DADDY YOU DAUGHTER ME (아빠는 딸) (2017)

Genre: Comedy
Director: Kim Hyung-hyup
Cast: Yoon Je-moon, Jung So-min, Lee Il-hwa, Shin Gu, Lee Mi-do
Runtime: 1 hr 56 mins
Rating: PG (Some Coarse Language)
Released By: Encore Films and Filmgarde 
Official Website:

Opening Day: 7 September 2017

Synopsis: Sang-tae (Yoon Je-moon), a mid-level manager, is going through the worst period in his career and relationship with his teenage daughter. Whenever he tries to talk to his daughter, he ends up nagging at her. His daughter hates the entire world except for a boy at school. Just when their luck is about to change - the daughter is asked out on a date and the father gets a chance for a promotion - their souls are switched by a magical force. In order to protect both their first love and the job, father and daughter make a pact to do their best in their switched roles, but their efforts brought disastrous results. Can they survive this life-changing experience?

Movie Review:

Daddy you, Daughter me is the latest Korean comedy based on a Japanese novel, Papa to Musume no Nanokakan (lit. meaning, the 7 days of father and daughter). This body-swap comedy explores the relationship between a father and daughter, who grew apart from one another and are each experiencing challenges at their respective life stage. With a strange twist of fate, they were forced to exchange lives and now need to cooperate to help one another.

The narrative anchors on the relationship between the father and daughter that’s probably relatable to most. “You wouldn’t know unless you’re in my shoes”, “Try living my life!” are the common expressions of exasperation when one exhausts the methods of trying to convey the challenges they face. Likewise, that’s the relationship between Sang-tae (Yoon Je-moon) and Do-yeon (Jung So-min).

Both Yoon Je-moon and Jung So-min have successfully injected life and energy to their characters. The most interesting parts to look out for was how an over 40-year-old grown up man behaving like a teenage girl, while a teenage girl speaks and behaves like an Ajusshi. They pulled off quite a convincing act. Some may find Jung So-min rather familiar, as she rose to attention 7 years ago when she starred in Playful Kiss (coincidentally, also another drama that’s based on a Japanese original) with Kim Hyun-joong. You may also remember Yoon Je-moon for his villain role in The King 2hearts and his award-winning role in The Man Next Door. The veteran actor’s contrasting role in this movie is sure to give a pleasant surprise to some.

The movie was quite light-hearted, and brought good laughter. In particular, the sequence where the father broke out in an almost perfect sing and dance performance in the karaoke box was hilarious. It not only picked up on the K-pop culture among the youths in Korea, Je-moon’s vivid performance was also priceless.

While there are criticisms around how the sub-plots of the movie are underdeveloped and how the humour of the movie was hard to get, Daddy you, Daughter me has its fair share of goodness. Though admittedly, the overall development in terms of both the narrative and story is shallow. The topic of family relationships is tedious to begin with; hence the more whimsical approach does shed a different kind of light.

Overall, the movie did serve its primary purpose to entertain. It’s probably not going to be an award-winning entry, but a well-balanced movie and feel-good watch. 

Movie Rating:

(It’s easier said than done, to put oneself in another person’s shoes. Let this entertaining pair of daughter and father show you how!)

Review by Tho Shu Ling