Penny Pinchers (Korean티끌모아 로맨스; RRTikkeulmoa Romaenseu; lit. "Penny-Pinching Romance" or "Saving Up for Romance") is a 2011 South Korean romantic comedy film written and directed Kim Jung-hwan, starring Han Ye-seul and Song Joong-ki.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

Penny Pinchers
Theatrical poster
Directed byKim Jung-hwan
Written byKim Jung-hwan
Produced byStanley Kwak
Jung Hoon-tak
StarringHan Ye-seul
Song Joong-ki
CinematographyHong Seong-hyuk
Edited byKim Sun-min
Music byLee Byung-hoon
Production
companies
Indiestory
iHQ
Distributed byFilament Pictures
Release date
  • November 10, 2011 (2011-11-10)
Running time
114 minutes
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean
Box officeUS$2.7 million

Kim received a Best New Director nomination at the 48th Baeksang Arts Awards in 2012.

Plot

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Chun Ji-woong is an unemployed college graduate who continually fails job interviews and lives off an allowance from his mother, who runs a small restaurant in the countryside. Ji-woong is an eternal optimist, but having no money is cramping his dating life when he can't even afford to buy a pack of condoms. Yet despite living in a tiny, dingy apartment in a low-income neighborhood, he's about to get evicted when his mother abruptly cuts him off and he can't pay the rent.

Gu Hong-sil lives in the apartment opposite Ji-woong's. Hong-sil is extremely frugal; she collects then sells recyclables, rummages through abandoned homes, steals sugar from coffee shops, and will walk anywhere within 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) to save on bus fare. She denounces all activities that involve wasting money, such as going to church and the hospital, and even dating. Romance is the last thing on Hong-sil's mind, she considers it a luxury and an unnecessary frivolity.

Hong-sil's favorite hobby is depositing her savings at the bank, but her plans are brought to a screeching halt when she learns that she needs a separate bank account under someone else's name to reach her goal of ₩200 million (US$200 000). So she tells Ji-woong that she'll teach him the art of penny-pinching and include him in a short-term moneymaking scheme if he follows whatever she tells him to do for the next two months.

Cast

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Release

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Penny Pinchers was released in theaters on November 10, 2011.[12][13] It was not a big commercial success, grossing US$2,707,761 on 424,002 admissions.[14][15]

It also screened at the 4th Okinawa International Movie Festival in 2012.[16][17][18][19]

References

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  1. ^ Kim, Heidi (14 December 2010). "Song Joong-ki, Han Ye-seul cast in new film". 10Asia. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  2. ^ Kim, Heidi (2 June 2011). "Still cuts unveiled for film starring Song Joong-ki, Han Ye-seul". 10Asia. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  3. ^ Lee, Jin-ho (3 November 2011). "Preview: Song Joong Ki Over Han Ye Seul in Love and Cash". enewsWorld. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  4. ^ Oh, Mi-jung (8 November 2011). "Preview: Song Joong Ki and Han Ye Seul Let Themselves Go for Love and Cash". enewsWorld. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  5. ^ Hooker, Zachary R. (1 December 2011). "Penny Pinchers". Korean Cinema Today. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  6. ^ Cho, Jae-eun (24 February 2012). "Indecisive Penny Pinchers banks on wrong formula for love". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  7. ^ Lee, Jin-ho (19 October 2011). "Han Ye Seul at Love and Cash Press Conference". enewsWorld. Archived from the original on 9 November 2014. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  8. ^ Lee, Jin-ho (2 November 2011). "Love and Cash Director Praises Han Ye Seul". enewsWorld. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  9. ^ "Han Ye-seul "It hurts to judge a movie by hits"". Hancinema. 24 November 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  10. ^ "Song Joong Ki: 'I Want Become Actor Like Leonardo DiCaprio'". KBS Global. 4 November 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  11. ^ "Song Joong-ki Migrating into Movies with Romantic Comedy". The Chosun Ilbo. 9 November 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  12. ^ "Han Ye-seul, Song Joong-ki pic set for Nov 11 release". 10Asia. 17 October 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  13. ^ "Penny Pinchers (2011)". The Chosun Ilbo. 11 November 2011. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  14. ^ Lee, In-kyung (21 November 2011). "Romantic Comedies Major Box Office Flops This Month, Will December Be Better?". enewsWorld. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  15. ^ Paquet, Darcy (8 January 2012). "South Korean box office in 2011". Korean Cinema Today. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  16. ^ Sunwoo, Carla (13 March 2012). "Penny Pinchers entered into Okinawa International Movie Festival". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  17. ^ "Han Ye-seul, Song Joong-ki pic invited to film fest in Japan". 10Asia. 14 March 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  18. ^ Blair, Gavin J. (23 March 2012). "Okinawa Intl Movie Fest to Open for Fun in the Sun". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  19. ^ Ho, Stewart (16 April 2012). "Han Ye Seul Enjoys Some Time Off in Japan's Okinawa". enewsWorld. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
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