(Movie Review) You Are My Pet

(credits to hnmovies.com)

You are My Pet is a Korean film adaptation of the Japanese manga Kimi Wa Petto. The manga was also adapted into a Japanese series in 2003 and starred model-turned-actress Koyuki (as Sumire) and Arashi member Jun Matsumoto (as Momo). Here is the synopsis of the story as provided by Dramawiki:

“Smart, successful and good-looking Iwaya Sumire works for a big newspaper. However, her boss asks her to leave for being too “perfect” a woman. Feeling angry and dejected Iwaya returns home depressed, and most of all lonely. However, when she finds an unconscious young man lying in a box out the front of her home and takes him in. He looks like a dog she used to own called Momo. She dubs him Momo and decides to “keep him as a pet.” It’s the start of an unexpected life together as they overcome obstacles and become quite attached to one another. But can love like this exist?”

The Korean film follows the same story line but names were changed to suit to the Korean culture. Kim Ha Neul played the role of Sumire (Eun Yi in the film), while Jang Geun Suk played the role of Momo. Prior to showing, the movie already attracted hype due to the success of its Japanese predecessors and its high-profile cast.

The question is… did the movie live up to that hype? Sadly, the answer is no. The directors and producers seemed too concerned on how to make the movie and the actors look good that they forgot a movie also needs a decent storyline for it to make an impact. Cinematography and styling… I’ll give it a 10/10 but everything else was bleh.

While the movie didn’t have the luxury of time to establish the story, they could have done a better job at making the transitions smoother. The movie had so many jumps and if you haven’t read the manga or watched the Japanese series, you would have trouble following what happened.

The soundtrack was also forgettable. There was barely music at all except for the parts where Momo has to dance and sing. There were so many “could be” moments which would have more impact if there were proper accompaniment. Sadly, the movie makers might have also forgotten to hire a sound director.

The performances of Kim Ha Neul and Jang Geun Suk (JGS) were also underwhelming. Kim scored big in The Blind so it was disappointing to see her go bland in this role. She fits the look of Sumire perfectly but somehow I cannot connect to her on an emotional level the way I did in with Koyuki in the Japanese series.

Momo, oh Momo. I love Jut Matsumoto in Kimi Wa Petto and I am sure am not the only one, so JGS definitely had a very big shoes to fill. I was again… disappointed. JGS relied so much on his cuteness that you will get an overdose of it and just cringe. Momo is not supposed to be cute. He’s supposed to be manly cute…whatever that is.

Overall, I’d give the movie a 5/10. Yes… that low… considering I like Kim Ha Neul and JGS in general. The movie was generally underwhelming and it certainly did not live up to the hype it generated.

Have you seen it? Share your opinions!