Na-eui PS pa-teu-neo

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A woman accidentally calls a stranger, instead of her boyfriend, and has phone sex with the unknown man. I usually dislike sex comedies due to their juvenile, gross-out humor. Even the South Koreans - who have an excellent track record of contemporary romantic comedies - have occasionally faltered down this path with crap like "Sex Is Zero" (2002).

Most fortunately, "My PS Partner" (aka "Watcha Wearin'?") (2012) balances the raciness of sex with genuinely funny humor and endearing, well-developed characters and relationships. The performances are impressive and I laughed out-loud a number of times at the surprisingly charming jokes. The ending feels clichéd but the execution is a bit different than usual. The theme song is also very good and has a few different versions, one of which is quite funny.

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!

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.

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 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.