Na-eui PS pa-teu-neo

While this is a South Korean movie, and I do tend to gobble up everything even remotely Asian, then I was a little bit hesitant about watching "Whatcha Wearin'?" (aka "Na-Eui PS Pa-Teu-Neo") because it was a romantic comedy, and they tend to be somewhat monotone once you've seen one.

However, I decided to go against my first thought, which was actually good, because "Whatcha Wearin'?" turned out to be rather enjoyable and funny. Even for a romantic comedy, then the movie managed to stand out and be unique.

It should be said that while the storyline in "Whatcha Wearin'?" was actually predictable and following the 'how-to-make-a-romantic-comedy-guidebook' to the letter, then it was still an enjoyable and entertaining story. And the story actually does have the ability to put a smile on your lips.

The acting performances by Seong Ji (playing Hyeon-seung) and Ah-jung Kim (playing Yoon-jeong) was actually spot on. They had really good chemistry together on the screen, and individually they also performed quite well. I wasn't particularly familiar with them prior to this movie, but they really carried themselves quite well in this movie.

Director and writer Sung-hyun Byun along with writer Min-su Kim actually managed to carve out a romantic comedy with an edge that makes it stand out in a tsunami of romantic comedies to make it out of the South Korean cinema. So thumbs up on that accomplishment.

If you are a fan of the South Korean cinema, then you definitely are more than familiar with the countless releases of the romantic comedies they spew forth, some more successful than others. Then I will recommend that you actually take the time and effort to sit down and watch "Whatcha Wearin'?" because it is wholesome entertainment from start to finish.

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.

I began to watch Korean dramas some months ago, and I got addicted. But the platonic romances are nice, but it was time to finally find some action :) I saw Seong Ji in some of them and in 'Kill me, heal me' one of his personalities is super sexy... and I thought then it could be great to see him freeing completely his sexiness. So, my wish was granted with this movie! And of course, we have here his great timing for comedy. And surprise: he sings! So, as you are getting from this review, I had much fun. I laughed a lot, and I smiled a lot. Ah-jung Kim is great and the supporting cast too. I don't understand the low ratings, for me it is a perfect Rom-Sexy-Com! Just relax... and enjoy!

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 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.