Penny Pinchers
The film we will read today is “PENNY PINCHERS” (known as tightwad couple or Ti-kkeul-mo-a ro-maen-seu) is a 2011 South Korean romantic comedy film directed by Jung-hwan Kim. The film stars Han Ye-seul (Hong-sil), a thrifty and resourceful young woman and Song Joong-Ki (Ji-Woong), an unemployed and carefree young man. The film combines humor and romance as it explores themes of financial hardship, personal growth and unexpected relationships. The movie has a duration of 1 hour and 54 minutes.
The story begins with unemployed man named Ji-Woong he has been living in poverty for a long time. His daily routine is to sit in a quiet place while drinking even though Ji-Woong has a degree in University. Ji-Woong now believes that no matter how high a person’s academic qualifications are they will still be left behind in connection with government officials so Ji-Woong has lost his job for three (3) years relying only on support financial from his parents in addition to being unemployed another activity that Ji-Woong often does is socializing with a community of Korean motorcycle enthusiasts when he is with his friends Ji-Woong often pretends who is rich.
Boasting that he has an endless supply of money. He does all this to impress a beautiful girl named Yurin. She invites Ji-Woong out for a drink, at the bar Yurin asks Ji-Woong if he likes her because if he says no their meeting will be over but if he says Yes Yurin promises to give him something before he can answer Ji-Woong receives a call from his mother who told him that their store on their hometown was destroyed by wild animals.
Instead of showing sympathy Ji-Woong responds in a way that angers his mother even more causing the mother to curse at Ji-Woong before hanging up the phone. Despite the dire situation Ji-Woong chooses to join Yurin in her small place where Yurin offers more drinks until he finishes ten (10) glasses before he realizes Yurin approaches him.
Ji-Woong doesn’t take long to buy what he wants he tries to pay his account balance only showing $15 while the item he bought is worth $21 even though he finds $20 in his pocket the salesman still refuses that Ji-Woong will take the item unless he pays the full price felling that Ji-Woong bravely decides to run with the item.
Later, Ji-Woong becomes frustrated with how difficult his life has become so he apologizes to Yurin and suggests that they stay friends before moving forward with the relationship. The next day while Ji-Woong is still unemployed the landlord comes to collect the rent. Seeing this Ji-Woong begs for more time he promises that next month he will have a job and pay the overdue rent.
However, the owner is tired of Ji-Woong’s promises that he is giving him the ultimate he must pay tomorrow morning or he has to leave so Ji-Woong is even more upset where he thinks of selling a kidney to pay for the rent. The next morning the owner has offered the room to someone else leading Ji-Woong to ask for more time. Unfortunately the owner remains adamant telling Ji-Woong that if he doesn’t have the money he can leave.
That night Ji-Woong is officially homeless until suddenly a woman named Hong-sil offers him food but Hong-sil is not as kind as he seems to be known being very stingy. He even grabs sugar packs when she hangs out at a cafe. Unexpectedly Hong-sil’s father is involved in online gambling loans that force her to shoulder the families financial burden causing her to save money.
That night Hong-sil felt sorry for Ji-Woong so she offered him a job but wanted to know what skills he had first. Ji-Woong admits that he doesn’t have any special talents. Luckily Hong-sil still gives him a job that doesn’t require any specific skills or experience because the only thing he needs to learn is Ji-Woong has to follow whatever Hong-sil says. Unexpectedly the job it offers Ji-Woong is to be a garbage collector.
The next morning, Hong-sil instructs Ji-Woong to collect valuable trash giving him a rule that not more than three (3) boxes of trash can be kept and the rest must be sold after Hong-sil sells those items. Hong-sil takes him to open a bank account but it’s under her name because she’s afraid that Ji-Woong will be careless with his money. After Hong-sil tells Ji-Woong that whenever he finishes work he should immediately deposit his money in the bank. It’s not long after Ji-Woong realizes that the work isn’t too difficult so he asks Hong-sil if their way of earning is ethical. Hong-sil says it’s better to fill their stomachs this way than to live like corrupt officials.
On the way Hong-sil asks Ji-Woong to drop him off the road as he hands over his salary. Despite Hong-sil’s seemingly compassionate attitude towards Ji-Woong there is a secret behind his actions. In the past Hong-sil heard that the apartment complex he lived in would be demolished to build a new mall and each resident would receive compensation so Hong-sil planned to but the boarding house where Ji-Woong lived and register the those living here under his father’s name.
This way Hong-sil hopes to receive a double payment amid her confusion she notices that Ji-Woong is deep in thought and realizes that she can take advantage of hims. So Hong-sil invites him to earn money that night as a sign of gratitude. Ji-Woong buys Hong-sil a new make-up product even though it’s not expensive hoping Hong-sil will use it to make herself look more attractive.
However Hong-sil refuses and instead suggests that Ji-Woong shouldn’t waste money on unnecessary things in return she invites him to throw the trash outside with her. After a few days Ji-Woong and Hong-sil lived a daily life frugally and balancing their work. They did everything from selling decorative lamps as a result they gradually saved up of money and now Ji-Woong and Hong-sil can be considered rich but Ji-Woong is about to deposit their hard-earned money in the bank when something comes to his mind.
He thinks that the money is also the result of his hard work so it is only fair that he should enjoy it for himself. On the other hand, Hong-sil’s father suddenly comes to her house prompting Hong-sil to immediately say that she has no money. Unexpectedly his father’s visit is not to ask for money but to give Hong-sil of the amount of money on the check.
However, Hong-sil doesn’t immediately trust her father who is known for his gambling activities so he outright rejects the check. Soon after Ji-Woong unexpected arrival, Hong-sil’s father admits that her daughter is in a relationship and comments that his daughter has finally found a suitable man but Hong-sil’s quickly corrects the misunderstanding by explaining that Ji-Woong is just a vagabond sleeping in front of her house.
However her father advises Ji-Woong to take care of her daughter saying that Hong-sil is the only precious gem he has then he gives a check to Ji-Woong. Later Yurin reconnects with ji-Woong and they are officially dating because Yurin believes that Ji-Woong is a successful and rich man.
During their date, Yurin asks Ji-Woong to buy her an expensive pair of shoes which he immediately agrees. After their date Ji-Woong takes Yurin to an apartment that looks clean and nice even though it’a actually not but he just borrowed it from his friend named Song-Il
A few moments later. Song-Il mother unexpectedly arrived at the apartment causing Ji-Woong and Yurin to panic because of the fear of being caught at that moment Ji-Woong lied and said that Yurin was Song-Il girlfriend. The situation was made more chaotic by Song-Il’s mother’s dislike of Yurin resulting in their date night being postponed.
After Ji-Woong get home Hong-sil asks if i-Woong deposited money in the bank after checking the saving data there is no change so Ji-Woong explains that he lent money to a sick friend that day, So he promised to charge the money and asked his friend to pay it within a month.
Hong-Sil is frustrated with Ji-Woong so she start walking away from him. However, this frustration quickly dissipates when they see a blood donation banner offering cash prizes and meal vouchers. After donating blood, Ji-Woong asks Hong-sil if she has a dream in life to which Hong-sil simply replied that as long as he could eat and live that would be enough.
Hearing this Ji-Woong responds by saying that if he ever has a lot of money in the future he will buy an apartment, a car and he will also help his mother expand her business in their hometown. Ji-Woong added that in life there are always two (2) important things that have a dream to achieve it or be content with a difficult life forever.
Hong-sil was confused by Ji-Woong’s words could only remain silent but not all of his words are ignored. The other day Hong-sil receives an invitation from a man named Yang Gwan-woo a bank teller whom he often sees while depositing money.
Gwan-woo looks stable and Hong-sil begins to develop feelings for him. Their plan is to watch a concert so Hong-sil prepares herself properly she even uses the beauty product that Ji-Woong gifted her. However, when they meet Hong-sil realizes that Gwan-woo is in a relationship as a result Hong-sil’s heart is broken and she decides to make an excuse saying that he can’t handle the crowd and leaves the places.
Meanwhile, Ji-Woong just wakes up and surprised to see Hong-sil who just came home. Ji-Woong asks him about her date and wonders why she came back so soon. Hong-sil was silent until tears rolled down her face when Ji-Woong saw her sadness and invited her to join him. He assured him that she knew how to make her feel better. Soon they go to a simple place Ji-Woong is confident that Hong-sil will be happy after being there Ji-Woong turns on the television in a shop and brings a park bench at this moment Ji-Woong reminds that sometimes life must adapt to what is happening just because it is important in human life to be happy.
The next day they return to their work but Ji-Woong is caught by Yurin who says that she knows all along that he is not rich but rather a poor and unemployed person and once homeless. Fed up with the lie Yurin chooses to be with someone more established from the motorcycle community.
After that incident Hong-sil took Ji-Wong to a place where there was a tree where he poured out all his fatigue and surrender. There Hong-sil shared that when her father went bankrupt and was chased by death collectors her mother’s condition worsened resulting in a serious illness and they had no money to treat her which led to her mother’s death.
Even worse his father then disappeared and left Hong-sil without a penny to pay for the funeral in his confusion she found the tree and Hong-sil spread her mother’s ashes there so the tree is very important to her as if her mother are still there. Not long after Hong-il and Ji-Woong saw the two (2) surveyors around. They are told that the land would soon be bought and turned into an amusement park.
Upon hearing this, Hong-sil’s heart was immediately crushed as the only place she considered a refuge was about to disappear. Hong-sil remembers Ji-Woong’s words about life consisting of two (2) choices to have a dream or just stand with renewed determination.
Hong-sil decides to buy the land when knowing Hong-sil’s decision Ji-Woong feels happy because his friend is starting to have a purpose in life so Ji-Woong also enthusiastically says that they can achieve that dream together. Then they visit the landowner’s office and Hong-sil’s offers to bu the piece of land with the tree. The land owner’s offer was 120 million.
Hong-sil who remembered all her saving if she withdraws the funds now she won’t earn any interest but if she waits a week she will earn a profit. However, this is not a problem for Hong-sil says she want to take all his money after they sign the contract but the landlord warns that id Hong-sil doesn’t pay the fee within ten (10) days he will cancel their agreement.
However, Hong-sil is confident that she will be able to pay it back within a week feeling happy that she is close to achieving her dreams she invites Ji-Woong out to eat until now she always reminded him to be frugal but this time she agrees with Ji-Woong that life should be enjoyed.
In the midst of their fun, Ji-Woong suddenly sang a beautiful song accompanied by the guitar, his melodious voice gradually melted her heart and she unconsciously began to look at him with a different feeling compared to before. However this night doesn’t last long because the next morning Ji-Woong overhears a conversation from the landlord saying that Hong-sil is buying the property where he used to live and Ji-Woong finds out why the account is not in Hong-sil’s name. He finds out that she is just using him as a result Ji-Woong gets angry and feel cheated after believing that she helped him sincerely. Unexpectedly Hong-sil is also angry because that morning she also found a receipt for expensive items and shows that Ji-Woong’s loan was spent on useless thing. Ji-Woong declare that he wont show Hon-sil anymore.
Moments later after Hong-sil receives a call from the police informing her that Gwan-woo who she trust left with her money and his girlfriend. The police investigate the case since she is not a priority customer she will not receive compensation for the loss of money.
Upon hearing this she felt all her hopes crumble and was destroyed. She also began to think that having dreams is pointless because the world is full of disappointments. With a broken heart she unthinkable from a bridge luckily she survives after being taken to the hospital.
However, this only made her feel worse as she had to sell all her property to pay the hospital bills. Soon Ji-Woong who is looking for her everywhere tries to talk to her but she is tired of all his words.
Feeling tired and thinking that they are both stupid people who can’t do anything. Tired of her life, she asks Ji-Woong to stop following her and tell him to go and take care of his own life. A few days later the police inform Ji-Woong that Gwan-woo has been caught but unfortunately all the money he took is gone.
However, the police make a shocking discovery of a saving account in his name that Hong-sil secretly maintains. Knowing this he felt guilty for hurting Hong-sil. At that moment he only thought was that the tree that Hong-sil wanted to take care was something that truly made her life happy.
Determined to persevere, Ji-Woong goes to the place where the tree is planted and offers for the land but the owner says that the money is still not enough. However, he did not give up immediately and went home selling all his property including his beloved scooter. The items are sold one by one to fulfill Hong-sil dream and in the end all his hard work was rewarded with happiness.
One bright morning, Hong-sil is surprised by Ji-Woong’s tent and belongings in front of her new place. Not only that he brought a new chicken to accompany her only pet chicken. Seeing this she gets angry and asks why he did all this even though he already kicked him out but with a shy smile and a confident gesture Ji-Woong tells Hong-sil to look behind her.
She is surprised to see that he bought the tree. At that time he apologizes for all his mistakes and thanks Hong-sil because without her he might still be miserable person the Ji-Woong admits that he made a mistake. He is too stubborn and shares that at first he was angry when he found out that Hong-sil seemed to be using him but thinking about it if that was really the case Hong-il could have left him at any time but in reality she stayed to him and taught him how to appreciate things and secretly saved money in his name so Ji-Woong is very grateful to her because her presence has made hem a better person even that he is still poor Ji-Woong reminds her that they have reached the end together once and from now on he promises to accompany her to achieve it.
Later on Hong-sil and Ji-Woong are shown to be rich and even buy an expensive guitar. She doesn’t worry about the price anymore and Ji-Woong successfully expands his mother’s restaurant in his hometown while Yurin faces misfortune because the man she went with pretended to be rich and now he lives in poverty.
This is where the movie PENNY PINCHERS ends. I hope you like it. Thank you very much.
Main Cast of Penny Pinchers
| Soong Joong-ki Ji-Woong |
| Han Ye-seul Hong-sil |
| Lee Sang-yeob Gwan-woo |
| Ra Mi-ran Ji-Woong’s landlord |
| Park Hye-jin Ji-Woong’s mother |
| Dong-hyeon Kim Hong-sil’ father |
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
- When was Penny Pinchers released?
- November 2011
- How long is Penny Pinchers?
- 1 hour and 54 minutes
- Who stars in Penny Pinchers?
- Soong Joong-ki(Ji-Woong)
- Han Ye-seul (Hong-sil)
- Who directed Penny Pinchers?
- Jung-hwan Kim
- What genre is Penny Pinchers?
- adventure
- comedy
- romance
- Who was the editor of Penny Pinchers?
- Kim Sun-min
- Who wrote Penny Pinchers?
- Jung-hwan Kim
- Who was the producer of Penny Pinchers?
- Jung-hwan Kim
