Change Your Image
unplugandplay
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
Yeopgijeogin geunyeo (2001)
The film is a heartwarming blend of physical comedy and straight melodrama.
*SPOILERS AHEAD*
...taken from a reaction paper I wrote for Social Science Class..
My Sassy Girl is a 2001 film by Korean director Kwak Jae Yong, formerly known for the straight melodramas he directed. It was based on the novel with the same title, compiled from the journals posted on the Internet by Kim Ho Seok about his relationship with a girl. The film catapulted its lead actress Jeon Ji Hyun and its lead actor Cha Tae Hyun into superstardom. It spawned viewers' interest in romantic comedies, although it was never recognized in the west.
My Sassy Girl starts out with Gyeon-Woo, a naïve but eccentric 25 year-old college student who doesn't have a clear direction in life. He narrates how his parents raised him like a girl, and how his parents' constantly telling him he was smart caused him to become lazy. His life then becomes intertwined with that of a bizarre girl whom he meets at the subway. She was drunk and wasted when he first saw her, and before passing out at the subway she calls him 'honey'. He was then forced to take responsibility for her, and that night he carried the wasted girl on her back all the way to a nearby motel. Hilarity ensues in the following scenes, as Gyeon-Woo and the girl share funny moments together, such as hitting each other on the subway, playing squash (the ball always hitting Gyeon-Woo squarely in the face), dancing in the disco with their high school uniforms on, and exchanging shoes (the girl wears sneakers while Gyeon-Woo wears heels).
The early parts of the film showcase the girl's bizarre attitude. The girl can be seen arguing with strangers, writing synopses of action movies, passing out after drinking three glasses of beer, and hitting Gyeon-Woo all the time, telling him 'wanna die?' and using him to get her way. Gyeon-Woo, on the other hand, succumbs to all the girl's whims and does everything for her. The first half of the film is filled with pure physical comedy and witty, hilarious sequences.
What sets this movie apart from others is how the second half of the film, which consists of pure melodrama, is connected to the first half. The second half explains the girl's bizarre attitude and unfolds all the drama behind the girl's comedic behavior in the first half. Gyeon-Woo battles a conflict with himself and finds it hard to let the girl go after 'healing her sorrow'. The latter scenes in the film are so dramatic that it 'turns grown men into crybabies' (quoted from the International Movie Database). Jeon Ji-Hyun's acting versatility added to the second half's strong impact on the viewers. A very ingeniously written script turns the laughing audience into a crying one in a short span of time.
However sad the second half of the film may be, the 'overtime' part of the film wonderfully concludes all the comedy and drama that unfolded in the preceding two parts. Gyeon-woo and the girl go along with the sad fate that befell them, continuing their own lives. The ending (which I will not reveal, for I recommend that people watch it) could be considered as one of the greatest ones in the history of film-making. It left no questions unanswered, and it concluded all the subtle hints that the earlier parts gave. It left me, and other members of the audience, laughing in tears.
The uncut version of the film lasts 137 minutes (2 hours and 17 minutes), quite long for a romantic comedy. But it was so craftily and carefully written that one would not notice time ticking by. Every scene in the film gives the viewers something to laugh, cry, or think about. There was no dead air in the story.
The cinematography of the film was excellent, for it captured every scene perfectly, also showcasing the beautiful environment of Korea along the way. The soundtrack very much added to the emotion of the film's most significant sequences. George Winston's rendition of 'Pachelbel's Canon in D' invokes a very romantic and joyous feeling that is indeed felt in the scene where Gyeon-Woo gives the girl a rose during her class (at an all-girls school) while she was playing the piano. Shin Seung Hoon's 'I Believe', the movie's main theme, served its function well as the tear-inducer in the most dramatic parts of the film. After watching the movie, only hearing the song brings me to the edge of tears as I remember the saddest parts of the film.
Jeon Ji-Hyun's acting in the film was very superior. She does very well in portraying the unnamed girl (yes, the girl's name was never mentioned) in the movie. Her very strong charm and acting versatility (she laughs, threatens Gyeon-Woo, and cries in one scene) makes the film very appealing, even to grown men who grew up watching action movies. Her performance in this film shoved her into the limelight and made girls want to be like her and made boys want to be with her.
Cha Tae Hyun did justice to the role of Gyeon-Woo. Just looking at him makes you laugh, and his being punched, slapped and manipulated by the girl is one of the big factors in the film's success as a comedy. His performance in the film made him one of Korea's 'most wanted dates', according to a survey on Korean girls.
Some of the very notable characteristics that I found in the film were: 1.) It had no kissing scenes; 2.) The girl's name was never mentioned, although she played the biggest part in the film, and 3.) There were no 'I love you' lines in the entirety of the film.
After watching the uncut version of the film, I saw tears in the eyes of most people in the audience. I could most probably say the movie has been successful in moving its viewers.
Jeon Ji Hyun won the 2002 Grand Bell Best Actress Award for her performance in this film. Cha Tae Hyun won Best New Actor at the 2002 Korean Oscars for his performance in this film. My Sassy Girl was number one at the box office for six straight weeks in Korea and sold over 20,000 tickets per day in Hong Kong at the time of its release in 2001. It was the second highest grosser of that year (accumulating more box office loot than SHREK, HARRY POTTER or LORD OF THE RINGS). It was the Best Asian Film at the 22nd Annual Hong Kong Film Awards. Just this year, Dreamworks (an American film company) has been planning for a Hollywood remake of this film. How great could this film get? My Sassy Girl is a film close to my heart. It is not only a lighthearted comedy that delves into the culture and behavior of Asian teenagers. This movie shows that there are so many different ways of expressing your love without saying 'I love you'. It is a movie that proves 'fate is building a bridge of chance for the one you love'.