Please Teach Me English (2003)

You won't be disappointed!

best movie i've ever seen.

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

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.

Even though the character development are not as established as hoped, this movie comes off as a pleasant surprise. The scene transitions are not always smooth, and there are a few odd tacks in the script course, but it does come off altogether as a cute date movie. The production techniques are very good, with some interesting animation along the way that enhance the whole scene. Especially the fighting game sequence.The acting was good; Hyuk Jang was good here, better than Windstruck I think. But the top acting goes to Mun-hee Na as Moon-Su's mother. There is a fairly dramatic section about a reunion of separated family that she really carries home. The dramatic portion cut into a lot of the comedy and seemed out place, but it did add some additional depth to the otherwise thin story line.Some of the character interaction were not clear but as a whole it was well done and comes off as time well spent.

I had no idea what this movie was, or what it was about when I first picked it up, but I found myself sucked into it quite quickly.This review may contain slight spoilers, but if you've seen a romantic comedy before, you'll know the outset.At first glance, it's a fairly stock-standard romantic comedy about an adult class in Korea being taught english by Cathy (Australian Angela Kelly) for various reasons (business, family, overseas trips), but as you see more there are a few things that set this film apart from its competition.My main gripe with this movie would be that the characters seem to change their attitudes and feelings on a dime. The obvious love between the two main characters 'Candy' Yeong-ju (Na-yeong Lee) and 'Elvis' Moon-su (Hyuk Jang, playing a very different role than from his efforts in Volcano High) seems to start too slow and then bullet ahead just in time for the end credits.Despite the comedy, this film does have some extremely touching moments, and I did feel for most of the characters with the possible exception of Cathy. Most noticably with Moon-su's side-story of a sister that was adopted and moved to America at a very young age.All in all, it's a nice and pleasant film. I found myself laughing out loud in more than one scene which is rare for me. Also look out for cameos from some better known Korean actors, such as the man on the train with the newspaper.6.5/10