My Sassy Girl
After years of inactivity, director Kwak Jae-yong returned to
Korean Cinema with this box office hit that was popular in both Korea and Hong
Kong. His previous works were rather straightforward melodramas, and it seemed like
he would disappear from the industry without making too much noise. However, he
became inspired by Kim Ho-sik's hugely successful Internet-serial novel
"Yupki Girl", and decided to adapt the story into a film using
popstar Cha Tae-hyun and up-and-coming actress Jeon Ji-hyun as the main leads.
Explaining what Yupki means is not that easy with a single word. It's a
mix of being creepy, funny, trendy, curious and cool. The term has now become
popular on the net and amongst young Koreans, which is a pretty telling example
of the film's success.
Strangely, the cast is almost composed by only two people, most of
the rest of the characters consist of the parents of the two main characters
and that is about it. And to be entertained during more than 2 hours by only 2
actors, that is a real challenge and they succeeded at it. Kyun-woo (Cha Tae-hyun) is a down-to-earth,
charming young student. He's been looking for the right girl for awhile - so
much that his aunt has tried to lure him into blind dates a few times. Enter
"The Girl," (Jeon Ji-hyun) a nuclear mix of creepiness, good looks
and unusual manners. Kyun-woo saves her from certain death when she risks
falling on the subway tracks. She repays him calling him "honey," and
puking her guts out on a poor man's wig.
Unfortunately, he gets far more than he bargained as he becomes
wrapped around the finger of this strange girl, whose dramatic mood swings are
outmatched only by her penchant for sociopathic behavior. When they dine out
and Kyung-woo orders anything but coffee, she barks her mantra "Do you
wanna die?" and then promptly changes his order to coffee. When her feet
begin aching from walking, she forces Kyung-woo to switch his comfortable
running shoes for her high heels. And being a budding screenwriter, she demands
that Kyung-woo read her wacky treatments, or else face an ass kicking. However,
despite these crazy antics (not to mention landing in jail a few times),
Kyun-woo finds himself hopelessly hooked on this 'sassy girl'. And though the
girl seems to relish in humiliating and belittling those around her, it becomes
clear that underneath the brash exterior is a wounded soul who holds a genuine
affection for Kyun-woo.
However, the fluffy and lighthearted script, along with the
performances by Jeon and Cha make this an extremely entertaining experience.
The film never tries to force laughs out of you, and contains quite a few
memorable touches (such as a parody of Wong Kar-wai's Ashes of Time,
complete with soundtrack). Being a Kwak Jae-yong film, the last thirty minutes
inevitably become fulll-force melodrama, but watching the film a second or
third time, you can notice surprising things. The director subtly intertwines
subplots underneath the main story (including a family full of twins which will
make its presence felt over the course of the film, and time-travel), which
stretches the plot even more. Perhaps it's something that wasn't necessarily
needed, but it adds to the experience and goads you into watching the film more
than once.
This cleverly scripted comedy covers a lot of territory in its
two-hour running time, containing enough material for at least two movies. The
film's first half (a fact that is irreverently highlighted with a big bold
pastel-colored title) deals with Kyung-woo's initial misadventures with the
'sassy girl' and the absurdity he faces in her company. In addition to the
obvious comic set-pieces revolving around the girl's anti-social tendencies,
Kwak has some fun visualizing her female-centered film treatments, such as
"Terminator Demolitionist", featuring a female warrior from the future
gunning down bad guys à la The Matrix.
However, as the film moves into its second half (declared with more
pastel-colored lettering) and even overtime (check), the bottled-up emotions
and vulnerable side of the 'sassy girl' start to reveal themselves, and the
film moves into more melodramatic territory, reflecting the growing maturity of
the two lead characters.
If there is one really good reason to watch "My Sassy
Girl", it would have to be Jun Ji-hyun's turn as the film's unnamed
heroine. From her unforgettable first appearance as a wasted commuter, to her
rambunctious bullying of Kyun-woo, to the heartbreak she wears on her sleeve,
Jun displays an unparalleled level of enthusiasm and dramatic range in
portraying a young woman whose domineering exterior is but a smokescreen for
her own vulnerability-- it is almost difficult to believe that this same
actress who played the quiet and introspective Kim Eun-ju in "Il
Mare". As her opposite, the likable Cha Tae-hyun is the perfect comic
foil/underdog for Jun's bundle of untamed energy, and his 'constipated' facial
expression, when faced with one of her 'outbursts', is priceless.
Jeon Ji-hyun deservedly won the Grand Bell Best Actress Award for
her role in this film. She's vibrant, creepy, charming and sweet as the role
demands. I absolutely loved her. As a result of her performance in this film,
she has become one of the most popular actresses in Korea (and after Shim
Eun-ha's apparent retirement, she'll probably become the next leading star in
the industry). Cha Tae-hyun is effective, considering his "punching
bag" role is almost as important as the Girl in making the story credible.
The supporting cast adds the icing on the cake with hilarious performances, and
the production is not surprisingly top notch.
Like the best Korean films, My Sassy Girl is a genre-bending
exercise that throws in elements of the teen comedy, the traditional
melodramatic romance, and even some genre parody and blends them into a unique
cinematic experience that defies categorization. The film's original Korean
title, Yeopgi, which means 'novelty-seeking', is in reference to the youth
craze that was started by Kim Ho-sik's original Internet postings about his
eccentric girlfriend. Though the English title for this film doesn't mean quite
the same thing, it certainly does tell you what to expect.
