C'est si bon (Korean쎄시봉; RRSsesibong) is a 2015 South Korean musical drama film written and directed by Kim Hyun-seok.[3][4] It was released on February 5, 2015.[5]

C'est Si Bon
Theatrical release poster
Directed byKim Hyun-seok
Written byKim Hyun-seok
Produced by
  • Kang Myeong-chan
  • Lee Woo-jung
Starring
CinematographyLee Mo-gae
Edited by
Music byLee Byung-hoon
Production
company
Nogunri Pictures
Distributed byCJ Entertainment
Release date
  • February 5, 2015 (2015-02-05)
Running time
122 minutes
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean
BudgetUS$5.5 million
Box officeUS$11.8 million[1][2]

C'est si bon (French for "It's so good") was an acoustic music lounge located in Mugyo-dong, Seoul.[6] During the 1960s and 1970s, the venue was very popular with Koreans in their twenties and thirties, who went there to listen to live music.[7] Among the bands known for having played there was the folk music duo Twin Folio composed of Yoon Hyung-joo and Song Chang-sik; this film depicts the band's beginnings while including a fictional third member, Oh Geun-tae.[8][9][10]

Plot

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In the late 1960s, C'est si bon is the music lounge every unknown acoustic band dreams of playing. It is where Geun-tae, a naïve country boy, meets musical prodigies and rivals Hyung-joo and Chang-sik. Together they form a band and name themselves after the iconic venue — the C'est si bon Trio. As the three young musicians bicker over their music, beautiful socialite Ja-young enters the picture and becomes their muse, launching a series of moving love songs. Ja-young falls for the pure-hearted Geun-tae, but they part ways when she accepts a once-in-lifetime shot at an acting career. 20 years later in the 1990s, Geun-tae and Ja-young meet again.

Cast

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Main

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Supporting

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Reception

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C'est si bon was released in South Korea on February 5, 2015. It topped the box office on its opening weekend, with 642,000 admissions and ₩5.14 billion (US$4.63 million) gross over four days,[5][14][15] but it quickly dropped down the chart in the following weeks, eventually grossing a lackluster ₩13,556,519,358 (US$11.5 million) from 1,715,370 admissions (halfway its break-even point of 3 million admissions).[16]

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Recipient Result
2015 20th Chunsa Film Art Awards[17] Best Screenplay Kim Hyun-seok Nominated
51st Paeksang Arts Awards Best New Actor Jo Bok-rae Nominated
19th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival[18] Fantasia Award Jung Woo Won
24th Buil Film Awards Best Music Lee Byung-hoon Nominated
52nd Grand Bell Awards Best Supporting Actor Jin Goo Nominated
Best Music Lee Byung-hoon Nominated

References

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  1. ^ "C'est Si Bon". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  2. ^ "C'est Si Bon (2015)". Archived from the original on 2015-07-12. Retrieved 2017-08-28.
  3. ^ Jin, Eun-soo (9 January 2015). "C'est Si Bon resurrects legendary music venue". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  4. ^ Conran, Pierce (11 March 2014). "KIM Yun-seok, HAN Hyo-joo Board Music Biopic". Korean Film Biz Zone. Archived from the original on 17 March 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  5. ^ a b Ma, Kevin (9 February 2015). "C'est si bon tops South Korea box office". Film Business Asia. Archived from the original on 9 February 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  6. ^ Lee, Claire (8 February 2011). "'70s music revival captivates unlikely audience". The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on 29 May 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  7. ^ Kwon, Ji-youn (20 January 2015). "Retro fever sweeps entertainment industry". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on 10 February 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  8. ^ Kim, Hee-eun (7 March 2014). "Film brings artsy 1970s to life". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  9. ^ Jin, Eun-soo (11 March 2014). "1970s folk film announces cast". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 24 April 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  10. ^ Conran, Pierce; Kim, June (29 January 2015). "C'est si bon". Korean Cinema Today. Archived from the original on 7 October 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  11. ^ Lee, Eun-sun (6 February 2015). "Jung Woo selects another retro role". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 26 October 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  12. ^ "Jung Woo Says He'd Put Love Before Friendship". The Chosun Ilbo. 28 February 2015. Archived from the original on 22 October 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  13. ^ Lee, So-dam (14 February 2015). "Interview: Kang Ha Neul Says He Will Never Date an Actress". enewsWorld. Archived from the original on 24 February 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  14. ^ Kil, Sonia (9 February 2015). "Korea Box Office: Music Drama C'est Si Bon Hits Top Note". Variety. Archived from the original on 15 March 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  15. ^ Jin, Eun-soo (10 February 2015). "C'est Si Bon takes No. 1 spot at local box office". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  16. ^ Jin, Eun-soo (27 February 2015). "C'est Si Bon is a retro film failure". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 5 August 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  17. ^ Ma, Kevin (9 March 2015). "Hard Day leads Chunsa Film Art nominations". Film Business Asia. Archived from the original on 14 March 2015. Retrieved 2015-03-19.
  18. ^ Conran, Pierce (10 July 2015). "LEE Min-ho and MOON Chae-won to Receive BiFan Awards". Korean Film Biz Zone. Archived from the original on 2015-07-11. Retrieved 2015-07-10.
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