As the title character, Cuthbert charms for the most part, although she’s far better as the later tragic romantic character than the initial spitfire. Surprisingly, Jesse Bradford is the real star here, stealing the film with his solid portrayal of the stable boyfriend with a heart of gold and the perseverance of a saint.
Now about those flaws. In many of the initial scenes, the blocking is so poor and odd that it pulled me right out of the movie, forcing me to wonder more about who the amateur DP was than about how the film translated from the original. Also, the production team apparently wanted to add their own cutesy Amelie flourishes to the film, including unnecessary scenes of Cuthbert mugging for the camera, montages, and trick photography/variable speeds to tell us that this isn’t just another romantic comedy. The main character is unappealing enough without the added baggage, so the film teeters on total collapse until its borrowed original plot begins to work its magic. Actually, the original also had its own glaring flaws, and it’s only the grand reveal of the true cause of the girl’s sassiness that allows both this film and the original to successfully reach their final stages as completely touching romance. It’s a long and frequently unbelievable road to get there, but viewers who hang in ‘til the end of this new version will find a satisfying conclusion.
Article comments
1 - Bill Y.
I haven't seen the remake yet, but the stable and well-balanced guy in the original continued his relationship because he wanted to heal the girl. He let her rule his life because it cheered her up and slowly healed her wounds. He didn't stay with her because she was cute.
2 - Gho-st
Frankly was quite disappointed with the remake. It somehow does not catch the charm and querkiness of the original Korean version. I believe many of the film sequences, being believable if set in Korea, just cannot be translated faithfully in US shores.