Whatcha Wearin'?

Raunch meets rom-com in the Korean crowdpleaser "My Phone Sex Partner", which in other territories has been given a perhaps sexier English title "Whatcha Wearin". Like its Hollywood brethren (that includes the many Judd Apatow produced and/or directed movies), it doesn't so much as tinker with the boy-meets-girl formula as add a layer of naughty – but like the best of its genre, there is something winning about the actors, the characters and the situations the characters find themselves in that ultimately makes the entire package delightfully entertaining.

The couple at the heart of this romance is the recently dumped Hyun- seung (Ji Sung) and the attached-but-disenchanted Yun-jung (Kim Ah Joong). Their meet-cute happens over the telephone one evening, when Yun-jung misdials her boyfriend's number and unwittingly gets into an accidental phone sex session with Hyun-seung. Though, as convention dictates, Hyun-sueng and Yun-jung will start off antagonistic – especially after the latter is left red-faced when she finds out her mistake – it isn't long before they find themselves bonding through sharing in each other's romantic quandaries.

Is it any wonder where they will end up? Well not really, but what matters is the journey to that inevitable destination of happily-ever- after, one which director Byun Seung-hoo (who also co-wrote the script with Kim Min-soo) makes both funny and touching. Between Hyun-seung and Yun-jung, there is definitely something in their respective circumstances you will identify with – whether the heartbroken Hyun- seung thinking back at how he could have treasured his ex-girlfriend more or the disillusioned Yun-jung who has been stuck in the same relationship for too long with a boyfriend that has grown too complacent.

And in the midst of their emotional doldrums, it is the sincerity and spark between the pair that is unmistakable, a union of kindred souls that proves disarmingly endearing. Most significantly, Seung-hoo isn't afraid to address the obvious physical attraction between his couple, manifested both in the way they openly share intimate information about each other over the phone at the start as well as their subsequent meet- ups. Rather than shy away from the topic of sex, he tackles it head-on, which gives a refreshing and realistic modern-day spin on urban relationships today.

But rom-coms are often only as good as the chemistry between the actors, and it is in this respect that the movie truly shines. Both are appealing in their own right – Ji being a surprising combination of emotional and independent; while Kim exuding both sass and femininity in equal measure – and the scenes with them together simply sparkle with verve. There is never a doubt that the two are great for each other, and that assurance not only makes you root for them more but also keeps you waiting with bated breath throughout an extended finale specifically designed to tease.

Yet to be fair, Seung-hoo's dexterity in applying a generic rom-com formula in a less than typical fashion extends beyond the finale. Particularly impressive is how he stitches together one of the first conversations between the pair that evolves seamlessly from an argument they have while Hyun-seung is drunk and despondent along a dark alley to a gentle and intimate exchange with both lying in their respective beds – in particular, the cinematography in this sequence deserves special mention, brilliantly conveying the connection that develops between them. Whereas many rom-coms are good only in parts, this one has great parts that make a satisfyingly engaging whole.

And indeed, its achievement is perhaps even more significant as one of the first rom-coms of the Korean film industry to add raunch into the mix. Yet the naughty talk and bare flesh isn't simply a cheap titillating tactic, but a invigorating spin on a genre that could certainly do with more such breaths of fresh air. It's no wonder then that the movie has come out of nowhere to emerge one of the biggest box- office hits of Korea last year - now let's just hope the inevitable copycats don't ruin the raunch-com too soon.

I was running into this movie by mistake, but I did not regret it. Well, if you like shy Korean romantic stories in which the leads are just staring, blushing, teasing, and having the first kiss in episode 6 or after one hour, this one is not like that!

The start is very strong and not hold back later as well. It is honest, it is cheeky and shameless and says it out loud. Life is cruel, life is beautiful, life sucks, life is full of happiness. There is everything in this story and tells it in a funny way. Well, if you like shy Korean romantic stories in which the leads are just staring, blushing, teasing, and having the first kiss in episode 6 or after one hour, this one is not like that! It is honest, it is cheeky and shameless and says it out loud. Life is cruel, life is beautiful, life sucks, life is full of happiness. There is everything in this story and tells it in a funny way. I don't say the story is perfect, but almost real life. (I was relieved when I saw there is no beautiful/handsome CEO/Boss in it. ) The ending is far from perfect, but at least we got the deserved happy ending.

I bought this on DVD as a new release and only watched it the once. I'm going through a phase of purging some of the movies I bought years ago which no longer interest me, and I suspected this would be one of them, but I was wrong. I think I even enjoyed it more than the first time I watched it!

Female misdials and accidentally does a phone sex routine for a stranger. It was intended for her long term boyfriend who has been stringing her along for years.

The guy on the end of the phone, an aspiring musician, has recently been dumped and can't get over his ex.

The two form an over the phone friendship and more.

I mean yeah, cheating (on her side), it's ick, but it transpires her boyfriend is not a winner himself, so...I didn't mind it so much here.

Despite running for nearly two hours, this movie doesn't outstay its welcome because it is just so charming (even in spite of the sex talk). The two leads are perfect, the sister, the frenemy ex co worker. Alternates between funny and serious well. The song at the end (amended version) actually is beautiful, but funny in its original (tacky) form.

Korea really do seem to make good movies.

Romantic comedies make a contract with the audience to provide some laughs and some optimism about human nature. It's puzzling when reviewers complain about a romantic comedy being predictable, because the genre by its nature pretty much tells us what the ending will be. We don't look to rom-coms for "what will happen" but for "how will it happen."

"Whatcha Wearin?" (international title), aka "My PS Partner," includes the elements necessary to a good rom-com, but spices up the "how will it happen." The conversations between the male characters are raunchy, sometimes hilariously so, but the relationship between the hero and heroine is as sweet as it is sexy. And though the dirty talk distinguishes WW from other Korean rom-coms, it doesn't distract us from the emotions at stake.

The heart of the story is the two central characters and their honest phone conversations about relationships and emotions. The scenes of sex and phone sex would definitely earn it an R rating in the States--in fact, the MPAA would probably censor a bit before agreeing to an R rating, given the American squeamishness about sex. But the film's humor doesn't arise from the sexual situations. Instead, it comes from the inevitable tension between the cool people our characters want to be, and the emotionally bruised people they really are.

I'm wary of movies described as "raunchy," because in American movies the word "raunchy" usually means making fun of the fact that grown- ups have sex in the first place. But WW won me over quickly with its cheerful mature embrace of phone sex, masturbation and the pleasures of dirty talk in general.

The likable leads have a ton of chemistry. Actor Ji Sung deserves particular credit for making his character endearing and attractive, while also a kind of every-man, a quintessential guy with a broken heart who occasionally puts his foot in his mouth. Though I've seen Ji Sung play several larger-than-life characters in K-dramas, here he shows he's equally talented in a more naturalistic role.

The heroine of "Whatcha Wearin?" complains at one point that "love songs are so obvious." The hero replies that "love is obvious." That lack of cynicism anchors the dirty talk and makes for a delightful comedy.

Update: On re-watching this movie a couple times, I have to comment on its elegant structure. It's a textbook example of how to keep a film moving forward, without losing a relaxed, comic style. Too often rom-coms wander off course in the second act, but this movie knows where it's going even when it takes necessary detours.

My inner snob likes to reserve 10 stars for Serious Movies about Serious Subjects. Like, say, the Holocaust. But another part of me believes that comic films are as important as dramas. In fact, a romantic comedy is potentially more controversial than a Holocaust movie. No one's going to defend the Holocaust, but everyone has an opinion about dating, right?

In my original rating of this film, I penalized it a couple stars for being a comedy instead of a Serious Movie about Serious Subjects. But I've decided that was dumb. Within the genre of romantic comedy, this one hits all the right notes, so I'm upping it. If a rom-com can deserve ten stars, it's this one. I would agitate for an American remake, except we wouldn't be able to do it nearly as well.

I agree with Odessa Jones' 2015 Top Review of this delightful film. I recommend reading her review, as all her points about story structure, superb acting and pacing are worth noting.

I also agree with Jones that rom-coms are too often wrongly dismissed or under-rated as a genre. In unusually good films like this one, they are depictions of the human condition.

Jones mentions that the engaging co-leads are trying to be cool but can't escape being what they actually are, "bruised" real people.

I think that goes to the core of what makes almost every memorably good romance film work. I like these characters, I want things to work out for them, and at film's end I'm sad that I can't see more of them.

That is, like good movies of all genres, the tellers of this tale leave us wanting more.

So, I'll do as Jones does, and give this one a 10 despite it not being a Serious Story about a Serious Subject (her words, as I recall). Whatcha Wearin (2012) succeeds marvelously at what it's trying to do, and that's a 10.