The Beauty Inside (2015) User Reviews

Solid romance with an odd premise

[ebossert · 8/10 · 28 October 2015]

Note: Check me out as the "Asian Movie Enthusiast" on YouTube, where I review tons of Asian movies.

A man's spirit generates a different human body everyday when he wakes up, but he finds himself in a major dilemma when he falls in love with a beautiful woman. It's easy to invest oneself in the protagonist's difficult situation, but the female lead (played by the excellent Hyo-joo Han) is given just as much (if not more) attention in terms of character development. This really taps into the difficulties of dating someone whose appearance changes completely on a daily basis. There's some very good, everyday humor as well – which makes this film more pleasant than one might think. The bizarre premise allows for a number of different actors and actresses to contribute. Melodramaticism is tempered nicely, with a tone that is very realistic and romantic.

The previous IMDb reviewer complained that more ground was not covered by the film, but I felt that the script benefited from maintaining a focus on the relationship between the two main characters - and how the man's "condition" affects that relationship. A few other internet reviewers complained that social issues were left unaddressed, but I can only imagine how unbearably preachy that tactic would get.

This is based on an American television mini-series.

Interesting

[NajmiSelamat · 6/10 · 11 March 2021]

I like the concepts but its not strong enough. Just an ok movie.

What's the beauty?

[heniekb · 9/10 · 21 December 2018]

First of all I understand some negative reviews. Indeed many possibilities are disregarded but this is not the message of this film. The movie primarily focus on a relationship or a possible relationship with someone who every day physically is a different person. Is it possible? Is the way we look so important to us? I like how by the end the movie shifts perspective. This is very typical to Korean cinema so I wasn't that surprised. There are always at least two versions of the same story and we get a chance to see them both. It is also one of the very few movies where adding the voice over/narrator makes a perfect sense. Simply because we get used to the sound of his voice so we get at least one chance to be familiar with the protagonist. Something that the main heroine will never get.

Quirky, unique must-see Rom-Dram

[stevepat99 · 10/10 · 29 January 2016]

First off, consider that aside from these scant reviews the film has a very respectable 7.1 rating from 659 viewers.

I've been hooked on K-dramas for some time. I took a shot at this feature film due to the story line.

Aside: There is a 2012 USA TV mini series that garnered an 8.4 rating. Just viewed the series which has six episodes, some 4 minutes long, so that the total run time is only about 30 minutes. I feel this feature film version is far superior to the mini-series.

I so enjoyed most all aspects of the film that I immediately watched it a second time. Interestingly there is no single male lead actor. The female lead, Yi Soon, was spot on perfect. The hook: How can any relationship get off the ground, let alone succeed, when the guy Yi Soon meets will look like a virtual stranger (man/old man/young woman/old woman/child/handsome/ beautiful/ ugly) every day.

I love how the film tackles Woo Jin's (male lead)logistical challenges i.e. different shoe sizes, eyesight good to awful, clothes, hair, make-up etc. etc.

Very good screenplay which rises to the challenges. Can Yi Soon love a guy who will be and old women tomorrow? Comic relief arrives when Yi Soo is faced with Woo Jin as a ten year old and what the two spend the day together.

Another great scene where Yi Soo attends an important evening office event and all are anxious to see her boyfriend. Meanwhile, Woo Jin awoke that AM as a grand mother! Fun to see where this goes.

The ending was a surprise that worked well on a couple of levels. Tender love between a beautiful woman and her extraordinary, talented. boyfriend. Go with the overall VERY HIGH rating. Most of you will be glad you did.

Some people really change. From the outside.

[Reno-Rangan · 7/10 · 4 February 2016]

If you watch this, I think you definitely bring the recent 'The Cobbler', 'The Deaths of Ian Stone' and many other high-concept films into the frame. Yep, it had a zero innovation, but smartly redesigned to bring a different outcome. Actually, it was based on the online film/series (aka social film) of the same name and also heard it was very similar to the book 'Every Day' by David Levithan. My thought is, it did not stand up to my expectation, but very easy to follow and overall, I think it was not a bad movie.

If you are a fantasy film fan, then you should try it. A very fascinating fictional movie, that associated with romance. That means it's not your regular emotional-romantic-drama from Korea, but well pitched over all the complication in a relationship when a person is suffering from such a strange disorder. Just like the films 'The Time Traveler's Wife', '50 First Dates' and other similar ones about relationship problems.

The first one hour was so good, like everything happened in that period itself. From a simple introduction to a few of fun stuff, until the romance track takes over. The next half was kind of a drag, none any interesting events take place other than keep going blindly like it lost its way out. In those stages, most of the scenes would appear as you are anticipating. Somewhat weaken its strength in storytelling. Since this theme was atypical, on that basis, it makes a vast difference to keep us to stick with it.

"People say true beauty lies inside, but first impressions are equally important."

Anyway, once you begin to watch an unusual love story like this, definitely you can't end it in the middle without knowing the conclusion. I feel, the end was okayish, no twist as you will know in the earlier itself, where it is heading. So nothing special at all, but it finishes it off quite a simple way. The only annoyance is that it was a 2 long hour movie, should have not exceeded more than 90 to 100 minute mark. What I'm saying is not an issue of falling into the boredom, but a stretch that should have remained short and sweet for a lovely film like this.

The actors were excellent, but the interesting thing among them was those who are all played the most important role, Woo-Jin. I have seen plenty of high-concept flicks, but I have never seen so many actors (definitely more than 100 actors) playing a same role in a one movie. The appearance was kept changing, but the director did a good job to keep them all at the same pace and intensity to bring Woo-Jin as a single character in behaviour.

These days, there's a high expectation for the movies coming out from the Korea. There are vast people around the world who follow either staggering crime-thriller or the sweet romantic- comedies from this region. I know when they take this up, they expect it to better Hollywood and European films. In that perspective, it will disappoint them, because I felt it was a great concept that fell into an ordinary for a few reasons. If you keep your mind narrow, then it might make your time worth spending for it. Personally, I liked it, but my only concern was the third act and a bit lengthy.

6½/10

It is a beautiful fairy tale

[ajrg-17-381639 · 9/10 · 25 May 2016]

This was such a nice film. It has a heavy handed message- it is supposed to be a Korean fable. It is the story of a good person who finds himself in a different body every day and started this at the age of 18.You never see what he originally looked like on purpose. He changes into any human, various ages and nationalities to different sexes. But there is something that is the same about him, his character, personality and his name. The movie is about him finding his soul mate and sharing his secret. She loves him but is quite stressed out. The only problem is that she is as pretty as a model and it is hard to suspend your disbelief to think she could be single at 29.

A little Boring

[firstofthefirsts · 6/10 · 5 April 2020]

The story is new and the premise was good but the ending was quite boring and nothing was special about it

Beauty inside and outside

[chubbygirl-06930 · 9/10 · 27 February 2019]

The concept of the movie is very new, yet I would only give it a 7 - 8. It's beautiful and decent. No drama. No third wheelers. Just two people meeting, falling, struggling then learning to embrace their happiness.

However, I still give it a 10. Partly, because Han Hyojoo smoothly transformed into her character. It's not a difficult role, but she's my favorite actress so I guess I can be quite biased. But the main reason why I give it a 10 is due to the cinematography. Shots are taken in the angles that can capture the perfect light and perfect scenes, giving it a dreamy, heaven-like feels, sometimes even very picturesque. The color of the film is of a vintage beige tone that matches my type perfectly.

BORIING

[eternalmisery_ · 6/10 · 25 December 2019]

I got really bored while watching the movie the story is OK but i didn't like the ending at all they didn't show us the main character real shape or why he has this condition this really pissed me of !!

every story is a love story

[A_Different_Drummer · 10/10 · 1 November 2018]

1. One the most powerful scenes in the history film is the blackout scene in HERE COMES MR. JORDAN. This extends that specific theme.

2. Every story is a love story but not every story is about selfless love.

3. Korea does a better job with romantic comedies than any other country.

4. Like the main character, the movie is easy to find fault with. But if you commit to it, it will provide an experience you will never forget.

A solid remake of the English original

[wickedmikehampton · 7/10 · 15 December 2020]

'The Beauty Inside' is a romance that's more drama than fantasy. Technically, it should've been shorter. but I was in a mood for pretty meandering.

And it's a joy being a voyeur for actress Hyo-Joo Han who previously appeared in the excellent period drama 'Masquerade' and the fun action of 'Cold Eyes'.

The English original, with actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead, is worth watching too.

So many possibilities, but it goes in the most boring route possible

[KineticSeoul · 3/10 · 11 November 2015]

I wanted to check this movie out mainly because of the premise. The trailer didn't give away much, but I thought the premise seemed interesting. Which was about a guy that has a different face and body each time he wakes up. I was wondering how they were going to go about this premised. Well it turned out to be a a romance movie about a guy that changes physically every time he sleeps. And I will say, besides the guy changing physically every time he sleeps, this is a very very very generic romance movie. The lead actress in this is Han Hyo-joo who I wasn't really a fan of. Let's just say even after watching this, she still didn't stand out to me. I think she should stick to being in old historical films and movies. This movie started off pretty promising, but the most drawn out and least interesting part started when the lead character hooks up with the girl. There was thousand of different possibilities this movie could have gone, but it chose to most boring and generic route possible. There was no emotional impact, even during scenes where they tried to bring it out from the audience. I just simply didn't care. Also besides the supernatural part about this movie, the interactions and direction just seemed so far-fetched and not believable. I guess the story is about how it's more about the inner beauty over the outer beauty, but it falters. Because it just doesn't leave an impression.

3.5/10

Spoiler

[mustafafahim-15882 · 9/10 · 14 August 2019]

Nice move Very recommended I enjoyed it True love story came from heart no matter how the shape is

It is the life that everyone faces everyday....

[dvig0011 · 9/10 · 13 July 2019]

Nobody is sure who I am today. Like everyday is another day. The one near me ....... whom I should not forget loving him(or her)....

Flawed but Sweet

[AJ_McAninch · 7/10 · 7 November 2021]

I thought it was charming, and all the actors did a great job. But I also think the questions people ask are justified. It falls apart quickly under scrutiny, but for a quick Sunday Korean movie with some of the most talented and beloved actors, it's above average.

I loved it.

[ifoundfelix · 8/10 · 3 August 2020]

This was the perfect part for actress Han Hyo-joo. If you're a fan of the movies she's been in, then she delivers the performance you'd expect. If you like laughter, love and tears this movie is an excellent escape. It not so predictable as with most movies of this genre.

A truly unique and beautiful story...

[paul_haakonsen · 6/10 · 10 May 2017]

South Korea is no stranger to putting some really good and entertaining movies out there, and "The Beauty Inside" (aka "Byuti insaideu") is definitely a movie that fits into that description.

Now, I wasn't familiar with the movie or its storyline prior to happen to come across it by sheer luck, and of course with my love for the Asian cinema I just had to give it a go. And I am very glad that I did, because "The Beauty Inside" turned out to be a rather interesting and beautiful movie.

The story in all its simplicity is Woo-Jin who wakes up every day in a different body; a change that spans both gender, nationality and age. One day he may be a Japanese middle aged man, only to wake up as an African teenage girl the next, and so on and so on. He falls in love with a salesperson at a local furniture vendor, and lets her in on the secret of his life, and she falls in love with him in return.

The storyline is quite different and unlike anything I have ever seen before, and that really was a great and refreshing change of pace. The storyline in "The Beauty Inside" is nicely paced and really well composed by writers Seon-jeong Kim, Jeong-ye Park and Kyung-hee Noh. And director Jong-Yeol Baek really brought the story to life so well on the screen.

"The Beauty Inside" has a very expanded list of actors and actresses, most of which portray the Woo-Jin character. I will say that this diversity was really well handled by the numerous actors and actresses that performed in the movie.

While the storyline is beautiful and touching, then I don't see this as a movie that you will be likely to watch more than a single time. It just doesn't have that special quality to it.

Pastel, warm-tone, fairytale

[TaylorYee94 · 8/10 · 11 October 2020]

Those are three words that I can use to explain this movie.

First, pastel tone throughout the movie softens and romanticize audience's feelings. When one describes the love or romance, pastel tone can really maximize those emotions. Yi-soo's emotion roller-coasters as her boyfriend's entire body and face change everyday. However, pastel color and actress' poised acting tones down this drama.

Second, the director's use of warm lighting and colors is a great means to bring emotions out from the audience. Orange-yellowish lighting through the Sun, street light, lamp.. even the clothes of actors and wood color of the furniture create warm atmosphere.

Visual directing and mise-en-scene constitutes fairy-tale ambiance even though the story is realistic about falling in love and breaking up.

Very normal people's love story while the idea is abnormal

[cutter_yum0531 · 7/10 · 30 June 2016]

The Korean man who directed this movie made a big splash at Cannes? I haven't heard that piece of news yet, but surely it was an interesting film. This romantic love story will positively make young people want to fall in love with somebody. It is an important message to young generations since I've heard people rarely fall in love nowadays. Being in love is thought of as wasting time and money it maybe that there are some substitutes, 2jigen 二次元、two-dimensional girls/boys, therefore people don't need real women/men anymore. That's what I've heard, and that it is one of the big social problems with contributing to the declining birth rate in Japan.

It was such a romantic and freaky film that would never occur in real life, but the funny thing was that all the reactions the people have taken and what happened to the others except the leading characters were all too normal like a real life situation. For example, Yi-soo is a pretty woman who fell in love with Woo-jin, being well aware of his weird disease that his face transforms to any kind of face daily; her mental condition worsen as the time passes. She has hard time getting used to it and having anguished days. Also there has been a bad rumor that Yi-soo is such a slutty woman that she has been dating with a different guy everyday, and that she doesn't even hesitate to do so. The rumor depressed her, but I wonder why she would care about such a rumor. If she had not had a real resolution on her part, she would have never been able to meet Woo-jin outside where they might be witnessed by colleagues. This part was one of the contradictions I found in the story. This kind of highly improbable situation is such a hard thing to keep up with that only those who either are numb in their sensitivity or who are well in anticipation of now and then should deal with, and that she should only get in touch with him once a week or so and should take it only as a special matter besides her everyday's normal life. If a woman of her fragility come to this situation, and get involved too much, she'd definitely die by mental disorder.

By the way, Woo-jin is a genius upholsterer, who mainly creates original custom-made woodworks. They were so beautiful. Just looking at all those furniture Woo-jin made, I get full of joy since I love wooden furniture so much!

The actress, Hyo-ju Han is beautiful. Her type of woman is hardly seen in Japan for some reason. She is one romantic girl that I found her befuddled look so breathtakingly beautiful. She was also a skillful actress that acted fragile and elegant woman in the film.

Another point to notice is that "Yi-soo", the girl's name means "chair" 椅子 in Japanese I believed was not a pun, but could be a pun since Ueno Juri上野樹里(Nodame, my icon), a Japanse actress was starring in the film as one of the Woo-jin's most important transformers. In this context, the director could be said to be a Japanophile. Maybe or maybe not.

Mind breaking romance!

[M1racl3sHapp3n · 10/10 · 3 November 2020]

This movie is really advanced for the standard mind. To enjoy it, you must forget everything you know and completely open your heart and mind. Way beyond science fiction or fantasy, it's a deep dive into the subconscious realm with all its fears and desires where only love matters!

Good enough

[PennyReviews · 7/10 · 4 May 2017]

Interesting movie about an even more interesting theme. A guy wakes up every morning in a new body, whether that's a woman, man, child, elder or even foreigner (in which case he has to talk in the language of the body's nationality). He tries to make the best out of his situation, when he falls in love with a girl who sales furniture. But his strange condition makes it nearly impossible to date her, let alone make her fall for him, as he changes faces every day. The theme, as I said, it's interesting and entertaining. Though, I couldn't help it but await for the guy's condition to eventually (miraculously) change. But, as the hero says (short of), love can change things but can make things difficult as well. The girl was amazing in her performance, as she displayed perfect chemistry with each actor that played her partner. Plus, some of the actors were really good (exapmle, the girl who performed the scene where the mother confesses her secret to her son). Still, however, it felt like it needed something more, maybe some twist or something more powerful. But all in all, a nice love story, so 7 out of 10.

Interesting premise, poor execution

[drjgardner · 3/10 · 11 September 2015]

Here is a great premise for a film, but poor execution. The idea of waking up every day in a new body is intriguing and offers all sorts of possibilities. Will you inherit the psychological features that accompany the physical features? If you wake up looking like a gangster, will you equally be surly? Or if you wake up as an old woman, do you have the physical problems? You get the idea. An endless list of interesting and potentially funny or touching scenes, almost none of them examined in this film. Instead, regardless of how he looks, Woo-Jin wakes up as the same basic person. Yet even this contrivance is violated because we rarely get a look at a consistent person inside all the physical changes.

The one good aspect of the film is Woo-Jin's girlfriend played by Hyo-ju Han, and his best friend (Lee Dong=hwi) Han is delightfully delicate and hwi is delightfully obnoxious.

(Note : Apparently this film is based on a 2012 mini-series that I didn't see)

Beauty Inside Korean version

[degirl0420 · 10/10 · 21 August 2017]

While this remake remain true to the English versiom for the first hour of the film, I find it refreshing that they look at the psychological impact on carrying this kind of secret in a relationship. Also forces us to face reality...which most of us are taught, that beauty should not be skin deep, but how does a person really love another person.

This Movie is Wholesome and Bittersweet

[cupcaketraitor · 9/10 · 20 March 2019]

The concept of this movie is really unique and interesting, so the narration at the very beginning helps the audience understand the extent of Woojin's condition. All of the characters treated Woojin realistically enough, but it initially felt like Yisoo was too easily accepting. I continued feeling this way until close to the end of the film.

Yisoo was so kind and open-minded throughout almost the entirety of the movie, to the point where it seemed like Woojin was being too selfish and taking her kindness for granted. But it made sense, seeing as Woojin seemed to have this insecurity to the point he blamed a lot of things on Yisoo.

Woojin's best friend, Sangbaek, was a fun addition to the movie and had the most practical, realistic perspective.

I valued the ending the most because it finally revealed that Yisoo was struggling to deal with Woojin's condition too and how it eventually took a significant toll on her mental health. So much so that she even decided to leave him. Of course, as someone who liked the leads' relationship dynamic, I wanted them to be together but I liked that Yisoo was honest with herself and Woojin, rather than continuing to disregard and hide her feelings. Because she left, it felt more rewarding when the leads got back together at the end.