Review | Pilot movie review: Korean cross-dressing airline comedy takes on gender imbalance
- Jo Jung-suk’s disgraced pilot goes to work for a rival airline – while pretending to be a woman – in this hilarious cross-dressing comedy
4/5 stars
Men masquerading as women have been central to some of the most celebrated comedies of all time, from Some Like It Hot to Mrs Doubtfire. But in the current climate, where trans rights are at the forefront of sociopolitical discussions the world over, is there still a place for a broad, cross-dressing comedy?
On the basis of Kim Han-gyul’s Pilot, the answer is a resounding yes, a sharp tactful comedy that identifies precisely where its premise might be deemed problematic today, and tackles those issues head on.
His world comes crashing back down to Earth, however, when a drunken sexist outburst is leaked online. Jung-woo is fired by the airline, his wife leaves him despite having a young son together and he is branded a pariah by the entire industry.
All seems lost until his sister Jung-mi (Han Sun-hwa), an aspiring online makeover artist, helps transform Jung-woo into a woman.
