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Cast:
Cha
Tae-hyun
Jun
Ji-hyun
Song
Wok-suk
Seo
Dong-won
Kim
In-mun
Writer:
Kim
Ho-sik (novel)
Kwak Jae-young
Producer:
Chul
Shin
Director:
Kwak Jae-young
Score:
 
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MY
SASSY GIRL
AKA:
Yupki Girl ||
Bizarre Girl
Year:
2001 Reviewer: Andrew
Saroch
Though
Korean cinema is enjoying its moment in the limelight in the
West thanks to brutal offerings like 'Sympathy
For Mr. Vengeance' and 'Oldboy', few films have enjoyed
the popularity and success of 'My Sassy Girl'. A rom-com that
deviates from the usual trappings of the genre, 'My Sassy
Girl' was not only the second biggest film in South Korea
during 2001, but it has also garnered a rapturous response at
the various film festivals it has featured in around the
world. Even Hollywood is keen to add
Kwak Jae-young's massive
hit to its ever-expanding list of potential remakes - though
the idea of translating a uniquely Eastern-flavoured concept
to the West is a dubious one.
Based
on a series of stories that found their way onto the internet,
'My Sassy Girl' focuses on lazy, but likeable Korean student
Kyun-woo and his eventful journey on the way home from a meal
with his friends. On the platform of the underground station,
Kyun-woo saves an angelic looking young woman from drunkenly
falling in front of an incoming train, an action that has repercussions
throughout the next few weeks. Kyun-woo is eventually saddled
with this inebriated beauty and decides to take her to a motel
for the night rather than leave her at the mercy of the
stations less savoury clients. Kyun-woo thinks that is kind
act is an isolated incident, but finds that this mysterious
girl continues to re-appear in his life and have an increasing
say in what he does. Eventually the two become romantically
linked, though the girl continues to mistreat her new
boyfriend by persuading him to engage in bizarre tasks for her
enjoyment. It is only after a series of unusual escapades that
Kyun-woo begins to understand the enigma that has entered his
life.
'My
Sassy Girl' crams just about every genre or sub-genre into its
story. From broad comedy to delicate moments of romance and
near-operatic melodrama, this is a production that tries to
elicit nearly every human sympathy known to man. The most
astonishing thing is that, for most of its needlessly bloated
duration, it actually comes very close to pulling off this
mean feat. While lesser productions struggle to cope with even
the subtlest changes in tone, 'My Sassy Girl' juggles every
idea with an earnest zeal that is hard to dispute.
The
narrative is episodic in nature, but each little vignette is
properly fastened to the storyline and has some impetus to it.
Whereas using such a hit-and-miss format is a risky venture,
director
Kwak Jae-young manages to keep the film's final
destination fully in view and never is the story allowed to
get too caught up in unimportant sub-plots. Though a few of
the latter moments do verge on becoming repetitive, there is
still a genuine interest in the outcome of events.
Alfred
Hitchcock always championed the idea of taking a normal
'Average Joe' and putting him in an extraordinary situation
and the concept works very well here too. Such a device is so
effective in a thriller as the audience can empathise with the
hero before his adventures begin, while a comedy like 'My
Sassy Girl' uses this idea equally fiendishly. After only a
few minutes, Kyun-woo is well established as the awkward,
gawky protagonist and it's impossible not to be fully
sympathetic to the outrageous situations he finds himself in.
The strength of 'My Sassy Girl' is that the more challenging
character of the eponymous heroine is not allowed to descend
too much into caricature. There is a danger that her
aggression and contrary behaviour might verge on the dreaded
tag 'kooky' or plain annoying; this does periodically happen -
even the most benevolent man surely wouldn't put up with too
much of this treatment. However, the final thirty minutes do
go some way to piecing together the puzzle behind her nature.
'My
Sassy Girl' elevates itself above its contemporaries due to
its wit, pathos and moments of typically Asian humour. The
marathon running time is a problem, though, and does test the
patience of the viewer; two hours is far too long for what
should be a snappy, sassy (pardon the pun) production. The
final act is particularly drawn out and soaked in the kind of
melodrama that is difficult to sustain over a long period of
time. Some might argue that a tighter edit may have hindered
creativity, but it would certainly have helped maintain the
momentum that the film enjoys early on.
This
isn't a perfect film, but it's got more imagination and energy
than most of the rom-com genre efforts of recent years put
together.
Kwak Jae-young has fashioned an emotionally
ambiguous, memorable hit with two leads who are perfect for
the respective roles. 'My Sassy Girl' is worthy of its
reputation and praise despite its faults.
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