JohnnyRobinson
Springfield, MO
This review may contain spoilers
" I'm Sorry; I Tried But I Cannot Do Any Better. I Thought That I Was Stronger Than This."
Literal translation of title: 'That Bizarre Girl'
Part of the "My Sassy Girl Trilogy" by Kwak Jae Yong
This is the first movie of the "My Sassy Girl Trilogy" by director/screenwriter Kwak Jae Young.
The second is the film "Windstruck (2004)".
The third is the Japanese film "Cyborg She (2008)".
They are unrelated except for having a 'sassy girl' theme
Kwak Jae Yong served as screenwriter & director for all three above films.
Windstruck (2004) also stars Jun Ji Hyun, with a guest appearance by Cha Tae Hyun (this film's Gyun Woo).
I usually don't read other people's reviews, but I saw several 'low' scores here, so I thought I would address them; also, I was trying to get away from giving you an overview of the movie, but I have to do it this time in order to explain the young "Girl's" actions!
This movie is not about the "Sassy Girl"! It is about a young man, Gyon Woo, finally finding 'someone' to him to care enough about that he gets his crap together - and matures into a man!
Gyun Woo (Cha Tae Hyun) says that he was 'raised' by his mother as a girl"; this, I feel, has an effect on his dating girls in high school and now in college, where he is when this movie starts. He is having his picture taken in the second scene, but he really is stalling so that he won't have to go visit his aunt, who has a beautiful girl to introduce him to!
(He will meet her finally, but only at the end of the movie!)
He meets a young girl, (who I realized about the third time I watched this movie that the director gave no name to her, just 'The Girl', played by Jun Ji Hyun) on a subway in a large Korean city. First, he saves her from being hit by the subway and then took care of her as he was mistaken to be her boyfriend after she passes out drunk on the subway.
What most people FORGET, although it is mentioned later in the movie, she is celebrating the 1-year 'Death Day' of her late boyfriend, he dies the same day one year earlier before she meets Gyon Woo on the subway! Her ex-boyfriend who is still inside her and his memory keeps her from trying to date other men.
They also met on the subway as well, the way The Girl and Gyon Woo did.
Most of what happens revolves around this unseen boyfriend of The Girl that you never see, except his hand: The Girl is desperately trying to see her late boyfriend in Gyon Woo; however, she is slowly but surely falling in love with him!
That is why:
* She gets drunk because her late boyfriend is still in her mind and she cannot forget him
* She won't let Gyon Woo order soda when together, because that is what her late boyfriend used to order
* She pushes Gyon Woo into the lake, then jumps in to save him [a scene with the mother of her dead boyfriend (Yang Geum
Suk) and her are shown on the banks of a body of water; many feel her son/The Girl's late boyfriend drowned] The Girl is
actually 'saving' her boyfriend in her mind, warped by his death!
* Gyon Woo gives her his handkerchief to wipe her nose; her dead boyfriend had a handkerchief of the same design
* She wants to be with him, but she cannot shake her dead boyfriend's memory
* She keeps putting off seeing her old boyfriend's mother, who wants to introduce her to a new guy she thinks The Girl might
like
* She keeps telling him, "Wanna Die", when she wants him to do something with her and he gives a wrong answer.
* She beats him up when he does wrong: her late boyfriend would not approve!
* She can only 'let go' of her late boyfriend, after she thinks that Gyon Woo replanted the Wish Tree where they buried the
time capsule near the end: she finally realizes how much they care for each other!
* After 'letting go' The Girl finally throws the necklace the late boyfriend gave to her into a body of water, representing that
she finally released him (again, many think he drowned) and his memory!
* She goes to Europe for a year and a half since she couldn't find Gyon Woo again.
* Gyon Woo's mother actually thinks that she went to Europe to forget her late son, not Gyon Woo!
In case you haven't figured it out yet, The Girl's late boyfriend's mother (played by Yang Geum Suk) is Gyon Woo's aunt, and she tried for SEVERAL YEARS to introduce the two of them to no avail! The aunt has no idea that The Girl has been seeing her nephew, Gyon Woo, over the years since her son died.
On her first 'blind' date after her father told Gyon Woo not to see his daughter again, The Girl calls Gyon Woo; Gyon Woo
then gives this advice to the blind date (played by actor Im Ho) and then leaves...
Don't ask her to be feminine...
Don't let her drink over 3 glasses of soju...she'll beat someone.
At a café, instead of coke or juice, order a coffee...
If she hits you, act like it hurts...if it hurts, act like it doesn't.
Surprise her with a rose on the 100th day anniversary...in class.
Make sure you learn Kendo and Squash,..
Be prepared to go to jail sometimes...
Is she says she'll kill you, don't take it likely...
If her feet hurt, exchange shoes (with her)...
She likes to write (screenplays), encourage her.
Eggs: This movie is loaded with EGGS, fortunately not the kind that turn bad!
The man who The Girl throws up on in the subway in the beginning of the film is the man underneath the tree when The Girl goes to find Gyon Woo.
I love this movie! It was one of the first movies that I saw and became a huge Asian movie fan!
I love the main cast members who I had seen in other movies before this one. I came across Jun Ji Hyun in White Valentine (1999) in an English version and then saw her in Il Mare (2000), both excellent movies!
I saw Cha Tae Hyun in Sad Movie (2005) and the classic, Lover's Concerto (2002) before seeing him here. He also does an excellent job in the sad movie BABO (2008)!
They both gave excellent performances here and their chemistry was amazing!
The support cast also did an excellent job here; with a special kudos to The Girl's father (Han Jin Hee) and the hilarious performance in his scenes, and Gyun Woo's mother (Song Ok Sook), and her hilarious performance as well!
Just between us, there is going to be a remake, and we will find out that Gyun Woo and The Girl were switched at birth; the Girl has the genes of Gyun Woo's mother in her! (Just kidding!)
The music and cinematography were excellent and deserving of this movie being rated as high as it is!
After this movie came out, EVERY Korean girl wanted to be "The Girl', according to my friends in Korea. It has been copied in several countries but this one is still the best!
Many who gave this movie a bad rating did not take the time to see WHY The Girl acted the way she did!
The New Sassy Girl (2016) was attempted, but it only starred Cha Tae Hyun but not Jun Ji Hyun: need to say, it flopped!
Be the way, the UFO is from timepoint 1:15:57 to 1:16:02; blink and you will miss it!
RE-WATCH VALUE: All the time!
Part of the "My Sassy Girl Trilogy" by Kwak Jae Yong
This is the first movie of the "My Sassy Girl Trilogy" by director/screenwriter Kwak Jae Young.
The second is the film "Windstruck (2004)".
The third is the Japanese film "Cyborg She (2008)".
They are unrelated except for having a 'sassy girl' theme
Kwak Jae Yong served as screenwriter & director for all three above films.
Windstruck (2004) also stars Jun Ji Hyun, with a guest appearance by Cha Tae Hyun (this film's Gyun Woo).
I usually don't read other people's reviews, but I saw several 'low' scores here, so I thought I would address them; also, I was trying to get away from giving you an overview of the movie, but I have to do it this time in order to explain the young "Girl's" actions!
This movie is not about the "Sassy Girl"! It is about a young man, Gyon Woo, finally finding 'someone' to him to care enough about that he gets his crap together - and matures into a man!
Gyun Woo (Cha Tae Hyun) says that he was 'raised' by his mother as a girl"; this, I feel, has an effect on his dating girls in high school and now in college, where he is when this movie starts. He is having his picture taken in the second scene, but he really is stalling so that he won't have to go visit his aunt, who has a beautiful girl to introduce him to!
(He will meet her finally, but only at the end of the movie!)
He meets a young girl, (who I realized about the third time I watched this movie that the director gave no name to her, just 'The Girl', played by Jun Ji Hyun) on a subway in a large Korean city. First, he saves her from being hit by the subway and then took care of her as he was mistaken to be her boyfriend after she passes out drunk on the subway.
What most people FORGET, although it is mentioned later in the movie, she is celebrating the 1-year 'Death Day' of her late boyfriend, he dies the same day one year earlier before she meets Gyon Woo on the subway! Her ex-boyfriend who is still inside her and his memory keeps her from trying to date other men.
They also met on the subway as well, the way The Girl and Gyon Woo did.
Most of what happens revolves around this unseen boyfriend of The Girl that you never see, except his hand: The Girl is desperately trying to see her late boyfriend in Gyon Woo; however, she is slowly but surely falling in love with him!
That is why:
* She gets drunk because her late boyfriend is still in her mind and she cannot forget him
* She won't let Gyon Woo order soda when together, because that is what her late boyfriend used to order
* She pushes Gyon Woo into the lake, then jumps in to save him [a scene with the mother of her dead boyfriend (Yang Geum
Suk) and her are shown on the banks of a body of water; many feel her son/The Girl's late boyfriend drowned] The Girl is
actually 'saving' her boyfriend in her mind, warped by his death!
* Gyon Woo gives her his handkerchief to wipe her nose; her dead boyfriend had a handkerchief of the same design
* She wants to be with him, but she cannot shake her dead boyfriend's memory
* She keeps putting off seeing her old boyfriend's mother, who wants to introduce her to a new guy she thinks The Girl might
like
* She keeps telling him, "Wanna Die", when she wants him to do something with her and he gives a wrong answer.
* She beats him up when he does wrong: her late boyfriend would not approve!
* She can only 'let go' of her late boyfriend, after she thinks that Gyon Woo replanted the Wish Tree where they buried the
time capsule near the end: she finally realizes how much they care for each other!
* After 'letting go' The Girl finally throws the necklace the late boyfriend gave to her into a body of water, representing that
she finally released him (again, many think he drowned) and his memory!
* She goes to Europe for a year and a half since she couldn't find Gyon Woo again.
* Gyon Woo's mother actually thinks that she went to Europe to forget her late son, not Gyon Woo!
In case you haven't figured it out yet, The Girl's late boyfriend's mother (played by Yang Geum Suk) is Gyon Woo's aunt, and she tried for SEVERAL YEARS to introduce the two of them to no avail! The aunt has no idea that The Girl has been seeing her nephew, Gyon Woo, over the years since her son died.
On her first 'blind' date after her father told Gyon Woo not to see his daughter again, The Girl calls Gyon Woo; Gyon Woo
then gives this advice to the blind date (played by actor Im Ho) and then leaves...
Don't ask her to be feminine...
Don't let her drink over 3 glasses of soju...she'll beat someone.
At a café, instead of coke or juice, order a coffee...
If she hits you, act like it hurts...if it hurts, act like it doesn't.
Surprise her with a rose on the 100th day anniversary...in class.
Make sure you learn Kendo and Squash,..
Be prepared to go to jail sometimes...
Is she says she'll kill you, don't take it likely...
If her feet hurt, exchange shoes (with her)...
She likes to write (screenplays), encourage her.
Eggs: This movie is loaded with EGGS, fortunately not the kind that turn bad!
The man who The Girl throws up on in the subway in the beginning of the film is the man underneath the tree when The Girl goes to find Gyon Woo.
I love this movie! It was one of the first movies that I saw and became a huge Asian movie fan!
I love the main cast members who I had seen in other movies before this one. I came across Jun Ji Hyun in White Valentine (1999) in an English version and then saw her in Il Mare (2000), both excellent movies!
I saw Cha Tae Hyun in Sad Movie (2005) and the classic, Lover's Concerto (2002) before seeing him here. He also does an excellent job in the sad movie BABO (2008)!
They both gave excellent performances here and their chemistry was amazing!
The support cast also did an excellent job here; with a special kudos to The Girl's father (Han Jin Hee) and the hilarious performance in his scenes, and Gyun Woo's mother (Song Ok Sook), and her hilarious performance as well!
Just between us, there is going to be a remake, and we will find out that Gyun Woo and The Girl were switched at birth; the Girl has the genes of Gyun Woo's mother in her! (Just kidding!)
The music and cinematography were excellent and deserving of this movie being rated as high as it is!
After this movie came out, EVERY Korean girl wanted to be "The Girl', according to my friends in Korea. It has been copied in several countries but this one is still the best!
Many who gave this movie a bad rating did not take the time to see WHY The Girl acted the way she did!
The New Sassy Girl (2016) was attempted, but it only starred Cha Tae Hyun but not Jun Ji Hyun: need to say, it flopped!
Be the way, the UFO is from timepoint 1:15:57 to 1:16:02; blink and you will miss it!
RE-WATCH VALUE: All the time!
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