''Wonderful Radio'' (, also known as ''Love On-Air'') is a 2012 South Korean

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

film, starring

Lee Min-jung Lee Min-jung (; born February 16, 1982) is a South Korean actress. She began her career in Jang Jin's stage plays, and for a few years appeared in supporting roles on film and television. She became known after her appearance in ''Boys Over Flow ...

and

Lee Jung-jin Lee Jung-jin, (born May 25, 1978) is a South Korean actor. Early life Lee Jung-jin graduated from Konkuk University with a degree in horticulture before studying acting at Hanyang University. Career Lee worked as a fashion model before being d ...

. It is about a has-been pop star who is now a radio DJ struggling to boost listener ratings. It was released in theaters on January 5, 2012, by distributor

Showbox Showbox Co., Ltd. () is one of the largest film distribution companies in South Korea, founded in 1999. Showbox is the film investment, production and distribution branch of Mediaplex, Inc., entertainment arm of Orion Group. Its main competito ...

/Mediaplex, and ran for 120 minutes.

Plot

Shin Jin-ah (

), a onetime lead singer of popular

girl group A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female pop music singing groups, many of who ...

Purple, works as the DJ of the radio show "Wonderful Radio" on SBS station

Power FM Capital South Coast was a regional radio station owned by operated by Global Radio as part of the Capital radio network. It broadcast to Hampshire from studios in Segensworth, Fareham. In 2019, Capital South Coast was replaced by Capital So ...

while also trying to restart her career as a solo singer-composer under her goofy manager Cha Dae-geun (

Lee Kwang-soo Lee Kwang-soo (, born July 14, 1985) is a South Korean actor, entertainer, and model. He made his acting debut in the sitcom ''Here He Comes'' (2008) and received further recognition for his roles in medical melodrama ''It's Okay, That's Love'' ...

). However, the ratings have been dropping, so when the show's producer leaves to have a baby, station manager Im (Kim Byung-ok) assigns the ambitious Lee Jae-hyeok (

) to her job with a brief to bring in some fresh ideas. Jae-hyeok is appalled by Jin-ah's casual, diva-ish work attitude and the two don't hit it off. When he challenges her to come up with a new segment for the show, she finally gets an idea from her restaurateur mother (

Kim Hae-sook Kim Hae-sook (; born December 30, 1955) is a South Korean actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a Character (arts), character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in ...

) in which members of the public come into the studio and sing a song to their loved ones. She calls the segment "The Song I Sing to You". The initial broadcast, involving a serving soldier, goes disastrously, but subsequent attempts, involving a brattish schoolgirl (Jo Jung-eun) and a taxi driver (Jung Man-shik), are a big success. Jin-ah and Jae-hyeok start to bond. However, In-seok (

Kim Jung-tae Kim Jung-tae (born Kim Tae-wook on December 13, 1972) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his supporting roles on film and television. Career He made his acting debut in 1999 with the film ''The Uprising'' under his birth name Kim Tae- ...

), the manager of TV drama actress Yoon Mi-ra (

Seo Young Seo Young (; born June 21, 1984) is a South Korean actress. She debuted in the 2006 Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) drama What's Up Fox. In 2010, she started her own clothing store called Shine S.

) and a major supplier of talent to the radio station, is plotting to bring Jin-ah down and replace her with Mi-ra, who still hates Jin-ah for leaving Purple at the height of its fame and causing the group's break-up.

Cast

- Shin Jin-ah *

- Lee Jae-hyeok *

- Cha Dae-geun, Jin-ah's manager *

- Mrs. Lee, Jin-ah's mother *

- In-seok, head of Mi-ra's agency *

Kim Byeong-ok Kim Byeong-ok (born October 11, 1960) is a South Korean actor. A veteran supporting actor, he is best known for his role as Mr. Han in '' Oldboy''. Career In 2015, he was featured in a controversial Maxim Maxim or Maksim may refer to: En ...

- Director Im, Power FM station manager * Han Yeo-woon - Ji In-yeong *

- Yoon Mi-ra * Jeong Yu-mi - Nan-sol, show scriptwriter *

Jung Man-sik Jung Man-sik (; born December 11, 1974) is a South Korean actor. His name is also romanized as ''Jeong Man-sik'' or ''Joung Man-sik''. Filmography Film Television series * ''Jungle Fish 2'' (KBS2, 2010) * '' Athena: Goddess of War'' (SBS, ...

- Ji-hyeong, taxi driver * Jo Jung-eun - Yoon Da-hee, schoolgirl *

Kim Tae-won Kim Tae-won (, April 12, 1965) is a Korean guitarist with over 30 years of experience in Korean music industry, currently leading one of the most successful rock bands in Korean music history, Boohwal. His life was dramatised in a four episode ...

- Music bar owner (cameo) *

Lee Seung-hwan Lee Seung-hwan (; born December 13, 1965) is a South Korean singer and record producer known as the country's "King of Live Performances" for his frequent solo concerts. Lee debuted in 1989 as a pop ballad singer and later incorporated rock el ...

- Dream Factory owner (cameo) *

Dal Shabet Dal Shabet (Hangul: , stylized as Dal★Shabet or Dalshabet) is a South Korean girl group created by E-Tribe under Happy Face Entertainment. The group debuted on January 3, 2011, with the EP ''Supa Dupa Diva'' and with six members: Viki, Serri, ...

- Cobi Girls (cameo) * Cul Two - guys in the elevator (cameo) * Jung Yup - (cameo) *

Kim Jong-kook Kim Jong-kook (; born April 25, 1976) is a South Korean singer, entertainer, and actor. Kim debuted as a member of South Korean duo Turbo in 1995. The duo was considered to be one of the most popular idols in that time and sold out millions of ...

- taxi passenger (cameo) * Gary - taxi passenger (cameo)

Production

The director of ''Wonderful Radio'' is Kwon Chil-in, who previously directed ''

Singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

'' (2003), ''

Hellcats ''Hellcats'' is an American cheerleading comedy-drama television series that originally aired on The CW in the United States from September 8, 2010, to May 17, 2011. Based on the book ''Cheer: Inside the Secret World of College Cheerleaders'' b ...

'' (2008) and ''Loveholic'' (2010). The film's script was written by Lee Jae-ik, producer of

SBS Power FM HLSQ-FM, also known as SBS Power FM (), is a K-pop music radio station of the Seoul Broadcasting System. The station is heard nationwide via syndication with local FM stations in Korea via HLDG-FM in Busan, HLDE-FM in Daegu, HLDH-FM in Gwan ...

’s "Cultwo Show," who incorporated his own experiences in the movie, thereby giving viewers a realistic glimpse at the behind-the-scenes workings of a radio program.

said she enjoyed playing both a singer and radio DJ, basing her performance on popular idol groups in her schooldays such as S.E.S. and

Fin.K.L Fin.K.L ( ko, 핑클) is a South Korean girl group formed by DSP Media in 1998 consisting of members Lee Hyori, Ock Joo-hyun, Lee Jin, and Sung Yu-ri. Fin.K.L was one of the most popular K-pop groups of the late 1990s and early 2000s, alongs ...

. She also said she drew inspiration from her own childhood experience as an avid fan of radio shows, when she would laugh and cry at hearing peoples' stories broadcast over the airwaves.

Soundtrack

The instrumental score was composed by Jung Soo-min and Hwang Seong-je. Along with various K-pop artists, the film's lead actors

and

also contributed tracks. # Wonderful Radio (Inst.) - Jung Soo-min # Again -

# 참쓰다 "Write the truth" -

# You're My Angel -

, Ahn Mi-na # Get Out Boy - Cobi Girls (

) # That's When I Feel Love - Seo Mi-rae # Black Star - Yoo Keun-ho # Stay - Kim Kyu-won # Blind By Love - Kim Ho-yeon # 사랑의 시작은 고백에서부터 "Love begins with a confession" -

# The Moment (Inst.) - Hwang Seong-je # 위로 "Comfort" (Inst.) - Hwang Seong-je # 지각 "Late" - Hwang Seong-je # 4% (Inst.) - Hwang Seong-je # 글래머 인영 "Glamorous In-yeong" (Inst.) # Reminiscence (Inst.) - Jung Soo-min # 계절이 바뀌며... "Changing seasons" (Inst.) - Hwang Seong-je # 아직도 기다려요 "Still wating" (Inst.) - Jung Soo-min # 1부 Opening (Inst.) - Hwang Seong-je # Ending Signal (Inst.) - Hwang Seong-je # 전화통화 "Phone call" (Inst.) - Jung Soo-min # 마지막 콘서트 "Last concert" (Inst.) - Hwang Seong-je # 로비에서 "In the lobby" (Inst.) - Hwang Seong-je,

, Jung Soo-min # Namaste (Inst.) - Jung Soo-min # 그대에게 부르는 노래 "The song I sing to you" (Inst.) - Jung Soo-min # 미라라... "Mirara" (Inst.) - Jung Soo-min # 2부 Opening (Inst.) - Jung Soo-min # 뚬바뚬바 메들리 "Ttumba Ttumba medley" - Kim Kyu-won # Island - Lee Do-woo

Reception

The film sold 400,000 tickets in its first week of release and was the third local film after ''

Dancing Queen "Dancing Queen" is a Europop and disco song by the Swedish group ABBA, released as the lead single from their fourth studio album, ''Arrival'' (1976). It was written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson. Andersson and Ulvaeus al ...

'' and ''

Unbowed ''Unbowed'' (; lit. "Broken Arrow") is a 2011 South Korean courtroom drama film starring Ahn Sung-ki and Park Won-sang. It was inspired by the true story of Kim Myung-ho, a math professor who was arrested for shooting a crossbow at the presiding j ...

'' to achieve one million admissions in 2012. It ranked second and grossed in its first week of release and grossed a total of domestically after three weeks of screening.

received a Best New Actor in Film nomination at the 48th

Baeksang Arts Awards The Baeksang Arts Awards (), also known as the Paeksang Arts Awards, are awards for excellence in film, television and theatre in South Korea. The awards were first introduced in 1965 by Chang Key-young, the founder of the Hankook Ilbo newspap ...

in 2012.

References

External links

* * * * {{Hancinema film, Wonderful_Radio, Wonderful Radio 2012 films 2012 romantic comedy films South Korean romantic comedy films Films about radio people Showbox films 2010s South Korean films 2010s Korean-language films