"Fine" an understatement as cinemas packed

Directed by Mez Tharatorn, “I fine” has a lot of charm going for it, as opposed to ghosts. It’s about a gruff mechanic (played by Sunny Suwanmethanon) attempting to improve his English with the help of a tutor (Preechaya “Ice” Pongthananikorn). The movie reunites Ice and Mez following their success with “ATM Er Rak Error”. 

The massive opening for “I fine” is truly a feather in the cap of GTH, but film buffs will remind you that “Ong-Bak” from Sahamongkol Film still holds the record for opening-day cash, having taken in a nice round Bt30 million. 

Interestingly, both these movies rode the advantage of opening on a public holiday. But credit must go where it’s due – to GTH management for ensuring excellent advance promotion. They put the stars out along with the publicity people and a buzz began on the social media that got everyone interested in seeing the flick. 

The traffic on city roads was fairly quiet on Wednesday, which was Constitution Day, but it was heavy going in the theatres, and many showings were sold out. There were countless dispatches from the frontline on Twitter. “Tickets sold out at Major!” a slew of fans reported. 

The early reviews from these “citizen critics” indicate the movie is worth the ticket price. Most people got what they wanted out of it – and more. The consensus on “Rotten Mangoes”: “It’s hilarious!”

 

 

Sunny out of the shade

 

Naturally Sunny Suwanmethanon didn’t have to buy a ticket for the gala premiere of “I fine”, but the star of the film paid his dues when it came to accommodating the press.

No one actually asked him, “Who the hell are you, anyway?”, but Sunny did have to explain that – even though he really loves acting – he doesn’t accept a lot of roles because he’s very choosy. 

“It’s like choosing a girlfriend. Before I accept a role I need to study the script carefully,” he said. “It’s been two years since I last did a film. I find it kind of difficult to get excited about a script.” Fortunately, when the one for “I fine” came along, it was love at first sight. 

Sunny gets to play Yim, complete with wild behaviour and a foul mouth. We can understand why that would be fun.

In spite of the long gaps between exciting scripts, he said he’d never even think of quitting acting because it’s the only thing he loves in his life. (So, no girlfriend, presumably.)

Why is he so picky about movie projects? What are his high-set criteria? Sunny said he has no firm rules about it – he just makes a decision based purely on feeling. “It’s like you have a crush on someone. You feel a spark.” 

We really need to get this guy out on a date with a real person.