Bom-nal-eui gom-eul jong-a-ha-se-yo?

SPRING BEARS LOVE (2003) Directed by Donald Yong I. Written by Haung Jo-yun. Cinematography by Bak Ki-ung. A connected series of love notes scribbled in library art books convinces gawky grocery store clerk Hyun-chae (Bae Doo-na) that a mystery man - known only as 'Vincent' - is pursuing a relationship with her.

Meanwhile, an infatuated pal from her high-school days - shy, quirky subway driver Dong-ha (Kim Nam-jin) - relocated to Seoul to ACTUALLY pursue a relationship with her, which she rejects in favor of the erzatz paper chase provided by her mystery man, going so far as to pawn Dong-ha off on her friend at one point. Sweet, low-key, histrionics-free romance with a clever story concept that allows for a second act twist that's exactly what you'll expect and yet far more clever than it really seems. Not without its sentimental moments, but they're far more restrained than similar scenes in many Korean films of this sort. Not unexpectedly, technical production is sparkling, with gorgeous cinematography by Bak Ki-ung and art direction by Park Hyun-joo. Head slapping is nearly non-existent. I give it a 9.

This is the story of store clerk Hyn-chae (Bae Doo Na, in a particularly good performance), who reads a note in an art book she borrows from the library from "Vincent". She believes that the note is meant for her, as well as the subsequent notes in other art books in the library. Dong-Ba, played by Kim Nam Jin, is someone she knew way before this, a train operator who likes her and kind of hangs on to her. She is, for a while, annoyed at him and her co-worker Miran even makes a play for him. He's a nice guy, but the notes Hyn-chae is reading make her looking for true love more idealistic, so she doesn't take him too seriously. Dong-ba doesn't give up. The key is whether Hyun-Chae will truly find Vincent. In style, this film reminds me of the film "Amelie" starring Audrey Tautou. Basically, both stories are about single young women in large cities looking for a man. In this case, Hyun-Chae is more the pursued. I like this film a lot, its a nice romantic comedy, it has some nice little twists to it and it looks great on screen, there was much attention paid to cinematography. Its a great date movie. Females will like it more than males, but it sucked me in. I recommend it pretty highly.

I was lead to believe that the 2003 South Korean movie "Bom-nal-eui gom-eul jong-a-ha-se-yo?" (aka "Do You Like Spring Bear?") was a romantic comedy with drama elements. So of course I sat down to watch it with the mindset and intention of being in for a funny romantic movie.

However, "Bom-nal-eui gom-eul jong-a-ha-se-yo?" is not a funny movie, not even remotely. Instead I was in for a romantic drama, which didn't really turn out to be all that great. So writer Jo-Yun Hwang didn't really deliver a movie that captured my interest. Sure, the movie was watchable, but it just wasn't something out of the ordinary.

The storyline told in "Bom-nal-eui gom-eul jong-a-ha-se-yo?", as written by Jo-Yun Hwang, was just something else entirely than what I was expecting. But even with that being told, then this 2003 South Korean movie wasn't really all that interesting. The storyline was too mundane and predictable. And the lack of chemistry between the lead actress and the male characters in the movie just didn't help to create a particularly believable stage.

It should be said that the casting of Bae Doona (playing Jeong Hyun-Jae) was interesting, just a shame that she didn't have chemistry with the male cast ensemble throughout the course of the movie. It was also nice to see Ji-Hye Yun (playing Mi-Ran) in the movie.

If you enjoy romantic dramas, then perhaps you will get something out of watching "Bom-nal-eui gom-eul jong-a-ha-se-yo?". I just wasn't won over, nor particularly entertained by director Yi Yong's vision.

My rating of "Bom-nal-eui gom-eul jong-a-ha-se-yo?" lands on a four out of ten stars.