Un Sueño (2023)

La última película coreana que he visto y he de decir que ha sido todo un descubrimiento, porque la verdad es que no esperaba que me gustara tanto. El principal motivo por el que decidí verla fue por el casting con Park Seo Joon y IU, sin embargo, no me arrepiento de verla y me alegro de haberlo hecho.
A pesar de que es una película un poco larga, ya que dura unas 2 horas y pico, se te hace muy llevadera y rápida debido principalmente a su tono cómico ya que desde el primer momento estás riendo y no paras hasta el final.
Sin embargo, me gustaría destacar principalmente que, a parte de ser una película de comedia, también es una película de crecimiento personal y grupal y una película de historia de vida. Este crecimiento no es únicamente por los jugadores del equipo de fútbol, que son sin techos, sino también un crecimiento para el entrenador y para la directora de documental. Por lo que es una película que lo tiene todo.
También decir que es una recreación, en tono cómico, del mundial de fútbol del 2002, el momento más grandioso para el fútbol surcoreano en su historia como país.
Si estabas pensando en verla o no, o la acabas de descubrir, te animo fuertemente a verla, no te arrepentirás.

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The KMovie is carefree, harmless and heartily. However, it is not trivial.

"Dream" is about team spirit as a positive force that allows a group to excel itself. The KMovie is carefree, harmless and heartily. However, it is not trivial, as it sides with those commonly referred to in society as the weak.

You shouldn't expect too much, then everything works quite well. Obviously, IU and Park So-joon are the show's carthorses. But that doesn't do justice to the rest of the cast, who all contribute their unique esprit. “Dream” comes across as teamwork through and through.

Although it was filmed at original locations in Budapest, somehow, in my opinion, the casting (unfortunately) often enough doesn't work so well, when Korean productions are dependent on actors from different origin. For whatever reason. Even if it's only supporting roles or extras in this case, they seem to be rather amateurish. Hm.

All in all: “Dream” is a KMovie for high spirits and light fare. Not intrusive. With a few flaws here and there. However, also with some well-placed, wonderful and valuable messages in passing.

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Anything but a sports movie.

So, I'm writing this movie after seeing 7.9 ratings, which I feel is very biased for this movie.
I will come to the point that this is an average movie that claims to be sport-comedy, but there's nothing sporty about this movie.
Half the time, it felt like they were playing Rugby, not Football. The Homeless Soccer Tournament was a big joke as there were no rules on fouls and penalties.
Coming to the acting, Park Seo Joon and IU both were good and were ably supported by the rest of the cast. But that's it. They were just good and not even once went beyond that.
But the main criticism is there's no character development. It seems like they have put a bunch of sob stories expecting to gain sympathy from the audience. It doesn't work in this era, maybe in the 80s and 90s but not now.
Giving sob stories is fine but you have to show their character development and this was hardly true for any of the characters. And as for the comedy, there were a few hits and misses, mostly misses. It only made me smile, not made me laugh, which I think is a must for a movie marketed as "sports-comedy".

Overall, a better effort was required from all, the director, the writer and the actors.

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The lackluster script wasted these actors. I really was not enjoying it.

Dream is about a B-level soccer player, played by Park Seo Joon, who ends up ruining his public image upon assaulting a reporter. To redeem himself, he got a task to make a documentary where he coaches a soccer team of homeless men. IU is in charge as the director of this documentary and we quickly find out that she also doesn't want this job, which leads to some funny interactions between the two.

I only watch this because these two actors have such a good track record from my drama-watching experience, but I don't get emotionally attached to any of the characters. So the homeless soccer team members were there, and trying too hard to gain my sympathy, without showing any progression of our male lead's character arc. This movie was supposed to focus on him becoming grounded by the homeless men's backstories, and I was hoping by the presence of IU as the female director there will be more productive interaction between them as the leads.

I don't even understand the purpose of IU's character. Her character is pretty useless to the story and her mannerism is annoying. Overall, I think the script needs a more refine editing and make the characters a bit more interesting :/

-Aug 2023, Yovita
Find me on Instagram: @kdramajudge

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An inspiring story about leaving a memory

The trailer is pretty deceiving. You'd think it's a sports comedy but it's not the core of the story. This movie is an emotional journey about South Korea's team at the Homeless World Cup in 2010, and how they won with a memory.

The movie follows our lead, Yoon Hongdae with a rebellious attitude--the same one he carried ever since he decided to pursue football as a child. That attitude gets him in trouble. As discipline, he had to become a coach for this team. Throughout the movie, we witness a lot of his character development alongside all 6 of the team members. They all had their own reason for being in the team, whether it be for their family, loved one, or for their own passion. This championship was a final chance to redeem their future.

But it's not just about winning and leaving a record. Rather than a record, they wish to leave a memory. They succeeded at that, and after the movie I even searched about the real events that happened. I also cried more than I expected..... it's the motivational-touchy type of feeling. The games immerse you and make it feel like you were there, cheering too.

To be honest, the plot doesn't have a very special formula, but there was enough time to explore each character. Just enough to get attached to everyone and start rooting for them as loudly as the crowd. Solid 8/10!! Really loved the OSTs too! :)

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Not the least bit inspiring, but good enough for an afternoon watch

I am not going to lie, I started this solely for the leads but went in to it with very low expectations about the plot, but honestly it wasn´t that bad as it indeed made me laugh more than one time for its criticism towards exploitation of people in need for entertainment purposes. And IU´s character embodies this lovely for choosing a team based on their story instead of credentials.

Though there are some over top slightly annoying moments I enjoyed most of the characters as well as their characterisation, bluntness and growth in the dialog. Going against all that inspirational crap saying if you work hard enough you may end up in a dumpster and that kind of sucks... Also friendship is nice and it is not about winning or loosing, you can gain sympathy by how you play the game.

Was this a masterpiece by all means no, but watching IU and Park Seo Joon bicker in a slightly passive aggressive way with mimics and fingers is indeed a joy for the eye and ear. which makes this a pretty decent afternoon watch.

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feel-good & funny

Story: A soccer player with bad image was invited to be a coach for homeless football team to compete for world cup to represent Korea. A predictable movie with lots of funny moments, some touching scenes and no love story between the two popular idols. If you are okay with that, then you'll enjoy the movie.

Acting: Everyone did great in the movie.

Music: Nothing memorable for me but i guess songs used were appropriate.

Rewatch Value: Not the type of movie i will rewatch but it's definitely recommendable to those who just want to past the time, or feel inspired.

Overall: It was a cute and comical watch, i had a lot of laugh out loud moments so i finished this movie in a good mood. Nothing to deep, just an inspiring movie about those who don't want to give up and that life is full of hope and we will have our own shining moments with our own hard work and faith with those who support and appreciate us. 7 stars. Just don't expect much and you'll have a good time watching the movie.

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worth waiting and worth watching!

Actually, I don't like watching Korean movies. Especially the movies that often end with an opening ending. And I feel like they show the scenes very quickly. I really don't like being left as a puzzle in my brain. But this movie is different. It's different. At the beginning of the story, the scenes seem fast, but later on, things get really good. It's a good movie with a mixture of comedy, emotion and warmth. IU's cute and funny acting, Park Seo Joon's funny face and good acting, warm stories of side characters and all of that can be shown in a 2-hour story, so I appreciate it. I waited for almost 3 years and it's a good movie worth the time I waited for.

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A Needlessly Good Two-for-One

Being two movies stitched together is usually a bad thing, but, in the case of Dream, it's actually a selling point.

With lightning-fast pacing, clever editing, and a cast of absurd everyman hard-luckers hellbent on riding the line between hilarity and pathos at every turn, what looks like it should be an interesting take on a typical sports movie quickly reveals itself to be a surprisingly delightful romp that just happens to take place primarily on a soccer field.

...until about the halfway point, when it genuinely becomes a sports movie, with as much heart as there were laughs only moments before.

Which is not to say that this change in focus feels abrupt or inconsistent or in any way a departure in quality. While it admittedly does feel like somewhat of a jump into a second movie, it's more a direct sequel to the first half than an attempt to have it's cake and eat it too, owing this seeming shift in attention as much to the movie's uncanny ability to deliver twice as much story from its first half runtime as to its narrative need to transition to the sports-centric plot they've been working towards all that time.

None of it needed to be as good as it was. And yet...

Solid. Surprising. And a heck of a good time.

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