Baseball movie Glove releases to strong box office numbers

by javabeans

The baseball film Glove released this week and enjoyed the top spot at the box office, setting itself up for a strong theatrical run. And looking at the trailer and description, I can add yet another film to my growing list of MUST SEE NOWs.

Glove, which is based on a true story, unfolds around the neglected baseball team at a high school for the deaf. Jung Jae-young (Moss, Castaway on the Moon) plays a former pro ball player who comes to the school and takes on the challenge of coaching them to #1.

Glove opened on Thursday and beat out the second-place finisher by nearly double, which was Hollywood animated feature Megamind, last week’s No. 1. In third place was Cha Tae-hyun’s comedy Hello Ghost, while fourth and fifth were Hollywood films Love & Other Drugs and Season of the Witch. Within its first two days, Glove has drawn more than 160,000 admittances.

Its director is no stranger to box-office successes — Kang Woo-seok directed Silmido, Public Enemy Returns, and last year’s crime drama Moss — but this movie is in a different vein than those darker thrillers. Instead, Glove is a heartwarming human drama that has been drawing positive word of mouth with its humor and poignant moments, and has drawn some comparisons to another hit sports movie, Forever the Moment.

Here’s the trailer:

The preview starts out with the narration: “In our world, there is no sound. We can’t hear the referee’s voice, either. We don’t know the kind of sound a ball makes when it hits the bat. However, we can still shout, Fighting! We are Chungju’s Sungshim High School baseball team, ranked 53rd in the nation.”

Later as Jung gives his impassioned speech, he declares, “Our most frightening opponent is not an impossibly strong team — it’s the team that pities us. Don’t keep yourself turned inward any longer, but let loose!”

Oh man, the tears, they’re ready to let loose. Seriously, with that premise and cast? Hook, line, sinkered.

I’m not a huge fan of sports films, but when they’re done right, they have that magical ability to tap into our collective desire to root for the underdog — it gets me EVERY. Damn. Time. And you don’t get much more underdog-y than a motley team of deaf country boys without a baseball coach, who’ve been neglected and just wanna play ball, handicap aside.

The young team includes Kim Hye-sung (Boy Meets Boy, Unstoppable High Kick) as the eldest hyung on the team who plays catcher, and 17-year-old Lee Hyun-woo (God of Study). Others include Kim Dong-young (Mi-pung’s friend in Sons of Sol Pharmacy, the teenage father) and Jang Ki-bum (Jungle Fish), along with a host of new faces. Teachers at the school include Yoo Sun and Jo Jin-woong, both of Sons of Sol Pharmacy.

(I’m just glad they decided to drop the earlier nonsense about spelling the English title “G-Love,” which was meant to connote “great love” or “give love.” Considering how strong the movie looks without a gimmick like that, I’m relieved they left it alone.)

Via Mk.co.kr

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