Review: The two protagonists of this movie is Ji-won, a viciously pretty girl who has never had problems getting the guy she wants. The other is Min-joon, a young architect and a womanizer. Both have their own methods into ‘tricking’ a target into falling in love with them. It is hilarious to see Ji-won faking a car accident so her ‘target’ can get out of his car to help her when in reality it is all an act. However Ji-won then meets Min-joon. Both are extremely attracted to each other but tried to seduce each other with their own methods. However both are experts in the game of love - Ji-won is intrigued because of the challenge. Who shall be the winner of this game? Well go watch this movie. It is an extremely hilarious movie. It is funny to see both Ji-won and Min-joon trying to get the other to sumbit to them, but finally they both fall in love. There are also a couple of romantic parts for those who like that stuff. I thought the movie had a good length to it and did not end abruptly - which leaves the audience satisfied. I would recommend this because it keeps the watches entertained at ALL times. It is fast-paced, and never boring.
A Moment to Remember Promotional Movie Poster Directed by Lee Jae-Han Produced by Cha Seoung-jae Written by Lee Jae-Han Kim Yeong-ha Starring Jung Woo-sung Son Ye-jin Baek Jong-hak Music by Kim Tae-won Cinematography Lee Jun-gyu Editing by Steve M. Choe Ham Sung-won Distributed by CJ Entertainment Release date(s) November 5, 2004 (South Korea) Running time 144 min. (director's cut) Language Korean IMDb profile Korean name Hangul: 내 머리 속의 지우개 Hanja: (none) Revised Romanization: Nae Meorisogui Jiugae McCune-Reischauer: Nae Mǒrisogǔi Chiugae A Moment to Remember is a 2004 South Korean movie. The movie was officially released on November 5, 2004 in South Korea.
[edit] Synopsis Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow. Divided into four segments, A Moment to Remember follows the theme of discovery in a relationship and the burdens of loss caused by Alzheimer's disease.
The first segment of the film, staged in romantic comedy style, introduces the protagonists, a woman named Su Jin and a man named Chul Soo. The movie highlights their accidental meeting in a convenience store and confusion over a can of soda, followed by their subsequent courting despite the social standings that should have kept them apart.
The second segment follows the couple now settling into married life. Su-Jin learns to be a housewife as her husband cares for her. But as the segment progresses, Su-jin begins to display forgetfulness, including an incident in which a fire breaks out because of a forgotten stove. While Chul Soo caught the fire in time, the seriousness of the incident and others draw them to seek medical help.
The third segment involves the revelation of Alzheimer's disease and the couple's consequent response to it. Su Jin is heavily burdened by the knowledge that she will forget her husband and hides it from him at first until he seeks advice from the doctor himself. Despite the disease, they make the commitment to stay together and as the disease progresses, the trials the couple go through increase because of Su Jin's forgetfulness.
The fourth segment reveals Su-jin in the final stages of the disease and the grief Chul Soo experiences because of it. Yet he remains beside her, despite her lost memory, hiding his eyes behind sunglasses when he visits her so she can't see his tears.
Name: Son Ye-jin (Son Yejin, Sohn Ye Jin, Son Yeh-jin) Birth name: Son Eon-jin 손언진 Birth date: January 11, 1982 Birthplace: Daegu, South Korea Height: 165 cm Blood Type: A Religion: Roman Catholic Family: Parents and elder sister Education: Seoul Institute of the Arts (graduated) Profession: Actress
Hobbies: Swimming, yoga and photo taking Favorite Color: Beige, ivory and pastel Favorite Fashion: Semi casual, jeans and shirts Favorite Season: Spring Favorite Movies: “Moulin Rouge” and “Life is Beautiful”
Son Ye-jin biography Son Ye-jin started appearing in commercials since 1999, and made her acting debut in 2001 for MBC drama “Sweet Propose” (also named “Delicious Proposal”). She was named MBC best new actress in the same year.
Son Ye-jin then starred in a few other TV dramas and movies before her breakthrough in 2003, with popular TV drama “Summer Scent,” starring alongside Song Seung-hun that made her one of the most popular actress in Korea and around Asia.
It’s also in 2003 when Son Ye-jin starred in “The Classic” alongside Jo In-seung, which was a box office success in Asia as well.
2005 was another great year for Son, her movie “April Snow” (with Bae Yong-joon) and “A Moment to Remember” (with Jung Woo-song) were both massive hit around Asia.
Ye-jin’s role in April Snow won her a best actress award at Asia Pacific Film Festival 2006.
In 2006, Son Ye-jin starred with actor Gam Woo-seong in highly rated TV drama “Alone In Love.”
Son Ye-jin seems unstoppable at the moment, already one of Korean biggest star and making fame across Asia, we will see more from Ye-jin in the near future for sure.
Why I like Son Ye-jin Son Ye Jin is super cute and super pretty. She looks good when she smile and look adorable even when she cry. One of the prettiest actress I’ve seen on screen.
Son Ye-jin pictures and photos Galleries 1 l 2 l 3 l 4
Son Ye-jin contact info Barunson Management, 4th floor, KR building, Cheongdam Dong 78-6, Gangnam gu, Seoul, Korea.
Son Ye-jin , after graduated from the Seoul Institute of Arts (The Film Art Department) made her first big screen debut in Secret Tears(2000).
Her first lead role is in the drama Delicious Proposal(2001) and her first recognition came in 2002 where she won the 22nd Korea Movie Critics Best New Actress Award for her role as Soo-In in Lover's Concerto(2002), who contracted leukemia since young. Her subsequent movie The Classic(2003) earned her several other awards. Her fascinating acting and crying skill has won her praises from directors and co-actors.
Her career highlight is when she won the 2003 Blue Dragon Popular Actress Award. The characters she played had simply moved and won the heart of the audience. In mid 2003 we realised that not only that she has a lovable face, she also has a sizzling hot body figures as demonstrated in Crazy First Love (2003) where for the first time on screen she wore a bikini to seduce co-actor Cha Tae-Hyeon. More of her daring acts in a 2005 box office hit April Snow(2004).
We can see Son Ye-jin's mature growth and she is able to shake off her typical portrait of delicate ailing figures with her recent works, her popularity is on the rise with her inroad into the Japanese commercial market that looks promising.
Another highlight of her acting career when she is announced as the highest paid actress in Korea commanding a record of US 25 thousand per episode for Season of Love. Good reviews of were recieved from media & public.Her performance in the show earned her a commercial opportunty with Japanese beauty products merchant Ginza Bonheur.
In June 2006, Son Ye Jin was chosen by Chanel to be the model to endose their products in Asian region. She was also voted as the "2006 Jewelry Lady" which was won by Kim Hyun Joo & Han Chae Young previously.
Son Ye Jin's popularity in Japan was once again confirmed as two of her movie top the Japanese list of most popular Korean film. Son Ye Jin and Jung Woo Sung's "Moment to Remember" was the most popular Korean movie with a box office of 30 billion yen. Her other work with Korean heart-throb Bae Yong Joon "April Snow" came in second with 27.5 billion yen
Year: 2003 Director: Oh Jong-Bok Cast: Cha Tae-Hyun, Son Ye-Jin, Yoo Dong-Geun, Sung Ji-Ru, Lee Byeong-Wook, Kim Jin-Hyeok
The Skinny: A hapless shlub tries to win the heart of his childhood sweetheart in this horrible excuse for a romantic comedy. Crazy First Love pretty much proves that "wacky" doesn't necessarily mean "funny." And just an FYI: shoehorning a terminal illness melodrama midway into the plot isn't exactly the best way to improve an already faltering attempt at comedy. A prime example of what's wrong with Korean cinema.
Review
Wong Jing makes a Korean movie! Well, not really, but considering how many characteristics Crazy First Love shares with some of the man's worst films, one can't help but wonder if the infamous director had a hand in making this complete turd of a movie. Annoying characters, raving misogyny, contrived melodrama, and a poorly-executed storyline dominate the entirety of Crazy First Love, making it hands down one of the worst Korean films this reviewer has ever seen. Of course, Wong Jing isn't actually responsible for this cinematic masterpiece; that dubious distinction goes to Oh Jong-Bok. In many ways, Crazy First Love exemplifies the very worst Korean cinema has to offer; it's like a shiny, beautifully-wrapped Christmas present with nothing but a lump of coal inside. My Sassy Girl's Cha Tae-Hyun stars as Son Jae-Il, a troublemaking high school student sporting a ridiculous afro. Tae-Il's one aspiration in life is to marry his childhood friend and supposed first love, Joo Il-Mae (Son Ye-Jin, from The Classic and April Snow), but as rebellious as he seems, Jae-Il is actually old-fashioned enough to want her father's consent first. Il Mae's dad, Joo Young-Dal (Yoo Dong-Geun) (who also doubles as the boy's stern high school teacher) has promised his daughter's hand in marriage to Jae-Il on numerous occasions, only to go back on his word each and every time. Young-Dal is putting the boy on the path of self-improvement, while at the same time protecting his daughter's chastity. This seemingly unending chain of broken promises eventually leads to Jae-Il embarking on one, supposedly final challenge: if he goes to college and passes his law exam, then Il-Mae is his for the taking. In the meantime, however, Jae-Il promises to watch over his beloved, while at the same time swearing off any and all romance with her until their wedding day. Of course, this wouldn't be too insulting if Il-Mae actually wanted to marry Jae-Il, but for half of the film's running time, her thoughts toward her obsessed beau are kept from the audience. Instead, we watch as Jae-Il follows her to college, dogging her every move. While he dotes on her like an overprotective mother hen, he also fends off any and all competing suitors, which pretty much makes Il-Mae's life a living hell. Out of sexual frustration (and on the suggestion of one her gal pals) Il-Mae makes a pass at Jae-Il, but he turns her down in order to honor the pact he made with her father since he believes there'll be plenty of time for love once the marriage happens. But for Il-Mae, time seems to be running out. Based on her teary-eyed reaction and grave comments, it's not hard for a viewer to guess that a switch to full-blown melodrama is right around the corner. When the big day finally comes and Dad gives his blessing, wedding bells should start ringing, right? Not so fast: it turns out Il-Mae doesn't want to marry Tae-Il. No surprise there, considering the fact that a) there isn't much of a romance between the two and b) she is given no say in the matter whatsoever. What is a surprise, however, is what happens next. Young-Dal and Jae-Il decide to team up in order to win over Il-Mae and protect her from the overtures of other young men. But rather than try some sort of truly romantic display, Jae-Il shows up at her workplace, messes up her dates, and pretty much makes an ass out of himself, all the while asserting that Il-Mae is his woman - in effect, his property. Charming fellow, huh? But just when you think Il-Mae is resisting marriage because she's rebelling against her father or because she simply doesn't love Tae-Il, the movie drops a bombshell, although not an unexpected one. It seems the real reason she doesn't want to be with Jae-Il isn't because he's an irredeemable lout, but because she's suffering from - yep, you guessed it - a terminal illness. In fact, it's the same one that took her mother's life. Worried that the ever-dedicated Jae-Il will suffer the same heartache as her widowed father (who isn't suffering THAT much, but more on that later), she decides to not only start seeing another guy, but to MARRY him, even though she knows that he's got a bunch of women on the side. That noise you're hearing is most likely the collective "Huh?" emanating from the mouths of dumbfounded moviegoers everywhere. Despite the baffling logic involved on Il-Mae's part, it's clear that Tae-Il has feelings for her. When he learns the truth about her condition, will he able to win her back in time before she weds someone else? And better yet, will anyone actually care? From the first scene to the very last, Crazy First Love is a horrible mess. While My Sassy Girl deftly walked the tonal tightrope between comedy and melodrama, this film fails miserably to strike any sort of balance. The first three quarters of the film are dedicated to Jae-Il's ridiculous quest to win Il-Mae's hand, while the last section delves headlong into melodrama. Although tonal shifts aren't all that uncommon in Korean cinema, the actual mingling of the two leaves a lot to be desired in Crazy First Love. The first portion of the film is so over-the-top and unreal that there's no weight to anything that happens there; it's all just a big, brutally unfunny joke. Taking that into consideration, it's no surprise that it's difficult to transition into the film's latter portions when all the tear-inducing histrionics start to occur. That transition might have been more believable if Tae-Il had actually been a likeable protagonist, but sadly, he isn't. Cha Tae-Hyun, who was so charming in the mega-hit My Sassy Girl, is misused here, playing perhaps the most annoying man on the planet. His character spends the entirety of the movie either shouting or crying. The unflinching sense of entitlement his character possesses toward Il-Mae is disgusting, as is her father's control freak behavior. Ultimately, Tae-Il is an exaggerated, completely one-dimensional character, while Il-Mae, for what little Son Ye-Jin is allowed to do in the role, is played slightly more real. As a result, it feels like Cha and Son are acting in two totally different films, an inconsistency that hurts the film's believability factor. And considering the film's complete lack of regard for Il-Mae's right to decide, you would think this movie was depicting a story from another century, not something that takes place in the contemporary age. What Il-Mae wants never seems to be a concern until about one hour into the film, and even then, it's kept secret from the audience as to why she's acting the way she is. Early on, it's unclear whether Il-Mae really likes Tae-Il, even when she tries to seduce him, since it's played more like a move of desperation, not love. And aside from Tae-Il's annoying qualities, one of the biggest problems with this romantic comedy is that there's no chemistry between the leads. What we have here is a total mismatch between a loudmouth, whiny man-child, and a pretty, smart, if unnecessarily opaque, woman. This could have been rectified with a more "opposites attract" approach to the plot, but since the film never really gives these two a chance for any romantic moments, Il-Mae's late coming revelation that she loves Tae-Il seems forced and unrealistic. Exactly why she would fall for an immature big brother-type is something the film never even tries to explain. Crazy First Love is filled with a lot of odd moments as well. The unintentional gay subtext of the film would be funny if it weren't so bizarre: Young-Dal lovingly rubbing salve on Tae-Il's bare ass after spanking him with a cane, the latter's strange propensity for shoving his fingers up the rears of Il-Mae's potential suitors (and the fact that they bend over and take it!), and Young-Dal's grabbing of his potential son-in-law's erection while wearing a look of pure ecstasy. What the hell? As with most lame-brained melodramas, Crazy First Love suffers considerably from Idiot Plot Syndrome, as it's chock full of contrived situations and moronic logic. What exactly is the purpose of Il-Mae marrying someone else? The idea is supposed to be that the new guy has so many women on the side that when she dies, he'll be able to move on. And by marrying someone else, Jae-Il will forget about her and find another girl. But what's missing in this equation is whether a) she loves the new guy and b) why she wants to get married at all. It's one thing to have a relationship with someone else, but marriage? Unless it's solely because she'd like to have a fancy stadium-seated wedding before she croaks, then I'm guessing it's really because the filmmakers wanted to do the umpteenth variation on The Graduate's memorable ending. And even if her plan works and Tae-Il actually does move on, it's not like he's going to somehow forget how he felt for her when she kicks the bucket. So her "honorable" decision to spare him any pain is a failure from the get-go. Even worse, her father, who strangely can't see the obvious parallels between his own situation and that of Tae-Il's, stands idly by, apparently waiting for everything to be resolved at the climax. I suppose melodrama fans are supposed to eat this up, but when such a tried-and-true formula is executed so haphazardly without any regard for the audience's patience, it's hard not to get a little insulted by the inept filmmaking involved. With or without the terminal illness angle, Crazy First Love could have easily been a film about an immature punk who finally grows up and learns the meaning of true love, a father who discovers it's time to let go, and a daughter who finds out that she's got the right to be strong and independent. Maybe all that's buried under the mountain of crap called Crazy First Love, but you'd have to look really hard to see it. (Sanjuro 2006)
SON Tae-il(CHA Tae-hyun) is a super problem child of Kang High. He has an incredible IQ of 148, but, unfortunately, he's only interested in marrying his first love Il-mae(SON Ye-jin). When Tae-il demands marriage with Il-mae and strays farther away from school, Young-dal(YOO Dong-geun) and Il-mae come up with a proposal to 'bring Tae-il back to the right track.' He openly declares that he would allow Tae-il to marry his daughter Il-mae if he could raise his rank up to top 3, 000 nationwide from his current status of 300,000.
Tae-il accepts the ridiculous proposal without a second thought. And 2 years later, he does pull up his rank up top 3,000 nationwide and is admitted to the Law School of Seoul National University. However, fooled by Young-dal's skillfully touching(?) performance, incorporating tears and snots, Tae-il gets softhearted and promises Young-dal that he'll keep Il-mae 'pure' until he passes the judicial examination. A man's words weigh and worth as much as thousand gold! From then on, Tae-il's ultimate mission is to protect Il-mae from all the sleazeballs who approach her~!
Tae-il's new job as Il-mae's personal bodyguard has begun. However, his double-duty of studying for the judicial examination and monitoring Il-mae's whereabouts is keeping him awake 24-7. On the other hand, Il-mae, who wants to enjoy her college life and date boys, gets frustrated watching Tae-il, who only focuses on his study and even rejects Il-mae's approach to kiss him. What she doesn't realize is that he's doing all this to be with her.
After countless night of no sleep and nosebleed, Tae-il finally passes the 1st level judicial examination. However, at his congratulatory party, Il-mae drops the bomb by confessing her love for another man. Tae-il can't believe his ears. Can this be really happening? Will Tae-il be able to regain and keep his first love?
7 comments:
to ressell!
know what i am very happy na nakagawa ako ng ias sa mga promise ko!
oo nga pala i hope to see you 11 years from now........................
ok? see you!!!!!!!!!!!
art of seduction
Review: The two protagonists of this movie is Ji-won, a viciously pretty girl who has never had problems getting the guy she wants. The other is Min-joon, a young architect and a womanizer. Both have their own methods into ‘tricking’ a target into falling in love with them. It is hilarious to see Ji-won faking a car accident so her ‘target’ can get out of his car to help her when in reality it is all an act.
However Ji-won then meets Min-joon. Both are extremely attracted to each other but tried to seduce each other with their own methods. However both are experts in the game of love - Ji-won is intrigued because of the challenge. Who shall be the winner of this game? Well go watch this movie.
It is an extremely hilarious movie. It is funny to see both Ji-won and Min-joon trying to get the other to sumbit to them, but finally they both fall in love. There are also a couple of romantic parts for those who like that stuff. I thought the movie had a good length to it and did not end abruptly - which leaves the audience satisfied. I would recommend this because it keeps the watches entertained at ALL times. It is fast-paced, and never boring.
A Moment to Remember
A Moment to Remember
A Moment to Remember Promotional Movie Poster
Directed by Lee Jae-Han
Produced by Cha Seoung-jae
Written by Lee Jae-Han
Kim Yeong-ha
Starring Jung Woo-sung
Son Ye-jin
Baek Jong-hak
Music by Kim Tae-won
Cinematography Lee Jun-gyu
Editing by Steve M. Choe
Ham Sung-won
Distributed by CJ Entertainment
Release date(s) November 5, 2004 (South Korea)
Running time 144 min. (director's cut)
Language Korean
IMDb profile
Korean name
Hangul: 내 머리 속의 지우개
Hanja: (none)
Revised Romanization: Nae Meorisogui Jiugae
McCune-Reischauer: Nae Mǒrisogǔi Chiugae
A Moment to Remember is a 2004 South Korean movie. The movie was officially released on November 5, 2004 in South Korea.
[edit] Synopsis
Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
Divided into four segments, A Moment to Remember follows the theme of discovery in a relationship and the burdens of loss caused by Alzheimer's disease.
The first segment of the film, staged in romantic comedy style, introduces the protagonists, a woman named Su Jin and a man named Chul Soo. The movie highlights their accidental meeting in a convenience store and confusion over a can of soda, followed by their subsequent courting despite the social standings that should have kept them apart.
The second segment follows the couple now settling into married life. Su-Jin learns to be a housewife as her husband cares for her. But as the segment progresses, Su-jin begins to display forgetfulness, including an incident in which a fire breaks out because of a forgotten stove. While Chul Soo caught the fire in time, the seriousness of the incident and others draw them to seek medical help.
The third segment involves the revelation of Alzheimer's disease and the couple's consequent response to it. Su Jin is heavily burdened by the knowledge that she will forget her husband and hides it from him at first until he seeks advice from the doctor himself. Despite the disease, they make the commitment to stay together and as the disease progresses, the trials the couple go through increase because of Su Jin's forgetfulness.
The fourth segment reveals Su-jin in the final stages of the disease and the grief Chul Soo experiences because of it. Yet he remains beside her, despite her lost memory, hiding his eyes behind sunglasses when he visits her so she can't see his tears.
Son Ye-jin
Name: Son Ye-jin (Son Yejin, Sohn Ye Jin, Son Yeh-jin)
Birth name: Son Eon-jin 손언진
Birth date: January 11, 1982
Birthplace: Daegu, South Korea
Height: 165 cm
Blood Type: A
Religion: Roman Catholic
Family: Parents and elder sister
Education: Seoul Institute of the Arts (graduated)
Profession: Actress
Hobbies: Swimming, yoga and photo taking
Favorite Color: Beige, ivory and pastel
Favorite Fashion: Semi casual, jeans and shirts
Favorite Season: Spring
Favorite Movies: “Moulin Rouge” and “Life is Beautiful”
Son Ye-jin biography
Son Ye-jin started appearing in commercials since 1999, and made her acting debut in 2001 for MBC drama “Sweet Propose” (also named “Delicious Proposal”). She was named MBC best new actress in the same year.
Son Ye-jin then starred in a few other TV dramas and movies before her breakthrough in 2003, with popular TV drama “Summer Scent,” starring alongside Song Seung-hun that made her one of the most popular actress in Korea and around Asia.
It’s also in 2003 when Son Ye-jin starred in “The Classic” alongside Jo In-seung, which was a box office success in Asia as well.
2005 was another great year for Son, her movie “April Snow” (with Bae Yong-joon) and “A Moment to Remember” (with Jung Woo-song) were both massive hit around Asia.
Ye-jin’s role in April Snow won her a best actress award at Asia Pacific Film Festival 2006.
In 2006, Son Ye-jin starred with actor Gam Woo-seong in highly rated TV drama “Alone In Love.”
Son Ye-jin seems unstoppable at the moment, already one of Korean biggest star and making fame across Asia, we will see more from Ye-jin in the near future for sure.
Why I like Son Ye-jin
Son Ye Jin is super cute and super pretty. She looks good when she smile and look adorable even when she cry. One of the prettiest actress I’ve seen on screen.
Son Ye-jin pictures and photos
Galleries 1 l 2 l 3 l 4
Son Ye-jin contact info
Barunson Management, 4th floor, KR building, Cheongdam Dong 78-6, Gangnam gu, Seoul, Korea.
Son Ye-jin , after graduated from the Seoul Institute of Arts (The Film Art Department) made her first big screen debut in Secret Tears(2000).
Her first lead role is in the drama Delicious Proposal(2001) and her first recognition came in 2002 where she won the 22nd Korea Movie Critics Best New Actress Award for her role as Soo-In in Lover's Concerto(2002), who contracted leukemia since young. Her subsequent movie The Classic(2003) earned her several other awards. Her fascinating acting and crying skill has won her praises from directors and co-actors.
Her career highlight is when she won the 2003 Blue Dragon Popular Actress Award. The characters she played had simply moved and won the heart of the audience. In mid 2003 we realised that not only that she has a lovable face, she also has a sizzling hot body figures as demonstrated in Crazy First Love (2003) where for the first time on screen she wore a bikini to seduce co-actor Cha Tae-Hyeon. More of her daring acts in a 2005 box office hit April Snow(2004).
We can see Son Ye-jin's mature growth and she is able to shake off her typical portrait of delicate ailing figures with her recent works, her popularity is on the rise with her inroad into the Japanese commercial market that looks promising.
Another highlight of her acting career when she is announced as the highest paid actress in Korea commanding a record of US 25 thousand per episode for Season of Love. Good reviews of were recieved from media & public.Her performance in the show earned her a commercial opportunty with Japanese beauty products merchant Ginza Bonheur.
In June 2006, Son Ye Jin was chosen by Chanel to be the model to endose their products in Asian region. She was also voted as the "2006 Jewelry Lady" which was won by Kim Hyun Joo & Han Chae Young previously.
Son Ye Jin's popularity in Japan was once again confirmed as two of her movie top the Japanese list of most popular Korean film. Son Ye Jin and Jung Woo Sung's "Moment to Remember" was the most popular Korean movie with a box office of 30 billion yen. Her other work with Korean heart-throb Bae Yong Joon "April Snow" came in second with 27.5 billion yen
Cha Tae-Hyun and Son Ye-Jin
First Love Necklace
Year: 2003
Director: Oh Jong-Bok
Cast: Cha Tae-Hyun, Son Ye-Jin, Yoo Dong-Geun, Sung Ji-Ru, Lee Byeong-Wook, Kim Jin-Hyeok
The Skinny: A hapless shlub tries to win the heart of his childhood sweetheart in this horrible excuse for a romantic comedy. Crazy First Love pretty much proves that "wacky" doesn't necessarily mean "funny." And just an FYI: shoehorning a terminal illness melodrama midway into the plot isn't exactly the best way to improve an already faltering attempt at comedy. A prime example of what's wrong with Korean cinema.
Review
Wong Jing makes a Korean movie! Well, not really, but considering how many characteristics Crazy First Love shares with some of the man's worst films, one can't help but wonder if the infamous director had a hand in making this complete turd of a movie. Annoying characters, raving misogyny, contrived melodrama, and a poorly-executed storyline dominate the entirety of Crazy First Love, making it hands down one of the worst Korean films this reviewer has ever seen. Of course, Wong Jing isn't actually responsible for this cinematic masterpiece; that dubious distinction goes to Oh Jong-Bok. In many ways, Crazy First Love exemplifies the very worst Korean cinema has to offer; it's like a shiny, beautifully-wrapped Christmas present with nothing but a lump of coal inside.
My Sassy Girl's Cha Tae-Hyun stars as Son Jae-Il, a troublemaking high school student sporting a ridiculous afro. Tae-Il's one aspiration in life is to marry his childhood friend and supposed first love, Joo Il-Mae (Son Ye-Jin, from The Classic and April Snow), but as rebellious as he seems, Jae-Il is actually old-fashioned enough to want her father's consent first. Il Mae's dad, Joo Young-Dal (Yoo Dong-Geun) (who also doubles as the boy's stern high school teacher) has promised his daughter's hand in marriage to Jae-Il on numerous occasions, only to go back on his word each and every time. Young-Dal is putting the boy on the path of self-improvement, while at the same time protecting his daughter's chastity. This seemingly unending chain of broken promises eventually leads to Jae-Il embarking on one, supposedly final challenge: if he goes to college and passes his law exam, then Il-Mae is his for the taking. In the meantime, however, Jae-Il promises to watch over his beloved, while at the same time swearing off any and all romance with her until their wedding day.
Of course, this wouldn't be too insulting if Il-Mae actually wanted to marry Jae-Il, but for half of the film's running time, her thoughts toward her obsessed beau are kept from the audience. Instead, we watch as Jae-Il follows her to college, dogging her every move. While he dotes on her like an overprotective mother hen, he also fends off any and all competing suitors, which pretty much makes Il-Mae's life a living hell. Out of sexual frustration (and on the suggestion of one her gal pals) Il-Mae makes a pass at Jae-Il, but he turns her down in order to honor the pact he made with her father since he believes there'll be plenty of time for love once the marriage happens. But for Il-Mae, time seems to be running out. Based on her teary-eyed reaction and grave comments, it's not hard for a viewer to guess that a switch to full-blown melodrama is right around the corner.
When the big day finally comes and Dad gives his blessing, wedding bells should start ringing, right? Not so fast: it turns out Il-Mae doesn't want to marry Tae-Il. No surprise there, considering the fact that a) there isn't much of a romance between the two and b) she is given no say in the matter whatsoever. What is a surprise, however, is what happens next. Young-Dal and Jae-Il decide to team up in order to win over Il-Mae and protect her from the overtures of other young men. But rather than try some sort of truly romantic display, Jae-Il shows up at her workplace, messes up her dates, and pretty much makes an ass out of himself, all the while asserting that Il-Mae is his woman - in effect, his property. Charming fellow, huh?
But just when you think Il-Mae is resisting marriage because she's rebelling against her father or because she simply doesn't love Tae-Il, the movie drops a bombshell, although not an unexpected one. It seems the real reason she doesn't want to be with Jae-Il isn't because he's an irredeemable lout, but because she's suffering from - yep, you guessed it - a terminal illness. In fact, it's the same one that took her mother's life. Worried that the ever-dedicated Jae-Il will suffer the same heartache as her widowed father (who isn't suffering THAT much, but more on that later), she decides to not only start seeing another guy, but to MARRY him, even though she knows that he's got a bunch of women on the side. That noise you're hearing is most likely the collective "Huh?" emanating from the mouths of dumbfounded moviegoers everywhere. Despite the baffling logic involved on Il-Mae's part, it's clear that Tae-Il has feelings for her. When he learns the truth about her condition, will he able to win her back in time before she weds someone else? And better yet, will anyone actually care?
From the first scene to the very last, Crazy First Love is a horrible mess. While My Sassy Girl deftly walked the tonal tightrope between comedy and melodrama, this film fails miserably to strike any sort of balance. The first three quarters of the film are dedicated to Jae-Il's ridiculous quest to win Il-Mae's hand, while the last section delves headlong into melodrama. Although tonal shifts aren't all that uncommon in Korean cinema, the actual mingling of the two leaves a lot to be desired in Crazy First Love. The first portion of the film is so over-the-top and unreal that there's no weight to anything that happens there; it's all just a big, brutally unfunny joke. Taking that into consideration, it's no surprise that it's difficult to transition into the film's latter portions when all the tear-inducing histrionics start to occur. That transition might have been more believable if Tae-Il had actually been a likeable protagonist, but sadly, he isn't.
Cha Tae-Hyun, who was so charming in the mega-hit My Sassy Girl, is misused here, playing perhaps the most annoying man on the planet. His character spends the entirety of the movie either shouting or crying. The unflinching sense of entitlement his character possesses toward Il-Mae is disgusting, as is her father's control freak behavior. Ultimately, Tae-Il is an exaggerated, completely one-dimensional character, while Il-Mae, for what little Son Ye-Jin is allowed to do in the role, is played slightly more real. As a result, it feels like Cha and Son are acting in two totally different films, an inconsistency that hurts the film's believability factor.
And considering the film's complete lack of regard for Il-Mae's right to decide, you would think this movie was depicting a story from another century, not something that takes place in the contemporary age. What Il-Mae wants never seems to be a concern until about one hour into the film, and even then, it's kept secret from the audience as to why she's acting the way she is. Early on, it's unclear whether Il-Mae really likes Tae-Il, even when she tries to seduce him, since it's played more like a move of desperation, not love. And aside from Tae-Il's annoying qualities, one of the biggest problems with this romantic comedy is that there's no chemistry between the leads. What we have here is a total mismatch between a loudmouth, whiny man-child, and a pretty, smart, if unnecessarily opaque, woman. This could have been rectified with a more "opposites attract" approach to the plot, but since the film never really gives these two a chance for any romantic moments, Il-Mae's late coming revelation that she loves Tae-Il seems forced and unrealistic. Exactly why she would fall for an immature big brother-type is something the film never even tries to explain.
Crazy First Love is filled with a lot of odd moments as well. The unintentional gay subtext of the film would be funny if it weren't so bizarre: Young-Dal lovingly rubbing salve on Tae-Il's bare ass after spanking him with a cane, the latter's strange propensity for shoving his fingers up the rears of Il-Mae's potential suitors (and the fact that they bend over and take it!), and Young-Dal's grabbing of his potential son-in-law's erection while wearing a look of pure ecstasy. What the hell?
As with most lame-brained melodramas, Crazy First Love suffers considerably from Idiot Plot Syndrome, as it's chock full of contrived situations and moronic logic. What exactly is the purpose of Il-Mae marrying someone else? The idea is supposed to be that the new guy has so many women on the side that when she dies, he'll be able to move on. And by marrying someone else, Jae-Il will forget about her and find another girl. But what's missing in this equation is whether a) she loves the new guy and b) why she wants to get married at all. It's one thing to have a relationship with someone else, but marriage? Unless it's solely because she'd like to have a fancy stadium-seated wedding before she croaks, then I'm guessing it's really because the filmmakers wanted to do the umpteenth variation on The Graduate's memorable ending. And even if her plan works and Tae-Il actually does move on, it's not like he's going to somehow forget how he felt for her when she kicks the bucket. So her "honorable" decision to spare him any pain is a failure from the get-go. Even worse, her father, who strangely can't see the obvious parallels between his own situation and that of Tae-Il's, stands idly by, apparently waiting for everything to be resolved at the climax.
I suppose melodrama fans are supposed to eat this up, but when such a tried-and-true formula is executed so haphazardly without any regard for the audience's patience, it's hard not to get a little insulted by the inept filmmaking involved. With or without the terminal illness angle, Crazy First Love could have easily been a film about an immature punk who finally grows up and learns the meaning of true love, a father who discovers it's time to let go, and a daughter who finds out that she's got the right to be strong and independent. Maybe all that's buried under the mountain of crap called Crazy First Love, but you'd have to look really hard to see it. (Sanjuro 2006)
crazy first love
SON Tae-il(CHA Tae-hyun) is a super problem child of Kang High. He has an incredible IQ of 148, but, unfortunately, he's only interested in marrying his first love Il-mae(SON Ye-jin). When Tae-il demands marriage with Il-mae and strays farther away from school, Young-dal(YOO Dong-geun) and Il-mae come up with a proposal to 'bring Tae-il back to the right track.' He openly declares that he would allow Tae-il to marry his daughter Il-mae if he could raise his rank up to top 3, 000 nationwide from his current status of 300,000.
Tae-il accepts the ridiculous proposal without a second thought. And 2 years later, he does pull up his rank up top 3,000 nationwide and is admitted to the Law School of Seoul National University. However, fooled by Young-dal's skillfully touching(?) performance, incorporating tears and snots, Tae-il gets softhearted and promises Young-dal that he'll keep Il-mae 'pure' until he passes the judicial examination. A man's words weigh and worth as much as thousand gold! From then on, Tae-il's ultimate mission is to protect Il-mae from all the sleazeballs who approach her~!
Tae-il's new job as Il-mae's personal bodyguard has begun. However, his double-duty of studying for the judicial examination and monitoring Il-mae's whereabouts is keeping him awake 24-7. On the other hand, Il-mae, who wants to enjoy her college life and date boys, gets frustrated watching Tae-il, who only focuses on his study and even rejects Il-mae's approach to kiss him. What she doesn't realize is that he's doing all this to be with her.
After countless night of no sleep and nosebleed, Tae-il finally passes the 1st level judicial examination. However, at his congratulatory party, Il-mae drops the bomb by confessing her love for another man. Tae-il can't believe his ears. Can this be really happening? Will Tae-il be able to regain and keep his first love?
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