LAmom

The drama Bump Up Business is more fun to watch than the reviews suggest. I watched it because the actors are members of the K-pop boy group ONLYONEOF (온리원오브). The members of the group played the major male leads and many of the supporting roles, both as protagonists and antagonists. It’s not a great production, and the acting isn’t worthy of Shakespeare, but I didn’t care. It fits into my definition of “entertaining”. Forget about the BL genre controversies, rushed storyline, and obviously limited budget; I needed something that wasn’t too stressful (a necessity at the moment because our hate-oriented political situation has me seeing ghosts of concentration camps). The actors have experience working in front of the cameras, strong stage presence, and they understand how to use their sexuality while cleverly maintaining an ambiguous kind of androgyny. They brought their “idol” background to the drama, but they aren’t experienced actors yet. A few of them may eventually shine as actors. Some viewers may be curious about the sexual orientation of the group. I loved that they committed to a POV for the drama, but that doesn’t mean it’s autobiographical. My opinion about someone’s sexual orientation is, “frankly, my dear, who gives a damn?” (If you’re not a classic film fan, that’s an homage to “Gone with the Wind.) It’s a shame some people are still so invested in gender issues. My preference is to respect someone’s privacy. Everyone has the right to make personal choices as long as their choices don’t take away someone else ‘s right to choose. So, although gender is an issue in the storyline, unless someone wants to share their private life with me, it’s none of my business.

The writing, directing, production values, wardrobe, and music were OK. They didn’t distract from my enjoyment. But, since this is a well known musical group, I would have liked a couple of scenes showcasing their talent as a group. There were some thought provoking moments. I particularly got a kick out of them adding a hint of reality to a plot about the “glamour” of fame. Instead of painting the entertainment scene as a “Disneyesque” world of lights, glitter, and excitement, the story tells us what we already know about the entertainment industry. It’s a super-toxic, overly-heartless, and ego-dominated environment. The plot recognizes that fame is hard work if you’re committed to learning, practicing, and constantly improving your craft. It made me think about the pain of being a celebrity in a culture where fans have the power to control their lives. Apparently if you give some Korean fans a rumor, they’ll happily destroy someone’s life with it. Ignite their ire and they’ll burn you to ash. Misinformation, minor mistakes, or unpopular personal choices can end a career, even without any evidence of actual wrongdoing. Maybe the problem is that some fans don’t have any power over their own lives, so they abuse their power as fans. If a “fan” can’t accept a few normal human flaws, and forgive occasional mistakes with compassion, then they aren’t really “fans,” are they?