MY SASSY GIRL
(PG-13)
MOVIE: **1/2 (out of 5)
DVD EXPERIENCE: * (out of 5)
STARRING
Jesse Bradford as CHARLIE BELLOW
Elisha Cuthbert as JORDAN ROARK
Austin Basis as LEO
Directed by: Yann Samuell
Studio: Gold Circle Films
BY KEVIN CARR
In the beginning of the movie, “My Sassy Girl” appears to be your basic independent romantic comedy (which is usually told from the male perspective rather than the mainstream faire told from the female perspective). It never saw a huge theatrical release (if any), and it’s getting dropped onto the DVD market with little fanfare.
The film follows the weird relationship between the straight-laced Charlie Bellow (Jesse Bradford) and the free-spirited Jordan Roark (Elisha Cuthbert). They meet on the subway while Jordan is drunk, and Jesse brings her home to keep her safe. This starts them on the most bizarre courtship imaginable. Jesse wants a normal relationship, but Jordan would rather do things unconventional.
Mainstream romantic comedies rarely follow this unconventional of a plot. Here, the characters fall in love by spending time together but never consummating their relationship on a physical level. However, it is very clear that they both want a relationship. In this sense, I found the story pretty intriguing. Usually with an independent romantic comedy, I get irritated and annoyed with how the story forces unconventional plot points. However, in “My Sassy Girl,” it seems rather natural… for the most part.
Both Bradford and Cuthbert serve the film well. Both are likeable and look good on screen. They also embody the characters well. Either sex can engage in fantasy by wondering what it would be like (or would have been like) to meet someone like that as a young adult.
There is, of course, a very good reason for Jordan’s free-spiritedness and unpredictability, and that mystery is what kept me watching. I will say, though, that when this secret is revealed, I felt it awfully forced and utterly unrealistic.
It was only after watching the movie that I learned it was a remake of a Korean film (which would have made a great special feature if the producers decided to actually put something on the disc other than the film itself). And this actually makes the ending make more sense. In the perspective of a different culture, I imagine things are clearer. The one-to-one shift from Korea to New York doesn’t serve the story.
However, there is an audience for this movie, and that includes people who love an unconventional romance and who aren’t bothered by a bit of contrived storytelling.