HondaReport.com Movie Review
Title: My Tutor Friend
Pupule’s Rating: * * * ½ stars

MPPR Rating:
Date of Viewing: Wednesday, November 6, 2003
Location: Dole Cannery/Hawaii International Film Festival

By Paul Honda
Thursday, November 7, 2003

The opening scene of My Tutor Friend leaves little hope for optimism. A thuggish young man is Mr. Rebel Without a Cause. A gentle young lady is sick and tired of tutoring gigs. Their paths are bound to cross, and there you have the basic plot of My Tutor Friend as opening credits roll.

But it’s not that simple. And boy, was this a lot of fun. In what turns out to be one of the most entertaining romantic (in a brash way)-action films in recent memory, this is a truly refreshing escape from the mundane crop of romance-themed movies in the mainstream.

The Hype: The word on My Tutor Friend is that Internet-originated novels are big in Asian pop culture, a trend that is spilling over into film. But how does this concept carry over to American audiences?

Strengths: Su-Won Choi's screenplay and Gil-Woong Ji's cinematography work well, and director Kyeong-Hyeong Kim handles the mix of physical comedy, fight scenes and passionate exchanges with a deft hand. He knows the camera loves Kim Ha-Neul, who is a younger, Korean version of Meg Ryan—but cuter and better. She is a rare blend of beauty and tremendous comic timing, the kind of talent that recalls a young Lucille Ball. As Soo-Wan, she comes from a working-class family that owns a spicy chicken restaurant. It’s only with the help of her mother that she finds another gig as a tutor—against her own wishes—so that she can afford another semester of college. Sweet and dignified, Soo-Wan appears to be overmatched against a the hypercritical student, Ji-hoon. Kwon Sang-woo, a Korean version of James Dean—or James Dean wanna-be, if you prefer—carries the combative action with conviction. Whether he is sparring verbally with Soo-Wan—he is a 21-year-old high school student who has scared off countless tutors—or engaged in street fights with gang members, Ji-hoon provides the spice to Soo-Wan’s sweetness.

Kim, the director, also blends in well-timed still shots during fight sequences. If that sounds corny, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by Kim’s skill. The action moves seamlessly and fluidly, and his use of stills brings a hilarious climax to those battles—no guns—on the street.

Above all, though, Ha-Neul absolutely charms us. She does it with finesse and girlishness at first—she whines and pouts when her mother insists that she take on this tutoring job as a favor to her classmate’s family. But when Soo-Wan finally puts her foot down, it’s her feistiness, righteousness—despite all of Ji-hoon’s flaws, she sees a young man with potential—and vulnerability that draw us in. She gets a lot of camera time, but every second serves its purpose. Yes, I was sucked right in.

Weaknesses: The length of this film was astounding: 110 minutes. By the time Ji-hoon has a change of heart toward Soo-Wan—he stops calling her “Country Chick,” the film could have ended, and I would have been content. However, Kim draws back his bow and hits us with even more action, more comedy, and more conflict between Ji-hoon and Soo-wan, Ji-hoon and an ex-girlfriend, Ji-hoon and the street thugs, and Ji-hoon and the local gangsters. Did it drag too long? Yes. Did I enjoy it all? Again, yes. .

Best Scene: If you’ve read this far, you probably won’t mind my divulging one of the later comical scenes. Soo-wan’s defenses lower after a night of drinking alone in a small pub. She’s torn because her boyfriend has returned and told her that their relationship is over. Ji-hoon, following her trail in a jealous-young-idiot kind of way, finds her drunk out of her skull, but it sets the stage for hilarity. As if we needed the symbolism, he’s chucked the black leather jacket (yes, the James Dean thing is in effect) and is now wearing a white jacket. After hearing her out, he empathizes but quickly tries to get her out of there and on the way home. As rain falls, Soo-wan stops stumbling and looks into the distance at a phone booth. “I’ve always to have my first kiss in the rain, next to a red telephone booth,” she says, glancing at a classic enclosed booth. Ji-hoon gets her drift, and as the close their eyes and embrace, she misses his mouth by a mile. Her head is on his shoulder, and when they unglue from each other, she wanders away. He finally realizes that Soo-wan has ralphed all over his jacket. There are dozens of moments like that in this film, but that was flat-out one of the funniest.

Worst Scene: Depending on your sense of humor, the aforementioned barf scene was the worst. .

Summary: What makes the film work so well is Kim's tempo and the chemistry—dynamic, explosive and tender—between Ji-hoon and Soo-wan. What takes the story to a higher level is the way Kim weaves in secondary characters: Ji-hoon absolutely fears his tyrannical father, who has the power to cancel all of his credit cards and send him to the U.S.; Soo-wan’s thoughtful, firm mother; and, of course, the high-school kooks who try to be tough gang bangers. Kim smooths over all the bumps into an entirely watchable, entertaining storm of entertainment. I’d see this film again in a heartbeat.

Discretionary notes: Subtitles reveal some cussing in Korean, while occasionally there is profanity in English. No nudity or sex, not even a kiss, though the barf scene came close, recalling a little sidebar joke from Signs.

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