My Sassy Girl

Directed by: Kwak, Jae-young

Writing credits: Kim, Ho-Sik (Novel)/ Kwak, Jae-Young (Screenplay)

Genre: Comedy / Romance

Plot Summary: Based on a series of true stories posted by Ho-sik Kim on the Internet describing his relationship with his girlfriend. These were later transformed into a best-selling book and the movie follows the book closely. It describes the meeting of Gyun-woo (Cha) and an unnamed girl. Gyun-woo is shamed into assisting the girl because the other passengers mistakenly think she is his girlfriend. Once he helps her, Gyun-woo develops a deep sense of responsibility for her which enables him to tolerate (somehow) the girl's abuses.

Credited Cast:

• Cha, Tae-Hyun --- Gyun Woo
  
• Jeon, Ji-Hyun --- Jung Jo (the Girl)
  
• Han, Jin-Hie --- Jung Jo's Father
  
• Hyun, Sook-Hee --- Jung Jo's Mother
  
• Kim, Il-Woo --- The Quintuplets
  
• Kim, In-Mun --- Gyun Woo's Father
  
• Song, Wok-Suk --- Gyun Woo's Mother
  
• Yang, Geum-Syok --- Gyun Woo's Aunt
  
• Lim, Ho --- The Blind date of Jung Jo
  
• Seo, Dong-Won --- Deserter
  

Production Companies: Shin Cine Communications

Also Known As:

• Yeopgijeogin Geunyeo
  
• Bizarre Girl
  
• My Sassy Girl (International: English Title)
  
• Yupgi Girl (Hong Kong: English Title)
  

Runtime: South Korea:123 min / South Korea:137 min (director's cut)

Country: South Korea

Language: Korean / English

Review:

The movie was about a guy who just wanted a carefree life and a girl who wanted to get over her ex-boyfriend. Both of them had their own lives until fate had their paths crossed.

Both met in a hilarious way. Gyunwoo was asked to go to his aunt's because there was someone that his aunt wanted him to meet. But because he was stubborn, he wasn't able to go to his aunt's house. Later that night, Gyunwoo was on his way home, and down at the subway station, he was telling to himself that he would like to have a life as depicted in comic books. He would like to meet his type of girl. A while later he saw this tipsy girl on the subway station. She was so drunk that she didn't realize that she was on the edge of the platform and would be in danger if the approaching train hit her. Gyunwoo didn't think twice on saving the Girl, quickly pulling her away before the train hit her.

While inside the train, Gyunwoo was watching her, and was telling to himself that she was his type, but the problem was he disliked girls who drank. Then he was shocked when the Girl just hit a guy because the guy was very ill-mannered to an old person. A while later, the Girl was forced to throw-up. The mess was spread all over the old person that she offered the seat for. She then called Gyunwoo "honey". By that time he was accused of not looking out for his girlfriend and was forced to clean up all the mess that the Girl made.

After that Gyunwoo left the Girl at the train station. But he changed his mind and brought her to a motel. Little did they know that it would be the beginning of a relationship that both of them wanted.

It was a rough start on the part of Gyunwoo, he got beaten and jailed a couple of times just because of her. At first Gyunwoo was a bit insecure because of the Girl's attitude, but as time went on, he got used to her and learnt that the Girl was just in the process of getting over an ex-boyfriend and needed help and attention. He learnt many things about the Girl and had many memorable moments with her.

It was because of her that his life changed completely. He met the Girl's parents twice, but on the second time he was told not to meet with her anymore. After a few days he didn't hear anything about the Girl and decided to have another date. As he was on the date, she called him to go with her. But after then, he found out that she was dating a guy and not a girl so he decided to go to her.

From there he met the guy that the Girl's parents want her to be married to. Gyunwoo then realized that his task was finished with her because the Girl had finally gotten over her ex-boyfriend. He decided to let her go, but before that, he left some tips for the guy that she was to be married with.

As the Girl heard the tips from the guy, she was touched and chased after Gyunwoo. She was able to catch him in the subway station. But after that she planned on saying goodbye with him. So they planted a letter on a time capsule that they would be reading 2 years after.

After 2 years, the Girl wasn't able to get to the mountain for the time capsule. But she arrived a year later and read the letter. She then realized that the old man that she met that same day was the future Gyunwoo.

Finally it was time for her to meet her ex-boyfriend's mother. And it was also the time that Gyunwoo would finally go to his aunt. Finally years after, they met again and realized that they were really meant for each other.

Conclusion:

This is one of the most impressive films that I have ever watched. Actually, this movie was introduced to me by a friend, but I just ignored it. A few months after, I was forced to watch it because my friends begged me to watch it with them. I did not expect that this movie would really impress me. It really made me regret that I did not watch it the first time it was introduced to me. Simply put, this movie is the best that I have seen by far. Had it not been for the hilarious set-up of the movie, the chemistry of the two actors and the tied-up scenes that are connected to each other, I wouldn't have liked it. This movie simply make both ends meet. Everything that happens in this movie has a reason and is somehow connected to everything that happens on the scenes that follow. I would really recommend this movie to lovers, hopeless romantics and the like. It really will capture the attention of every viewer who watches it. And if you think that this movie doesn't deserve to have five stars, then there is something wrong with you.

Scenes to watch out for:

• The Girl throwing up over an old man
  
• Gyunwoo and The Girl Sleeping in a motel
  
• Gyunwoo's expression when someone is throwing up
  
• The cut scenes from the Director's Cut
  
• Gyunwoo being hit by a ball all the time
  
• The marching game on the train
  
• Gyunwoo forced to read the girl's synopsis three times
  
• Gyunwoo being scolded "wanna die" a couple of times
  
• Gyunwoo pushed in the water
  
• Gyunwoo was told to go over the next mountain
  
• The Train departure scene (where they parted ways)
  
• The scene where Gyunwoo gave a flower for the Girl on their 100th Day
  
• Gyunwoo going to jail a couple of times
  
• The last scene. Control those tears of JOY!
  

Trivia:

After the Girl talked to the old man for the last time, as she looked off into the sky, a small UFO hovered across and zipped off real quickly. It's been said that the UFO was actually a time machine that Gyunwoo, as an old man, used to revisit his past. The old man also made a brief appearance near the beginning of the film when Gyunwoo and the Girl meet for the first time.

The news article on the wall in the hotel was an article about a couple who had quintuplets. The quintuplets (grown up, played by the same actor) made brief appearances throughout the film. The hotel manager was one of them. The security guard in the subway turnstiles stopping GyunWoo in the beginning of the film was another. The gangster boss in the jail was another one. The fourth one was the man at the intercom inside the subway station when Gyunwoo came in and hugged the girl (you would notice the same article hanging in the background). I think the fifth one was the security guard whose face you couldn't see, who ordered Chinese food at the school (they used someone else because the actor was sick that day).

Memorable Lines:

• The Girl: What do you want to order?
  Gyun-Woo: Cherry Jubilee... wait... I'll have Mango Tango... or Shooting Star... Jamonka Almond sounds good too... Okay, I'll just have Love Me.
  The Girl: Wanna die? Drink coffee!

• The Girl: You know why the sky is blue?
  Gyun-Woo: Because the reflection from the sunshine causes...
  The Girl: Wrong! It's to make me happy. I wanted it to be blue, so it's blue. You know why fire is hot? It's all for me. I wanted it to be hot, so it's hot. You know why we have four seasons here in Korea?
  Gyun-Woo: For you?
  The Girl: Correct.

• Fate is building a bridge of chance for the one you love.

• I think I have met a man from the future... From your future
  

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Gyunwoo was browsing the internet and checking his email, the address bar showed that he was looking at local files on the C drive, not actual internet sites.

Revealing mistakes: The bars of the prison wiggled, revealing that they're not made of metal.

Juxtopose's Rating based on...

Acting = 10/10
Storyline = 10/10