The Movie<TF&TF>
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<My Sassy Girl> Ok, the story started like this: Kyun-woo (Cha Tae-hyun) plays a regular, unassuming college student. While in the subway one night, he encounters a drunken young woman who calls him "honey" - and promptly passes out. Reluctantly, he takes responsibility for her welfare under the watchful eyes of passengers around. Soon he finds himself entangled in an outlandish relationship with the fiery but charming girl to whom he gradually surrenders his heart. This quirky movie is told in a gung-ho soccer-match style. It starts off with a first-half, breaks for a second-half and then goes into a segment called extra-time, with Cha's character appearing now and then as an omniscient commentator. Director Kwak Kae-yong combines the typical style of Hong-Kong's slapstick comedy with Korea's surrealistic drama and the result is a concoction that is far-fetched, but oddly enough, engaging. My Sassy Girl is essentially a teen movie with a huge edge above the rest we've seen in the same genre so far. Because the movie doesn't take itself too seriously, we are spared the type of love story that bring on unintended chortles during its lip-twitchingly cheesy moments. More importantly, its makers aren't from Tinsel-town. So that means no MTV teen stars with inflated egos but a story-telling technique that is as refreshing as our two Korean leads. My Sassy Girl marks K-pop singer Cha Tae-Hyun's movie debut and it is not surprising if an avalanche of movie offers follow after. Cha's portrayal of Kyun-woo is sheepish, earnest and natural - just the right qualities that would endear him to female audiences here. Equally endearing but just a little disappointing is The Sassy Girl herself. Her character goes without a name in the movie, but actress Jeon Ji-hyun is far from nameless in her country. Jeon trades in her ethereal quality from her last movie Il Mare for a more spirited persona here which is a nice welcome. However, she still is unable to nail down the role of difficult damsel completely. Some of her antics come out a little stilted and watching her could be tedious task if she wasn't such an alluring lass. Still, even with such a progressive plot, My Sassy Girl suffers the kiss-of-death that is Asian melodrama. Be prepared for a weepy wrap-up of picturesque scenes and soft piano music. But if you are ready to sit through a spunky, dramatic love-story, you'll have fun at this one. I love the story line so much... -Fin-
