Jesters: The Game Changers

Jesters: The Game Changers (Korean: 광대들: 풍문조작단; RR: Gwangdaedeul: Pungmunjojakdan) is a 2019 South Korean historical comedy written and directed by Kim Joo-Ho.

Jesters: The Game Changers
Korean광대들: 풍문조작단
Directed byKim Joo-Ho
Produced byLim Ji-Young
Written byKim Joo-Ho
StarringCho Jin-woong
Kim Seul-gi
Park Hee-soon
Son Hyun-joo
Ko Chang-seok
Yoon Park
Kim Min-seok
Choi Won-young
Jang Nam-yeol
Kim Hee-chan
Choi Gwi-hwa
Music byMowg
CinematographySung-Rim Joo
Edited byBum Kim Sang
Release date
  • 21 August 2019 (2019-08-21) (Korea)
Running time
108 minutes
CountryKorea
LanguageKorean

Plot

The story centers on a gang of con artists who are paid to boost people's reputations with rumors, exaggerated claims, and other stunts. King Sejo's adviser Han Myeong-hoe orders them to use their skills to improve public opinion of the king.

Elements of the story are based on King Sejo of Joseon, who launched a coup that allowed him to seize the throne from his young nephew.[1] He killed a number of people to secure the throne, including his nephew Danjong of Joseon, who was poisoned following a plot to remove Sejo from power.

Cast

Release

The film was released in South Korea on August 21, 2019 and in the following year, had its North American premiere at the Fantasia Film Festival.[2]

Box office

On the first day of its release the film was shown on 804 screens, sold 87,124 tickets, and grossed US$591,383, opening at #3 at the Korean box office.[3][4]

Reception

The Korea Herald reviewed the film, commenting that "While it aimed to be funny and original, and its props were quite creative, its narrative was sloppy and the parade of cheap and uncomfortable jokes unimpressive."[5] Conversely, Asian Movie Pulse stated that it was "a respectful ode to the storytellers and the magic of storytelling as a medium of entertainment as well as propaganda, a good-looking production overall which has way more merits than demerits."[6]

The Chosun praised the acting of Son Hyun-joo, Park Hee-soon, and Cho Jin-woong while criticizing Yoon Park's acting as awkward.[7]

References
  1. Lee, Jae-lim. "‘Jesters’ offers a comedic take on King Sejo’s reign". Korea JoonAng Daily. August 14, 2019.
  2. Oller, Jacob (2020-07-09). "WIRE Buzz: Charlize Theron still hasn't been asked to be in the MCU; Fantasia Fest films; The Honeymoon Phase". SYFY WIRE. Retrieved 2020-10-16.
  3. "Spackman Entertainment Group's New Film Jesters: The Game Change". Bloomberg. August 21, 2019.
  4. "Spackman Entertainment Group's New Film JESTERS: THE GAME CHANGERS, Produced By Simplex Films, Opens #3 At The Korean Box Office". AsiaOne. 2019-08-22. Retrieved 2020-10-16.
  5. Herald, The Korea (2019-08-15). "[Herald Review] 'Jesters: The Game Changers' yield disappointing results, despite intriguing setup". www.koreaherald.com. Retrieved 2020-10-16.
  6. Zaveri, Rhythm (2020-09-10). "Film Review: Jesters: The Game Changers (2019) by Kim Joo-ho, Screening at Fantasia 2020". Asian Movie Pulse. Retrieved 2020-10-16.
  7. "[리뷰]큰 욕심, 엉성한 결과물···영화 '광대들: 풍문조작단'". www.chosun.com (in Korean). Retrieved 2020-10-16.
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