Yeongeo wanjeonjeongbok

When this movie came out, English was the rage since Asians tend to think the English language to be cool. That is probably the reason why there is random Asian words on shirts and other clothing in Korea, some that don't even make sense. This whole movie when it comes to the humor is driven by mistranslation and mispronunciations. So audiences that know how to speak English and understand Korean culture is going to get a bit of a kick out of this movie. My friend who is Korean couldn't stop smirking most of the way through this movie. The plot revolves around slightly odd people coming together in a class to learn English. But mostly has to do with two of the students in that class. One is a dorky and flirtatious guy that tries to pick up girls using English and is played by the actor Jang Hyuk. This is the reason I like Jang Hyuk, he is cool and charming actor and yet he doesn't mind acting like a bit of a dork and doesn't try overly hard to appear cool and gentleman like all the time. Which makes him seem like a comfortable person to be around because of his appearance of being a honest person with himself. He is basically a Korean heartthrob but it's cool he takes on roles like this. The female lead is a dorky and yet cute girl played by the actress Lee Na-Young who is actually but made herself look nerdy as possible for this role. This is a very low budget Korean romantic comedy that is cute and to some degree charming even when it comes the humor that is delightful to watch.

7.2/10

When "Please Teach Me English" begins, you KNOW it is NOT a normal film! Its opening credits are adorable...and done using cute Korean animation. The story is about a very, very strange lady who is like a Korean version of Steve Urkel! To say she is nerdy and awkward is definitely an understatement! She is volunteered to take English language classes, as no one in her department knows English and they feel that SOMEONE should--thus Candy is nominated. Once there, she immediately falls for a cute guy named Elvis, but Elvis is only interested in their cute teacher. In addition, Elvis seems like a player--and what would this sort of guy see in socially awkward Candy?! To see what's next, see this film!

There is so much to like about this film. It's strange style is exciting to watch. Some may hate this, some might love this. I would compare it to "Scott Pilgrim Versus the World" or "Happiness of the Katakuris"--two very surreal films with strange interludes and stranger style. So, for example, when characters dream--you see it! The film also benefits from some adorable characters who are easy to like and the film has many funny AND romantic moments. My assumption is that the film would work better for younger audiences as well as those who like very unconventional comedy. If you want your film to be normal or conventional, then keep looking!

By the way, there are a couple observations about the English teacher. I was startled when her voice when she spoke Korean was clearly NOT hers--as it was much deeper. Also, early in the film, she had an American accent. However, late in the film she clearly sounded like an Australian. I would love to know from where she actually was born and/or raised.

I almost passed on this movie since it appeared too quirky for my tastes, a romantic comedy about a class of South Korean students and its Australian English teacher. Well, I was right about the quirky part, but I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. This is a fairly straightforward romantic comedy made exceptional by the performances of the two leads, Na-yeong Lee and Hyuk Jang. Lee plays Yeong-ju, a relatively shy, awkward woman, who immediately falls in love with the young "player", Jang's Moon-su. Yeong-ju tries to win his love through every means possible, from asking outright to teaching a pig English. She is borderline psychotic and she would be considered a stalker in the US, but she's so funny and adorable you want her to win anyway. I must admit, it was also fun watching Lee, a very beautiful actress, turn herself into a clumsy mouse-of-a-girl.

The subplot is touching: Moon-su is trying to learn English so he can translate conversations between his mother and his sister, Victoria, who has lived in the United States since she was given up for adoption. Mun-he Na plays Moon-su's mother and also gives an endearing, heartfelt performance. The only discordant note in the entire movie is the young actress playing Victoria, who clearly cannot act, but her poor performance only made me realize how good the other's were.

There is also some witty use of animation in some scenes that cleverly supports the story without threatening to overshadow it. A possible exception is the Mortal Kombat parody that does goes on for a bit but it is pretty funny nevertheless, and it occurs early enough in the film so that it fades to the background by the two-thirds mark.

As an aside, I have no idea what the picture on the cover of the DVD is portraying as it bears no relationship to the movie itself. Don't attempt to judge the movie by that picture.

i completely disagree with the posted review i usually give people the benefit of the doubt but this movie is quite funny and i think the usage of different movie mediums (ie animation, documentary)added a very cute yet thoughtful comedic value. It is a romantic comedy and not much should be weighed upon the realism but there are some pleasant real life twists and communicational misunderstandings and misinterpretations that give the movie a nice personal relevance. Also the underlying theme of the importance of people worldwide learning English as a necessity is mind opening.Especially how it is presented. The movie Isn't very serious or artsy which makes the point of people having trouble worldwide with being forced to learn English that much easier to witness for those of us who grew up in a place where English is the native language. I definitely recommend this film for fun and definitely for anyone who has the experience of being forced to learn English.

The posted review is seems to be the only negative one. The film is sweet, fun, often funny, and well worth an afternoon's or evening's viewing. The movie is about a mousy public official who needs to take English in case any foreigners come into her office. There she meets the man of her dreams, unfortunately the guy is a cad and seems interested only in fancy girls. This is compounded by the fact that their English teacher is an attractive woman. This all leads to lots of wacky encounters, typical Korean misunderstandings, and love. The leads are sweet and play off each other very well. There's a sub plot about a daughter given up for adoption coming back to Korea to meet her family, and these subplots are often superfluous but it works well here. The lead actress is utterly goofy and adorable. The rest of the cast is great as well. All in all, a fun sweet movie that will leave you will a smile on your face!