My Sassy Girl (Taiwan Version) DVD Region All

Now it gets even harder: why is it so great? Well, the actors handle their roles with verve and energy and, dare I say it, sass, and the writer/director must take some credit, for producing the snappy pace and quirky situations. The initial sketching of the characters is done in very broad strokes, and gives us a hero and heroine who are interesting and clearly at odds. The hero, likeable but perhaps a tad shallow in his preference for quiet, pretty girly girls, doesn't look like a suitable match for anyone with any depth, and we're caught early on thinking this might be a predictable adventure.

Not so, once we meet the heroine: we find her on the train, pissed as a newt (a marvellous phrase from my youth that I'm determined to resurrect), and not exactly presenting at her best. She's even less appealing when she throws up and calls our hero ""Honey"" before passing out, since this leads to the passengers assuming he is her boyfriend, and demanding that he clean up. Ick. Double ick. But we soon see another side to both characters as a result: he cleans up and carries her about town rather than abandon her, and she shows a hint of the sadness that drives her to be such a pain. He even takes her to a love hotel, and stays with her, but doesn't attempt to molest her in her sleep (luckily, or I'd have stopped watching right there).

After that, the rest of the film consists mostly of our hero being dragged around Seoul, abused, misused, and humiliated, but ever more determined to delve to the heart of this perplexing girl. From a female point of view, and a fairly fractious female at that, it's nice to see the girl getting to call the shots. I particularly liked seeing her make the hero wear her high-heel shoes all the way home when her feet hurt: instead of letting him carry her, she makes him realise just how uncomfortable heels can be. It takes the wind out of the whole "rescuing hero" image, where the strong man helps the fragile girly without actually having to empathise.

I could wiffle on forever, but I won't. All I'll say is that, if you like romantic comedies, this is an absolute stunner, and if you don't, it's still an absolute stunner. See it for the laughs, see it for the love, or see it for the turning upside down of gender stereotypes, but just see it.

9.5 noodle dinners out of 10

by Alison Jobling - heroic-cinema.com

The story of this film is adapted from a Korean novel published on the internet. The plotline is quite simple and direct indeed. Cha Tae-Hyun plays a benevolent college student who has a strange encounter with the drunken Jeon Ji-Hyun. They soon become friends. Because of Jeon's unique personality, they have a hard time getting together. Later, Cha discovers that...

After reading this brief synopsis, you may wonder what is so special about this story. Why is this film so great? At first glance, the story may really look typical, but the director was wise enough to turn banal subject into good drama. Surprise keeps popping up since every scene is handled creatively and every dialogue is built up brilliantly. For instance, the arrangement of Cha and Jeon's first "date" in the motel is a courageous and innovative idea. What is cool about it is that, contrary to the typical assumption that motel must be connected to sex, this scene does not imply any sexual meaning at all, yet it is still very funny and surprising. Other scenes like the kidnapping at the theme park, delivery of flower in the lecture hall, or even the soft conversation under the tree are all remarkable. The story keeps you refreshed by bringing you unexpected moments again and again.

Without doubt this film is a comedy, the jokes and the performance of the actors are excellent, yet the romantic part is also impressive. Considering that it is a light-hearted comedy, the sincere conversation of Jeon Ji-Hyun at the end is much more susceptible than I expected. The romance is depicted more faithful and passionate than many pure romance films.

Apart from love and humors, this film also contains certain sci-fi elements. As the director admitted, UFO does appear in the film once, so as the man from the future. These elements may not affect the major plot of the story, but it increases the rewatch value of the film to a certain extent. If you didn't know about all this bonus materials before, it is time to rewatch it again!

Talking about the cast, both Cha Tae-Hyun and Jeon Ji-Hyun have done a splendid job. As we all know, both of them are new actors, but they were able to humanize their characters and make them look appealing. They also succeeded in commanding the emotions of the audience at will.

My Sassy Girl is a well constructed work. It is easy to make a conclusion for this review - go watch it! If you have missed the theatrical release, it's time to get the DVD now!

Reviewed by: Kantorates - Cinespot.com