The Korean comedy might not break ground, but it succeeds in being a damn good time I t’s 1999, and held-back high schooler Pil-sun ( Lee Hye-ri ) is a provincial girl whose big city dreams consist of being a back-up dancer in Seoul’s burgeoning K-pop industry. Just one problem – pegged as troublemakers, she and ride-or-die bestie Mi-na (Park Se-wan) are barred from using practice rooms on campus. Enter two school newcomers: big shot soccer player Chi-hyung (Lee Jung Ha) and his sister, cheerleader Se-hyun (Cho A-ram).
Seeing a possible end to their days dancing in public bathrooms, Pil-sun and Mi-na scheme their way into forming a cheer club – the Millenium Girls – with Se-hyun, pledging to rouse enough school spirit to send their feeble soccer team to nationals. Victory ’s premise is familiar but shines in its execution. Take its performances, for instance: that Pil-sun is played by a former K-pop idol is no small credit.
Lee Hye-ri brings the athletic ease expected of a Girl’s Day member, but she’s also believable acting as a mulish teenager bumping heads with despotic maths teachers and cheerleading’s rigidity. As a hip-hop dancer, Pil-sun is less concerned with perfection than flow and presence – or what she calls vibe – which Hye-ri is more than capable of exuding. That loose quality is characteristic of the film as a whole, though it has pockets of urgency.
Happening on the heels of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, Victory grounds itself in real l.
