The Movie

In the first few minutes of My Sassy Girl, I couldn't help but laugh. From that moment on, I knew I was in for quite a treat. The Korean film My Sassy Girl is a cute and silly romantic comedy that never seems to lose its edge. The movie is basically about an awkward developing relationship between two people as they slowly fall in love. But it is important to note that My Sassy Girl is not at all like every other romantic comedy. Instead, it has a pair of kooky characters who are unbelievably adorable together and simply watching them interact is a riot. I repeatedly found myself laughing until it hurt. Overall, this movie is fantastic and a lot of fun.

In the beginning of the movie we are introduced to one of the main characters. Kyun-woo (Cha Tae-hyun) is your typically college kid majoring in engineering. Well, maybe not typical. When he was younger his parents raised him as if he were a girl, because they always wanted a girl. It was not until he was six or so he realized he was actually a boy. Growing up, Kyun-woo ended up being a fairly goofy guy. One day on the subway he meets a very drunk girl (Jeon Ji-hyun). This girl is the other main character and her name is never revealed in the film. In a drunken stupor she makes a complete ass of herself and manages to calls Kyun-woo honey. Despite they do not know each other everyone on the subway thinks they are dating. Kyun-woo gets bullied into taking care of her. And so their relationship begins, which is an adventure of romance and fun.

The basic motivation of this story seems pretty dry, but there is plenty in the movie that really help it stand out. First of all, the couple is great together. Jeon is plays a wacky, crazy, and goofy girl and you cannot help but like her. The way she interacts with Cha's character is simply great. Repeatedly, she puts him into situations that leave him getting hit on the head or making a complete ass of himself (like wearing high heels in public or getting arrested). It is also in a way slightly sad, because Cha gets treated pretty poorly and keeps coming back for more. Despite the crazy antics Jeon's character makes Cha's character endure, he seems to be willing to take it. Now that's true love. Watching the two together is adorable and fun.

The actual situations the pair gets into add a lot to this movie. The first scene, when the two meet on the subway is absolutely hilarious. Jeon plays a girl blitzed out of her mind and her drunken actions gets Cha's character into a heap of trouble. It's a hilarious way to start a relationship. There are many more scenes that follow along this line, but most of are funny (or romantic) because of the character's interactions. The movie also includes some small enactments that add high paced action with gunfire and swordplay to the movie.

As far as romantic comedies go, My Sassy Girl is a winner. The two main characters flow very well together and the situations resulting from their kooky interactions are usually worth a laugh. I repeatedly found myself laughing until it hurt. Overall, I think this movie is hard not to fall in love with.

The DVD
Please note this review covers the Hong Kong DVD release, which is encoded for region 3. Subsequently, it will only play in region 3 or region-free DVD player.

Video:
The video in this release is given in 1.78:1 ratio widescreen color. The picture quality is very good with a clean and sharp image. There is a minor grain, which should not be a problem.

Audio:
The audio track in this release is an adequate Korean 2.0 Dolby digital stereo track. The feature is dialogue driven and it comes off pretty flat. The music and sounds effects are richer, but not by much. There are subtitles in English and Chinese.

Extras:
There are not many extras included with this release. There is a theatrical trailer, music video "I Believe", photo gallery, and cast/crew filmographies. Quite frankly, this section is pretty weak.

Final Thoughts:
I've heard good things about My Sassy Girl, but never realized it was that good. I was truly amazed and surprised with this movie. The two main characters and their kooky interactions are really what made this work. My Sassy Girl is a very special romantic comedy and whether you enjoy chick-flicks or not, this film is going to make you laugh, cry, and most importantly, smile. It is really a great movie and I highly recommend it.