What Happened To Mr. Cha? is a South Korean comedy released by Netflix from writer/director, Kim Dong-kyu, who is making his directorial debut. It stars Cha In-pyo as a fictionalized version of himself, a former star who boasts quite the ego despite his actual star power being in significant decline since his heyday as the star of a popular TV show where he is known for a signature move, which involves him wagging his finger. With the help of his deeply supportive manager A-Ram (Jo Dal-hwan), he tries to push himself so that he can reach the career peak that defined his past.
Unfortunately, the film has something else entirely in mind. While out walking his dog one day, a series of misfortunes lead him dirty and in need of getting cleaned up, which he decides to remedy at a closed girl’s school. And then the building collapses. Thankfully, he’s fine, just stuck in a small space under the rubble. And while any normal person would just ask for help right away, he decides to call A-Ram to get him out without calling the authorities because he can’t fathom dealing with the embarrassment of being pulled out naked from the rubble while press and fans wait around just to take pictures.
It’s a bit of a bizarre left-turn, especially if you compare this to other films about faded stars trying to capture their former glory, but it’s a turn that the filmmakers commit to, keeping Cha stuck under the rubble for most of the film. The film prior to this is mostly spent exploring Cha and his celebrity status, and how his inflated ego often clashes with his gigs, such as an.early scene where he overthinks a photo-shoot for some basic outerwear, much to the dismay of the photographer. He is so obsessed with his carefully cultivated image that even during an encounter with a couple aggressive middle-aged female fans, he makes sure to hide a stained hand.
The comedy initially seems to skew celebrity culture at first, especially with those early fan encounters, but once Cha gets stuck under the rubble, the comedy is rooted in all the ways Cha and A-Ram try to find the right time to get him out without anyone knowing, which becomes increasingly difficult due to the presence of a guard and a worker who are meant to oversee and attend to the ruins. Watching A-Ram try to come up with any and all excuses to hold off on cleaning the wreckage. It can be frustrating at first, but as the lies and further complications pile up, the humor really shines.
The performances are all solid within its realm of absurdity. Cha In-pyo is someone I’m not very familiar with aside from a very brief appearance on the series Sense8, but it doesn’t take long before I was won over by his charm. It’s easy to see why he was such a big deal. Jo Dal-hwan really impressed me when it came to delivering a comic performance. His timing is great, and his expressions are priceless, especially as he gets more desperate and frustrated by Cha’s demands. Their whole dynamic is just a lot of fun to watch.
What Happened To Mr. Cha? is a film I had quite a bit of fun with, but I wouldn’t call it great. It ultimately doesn’t add up to all that much aside from a pretty basic message of embracing imperfections and not worrying too much about one’s public image, which is nice but rather slight. One can’t help but feel this premise could have been taken further, honing in on the more satirical elements that skewered the way press and fandom affect celebrities, but its scope ended up feeling a bit small. But like I said, I did have fun while I was watching it, and at no point did it feel like I was missing some broader cultural context. It does a good job at setting up its lead before throwing him into a ridiculous situation. The performances, along with some visually inventive moments, all aid in maintaining a light and comedic vibe that kept me engaged and I’m sure it will do the same for anyone else who decides to check it out.
What Happened To Mr. Cha? is now available on Netflix.