Ilbo as the strongest South Korean comedy of the year.[6][7][8][9]
References
edit- ^ Jin, Hyeon-cheol (23 May 2012). "Comedy movie 'King of Abu' Song Sae-byeok as an insurance company employee". Maeil Business Star Today.
- ^ Wheeler, Christopher (23 February 2013). "'The Suck Up Project: Mr. XXX-Kisser': Brown-nosed, but not Beaten". HanCinema.
- ^ "Mr. Xxx-Kisser, 2012". Daum Movies. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- ^ Kim, Myung-soo (5 March 2012). "Seong Dong-il and Song Sae-byeok's comedy 'King of Abu' cranks up". TopStarNews.
- ^ "Mr. Xxx-Kisser (2012)". KoBiz. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- ^ Kwaak, Je-yup (19 June 2012). "'Suck Up Project' pokes fun at corporate Korea". The Korea Times.
- ^ Jeong, Song-i (23 May 2012). "Seong Dong-il - Song Sae-byeok, 'Masters of King Abu!'". The Chosun Ilbo.
- ^ "'King of Abu' Seong Dong-il, the best 3 famous lines that will make you laugh". SBS Entertainment News. 6 June 2012.
- ^ Lim, Joo-hee (30 May 2012). "'Detective Cha' - 'King of Abu'... This summer brings a storm of laughter". Financial News.
External links
edit- Mr. XXX-Kisser at IMDb
- Mr. XXX-Kisser at HanCinema
- King of Abu (Mr. Xxx-Kisser) at Movist