VCD South Korea Edko Region 0 123 minutes Directed by Kwak Jae-yong With Jeon Ji-hyun Cha Tae-hyun DVD Available to Purchase at HKFlix.com 
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Home | Upcoming | Reviews | In Cinemas | Links | Features | Editorials | Search R E V I E W My Sassy Girl (2001) The film was a box-office smash in South Korea in the summer of 2001. It also proved to be quite popular in Hong Kong this year, where it has played engagements with both its native Korean audio and also with a dubbed Cantonese version. MOVIE Plot: Boy meets girl. Girl is drunk. Boy and girl spend chaste night in motel. Boy wakes up and is arrested. Girl meets him, not to apologize, but to abuse. Boy, determining that girl needs his help (and smitten with her looks), accepts girl's way of expressing her feelings. Performances: Incredibly charming, bright, and persuasive performances by the two leads. Production: Right up front I'll have to say that I find myself curiously out of step with the vast majority of people who have seen the film. Not only was it a box office hit in both its native South Korea as well as Hong Kong, most reviews I've read have been rapturous. It looks extremely well made, with handsome production design, good use of locations, sharp editing, and an enjoyable musical score that encompasses the various moods of the film (from cheery comedy to syrupy melodrama). The litmus test may be a scene that occurs quite early: the girl, obviously drunk, vomits all over a hapless man with a toupee in a subway car. And we get to enjoy this extended scene in all its full-color glory. People evidently split themselves with laughter while watching this scene. Even though the film is ostensibly based on a "real" story, it appears to be so over the top that it feels fictional. Taken as real life, the characters deserve an empathetic hug: the girl for the emotional pain that causes her to act out in such a disarmingly aggressive manner, and the boy for accepting her abuse, in the hope that it will help her. Yet the candy-colored first half of the film presents their relationship more as a modern-day screwball comedy. Many of the situations are quite funny (though that drunk subway scene was not a personal favorite). Just at the point where we accept these absurd scenarios as outrageous but playful exagerration (as in, 'You think your girlfriend's crazy? Let me tell you what mine did'), the tone abruptly switches. It's almost as if the filmmakers realized, 'Look, this girl is disturbed. We can't keep laughing at what she makes this guy do. We have to explain things.' And so things are explained, and we are sad, and the ending is left to fate. The abrupt switch in the second half of the film to extended melodrama is not entirely convincing. It feels drawn out, as though an equal amount of time were needed to balance the comedic first half. The version on the Korean VCD runs 123 minutes, which is the original length of the theatrical release; however, the Korean DVD versions is the "director's cut," running 137 minutes. Most people seemed to really enjoy this movie. Perhaps you will, too. Rating: Category IIA. Fair amount of profanity, and brief partial nudity (non-sexual, male). VCD Look: Letterboxed presentation looks decent for a VCD, with reasonably deep black levels and adequate color saturation. Sound: Korean-language stereo track had decent presence; the musical score sounded pleasant. Subtitles: White burned-in (non-removable) Chinese and English subtitles (with black backing) were easy to read but flew by a bit fast at times. Features: None. RECOMMENDATION Not my cup of tea, but I am clearly in the minority. Pick it up and decide for yourself. Which version? I've linked to the Starmax Region 3 DVD version from Korea, which is available at my affiliate partner HKFlix.com. (Be aware, though, that the English "subtitles" are actually closed-captioning; i.e., it's designed for folks who are hearing-impaired.) Also available is an Edko Region 3 DVD from Hong Kong, also coded for Region 3, as well as a dubbed Cantonese-language version on VCD (with Miriam Yeung providing the lead female voice). Or you can just wait for the American remake (rights have been sold). Home | Upcoming | Reviews | In Cinemas | Links | Features | Editorials | Search |
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