I was teaching an EFL class of Korean middle-school girls when I first heard about
Yeobgijeogin Geunyeo. It was the big teen hit of the year (the other big hit that year in Korea was
Friend, which I still have not seen). At my students' prompting I promised them that I would see My Sassy Girl. I was so glad that I did. I fell completely in love with the Girl (Jeon Ji-hyeon). The movie is funny, cute, a little stupid, sweet, romantic, innocent, heart-breaking, heart-warming, adn an absolute joy from start to finish. Hollywood is remaking this movie, but it won't work at all. This movie is Korean through and through. I can't really explain how, but anyone who has spent any time in Korea, or with Korean girls, will recognize the naive bravado that they put on. They want so much to be grown-up, but their culture (by this I mean not only the remnants of traditional culture, but also the pressures of modern, Western-influenced pop/youth culture) dictates that they remain school girls. It is a combination that makes the Girl both representative and irresistible. Cha Tae-hyeon is perfectly cast as Kyun-woo, the lucky unfortunate sap who gets sucked into the GIrl's world. His comic timing is dead on, his facial expressions priceless, and his sweetness sincere. I don't think this movie is for everyone, but if you have a sweet-tooth, this is the film equivalent of pralines and soufflé.