My Sassy Girl is a tough style of romantic comedy, because it doesn't follow through on your normal tropes. It was a challenge for me because the female at the center of it all is unpleasant. "Sassy" is a bit of an understatement, vile and repulsive might be a bit better. Now you can certainly tell that there's more to the story, and that there's a reason for her attitude. However, the film keeps you hanging until the final 10 minutes before giving context to her behavior. I'll admit that this reveal definitely changed my feelings about the character slightly. Who knows, on a rewatch it might even play better for me, but this time it was too little too late for me. And, let's be honest, when I have a largely negative reaction to a film it's highly unlikely I'll watch it again.
I think what saves My Sassy Girl from being an excruciating experience is that Tae-Hyun Cha plays a somewhat goofy sad sack character. The fact that he is playing it so goofy is almost like we're watching a spoof comedy film. I still struggled because, even though he's a bit of a silly cad, it does tend to fall into one of my least favorite genres of film. I utterly hate movies with cringe comedy, as we're expected to laugh at a nice guy being constantly mistreated. It's a struggle because I find myself identifying with a nice protagonist who is trying to do the right thing, but he's being yelled at by this woman, getting thrown into jail for her, and so much more. There is more going on than it seems at first blush, but by and large My Sassy Girl wasn't a film that delivered for me.
I think what saves My Sassy Girl from being an excruciating experience is that Tae-Hyun Cha plays a somewhat goofy sad sack character. The fact that he is playing it so goofy is almost like we're watching a spoof comedy film. I still struggled because, even though he's a bit of a silly cad, it does tend to fall into one of my least favorite genres of film. I utterly hate movies with cringe comedy, as we're expected to laugh at a nice guy being constantly mistreated. It's a struggle because I find myself identifying with a nice protagonist who is trying to do the right thing, but he's being yelled at by this woman, getting thrown into jail for her, and so much more. There is more going on than it seems at first blush, but by and large My Sassy Girl wasn't a film that delivered for me.