The saying goes that imitation is flattery, and sometimes that’s true—but only if the copy succeeds. When it doesn't work out, you end up with something that feels like a weak imitation, and that’s exactly what’s wrong with this new film from writer-director Park Chan-wook. This dark comedy seems to be trying to become this year’s version of “Parasite” (“Gisaengchung”) (2019), the South Korean movie that won an Oscar, directed by Bong Joon-ho. But it falls far short of that mark. The edgy humor that made its predecessor so successful came from a careful balance—knowing how to push boundaries and absurdity without going too far while still getting genuine laughs. This film, however, seems desperate for those laughs, often crossing the line into territory that feels awkward, excessive, and sometimes even questionable. These issues stem from a story about Man-su (Lee Byung-hun), a South Korean paper mill manager who thinks he has everything—a good job, a happy family, career success—but then loses his job because of an American company takeover. Though upset, he decides to find a new one quickly, but struggles to do so. He and his family are forced to cut back on spending, but Man-su is unhappy with the direction his life is taking. So, he comes up with a different way to get a managerial position at another paper company—by getting rid of his competition before they’re hired. While this wicked idea sounds like it could work for a dark comedy, that’s not really the problem—it's about how it's handled. The movie relies on clumsy storytelling techniques, leading to exaggerated slapstick, jokes that don’t land (some aren’t even funny), or material that just completely fails. On top of this, the story gets bogged down in unnecessary side plots involving suspected infidelity, rebellious behavior from young people, and drunken mistakes—what's supposed to be humorous about any of that? As a result, these extra stories make an already long film feel even longer, making you want to urge the movie to just move forward. What’s most confusing is the protagonist’s obsession with finding another job in paper manufacturing, constantly insisting he has “no other choice.” Why? It's repeated often but never really explained, which makes the film seem repetitive and drawn out (I lost count of how many times I checked my watch). This also makes me wonder how it got two Critics Choice Award nominations, three Golden Globe Award nods, and recognition from various film festivals and critics’ groups, because this is one of the biggest disappointments of awards season. It's almost comical that the main character keeps saying he has no other choice about his options, but thankfully, we as viewers do have a choice—to simply turn it off, which I was tempted to do many times and often wished I had.

Source on TMDB