Pretty Crazy

Story: Gil-goo (Ahn Bo-hyun) currently makes ends meet by collecting prizes from claw machines and reselling them. He's very good at it, but he knows he needs a real purpose in life. A father moves into the apartment directly below him with his daughter and niece. When he first sees the daughter, Seon-ji (Lim Yoona), from a distance, he immediately falls in love with her. One day, however, he comes home drunk and runs into Seon-ji, who is behaving completely differently than usual and even attacks him. The next day, he visits a bakery that has recently opened nearby, run by Ah-ra (Joo Hyun-young) and Seon-ji. The young woman has no memory of the attack, and Gil-goo flees in a panic. Still, now his curiosity is piqued, and he follows Seon-ji when she leaves the house again at night, dressed completely differently. Her father (Sung Dong-il) spots him and confronts him. After Gil-goo comes clean, the father reveals his daughter's secret: she is possessed and controlled by a demon for three hours each night, starting at 2:00 AM. The father makes the unemployed Gil-goo an offer: he gets a job at the bakery while he also keeps an eye on the demon's activities at night. Gil-goo's curiosity leads him to agree, but his life soon spirals out of control.

Review: It's been a while since I saw a Korean rom-com with the typical premise of a sassy woman who charms her potential boyfriend and wins him over. And Korean cinema has certainly evolved, so these kinds of films aren't so easy to sell anymore. Or are they? Well, there are plenty of examples that prove otherwise, but that's precisely why I've stayed away from the genre for a while — with the occasional exception like "Love Untangled". However, director Lee Sang-geun had a surprise hit with "Exit", which impressed me in particular, so I wanted to give his latest work a chance. Unsurprisingly, this romantic comedy proves to be a solid entry in the genre, one that should easily satisfy anyone with even a passing interest in romance. Especially since the supernatural element of a demon at least provides a little innovation.

The true highlight of the film is undoubtedly Lim Yoona as the possessed woman who displays a completely different personality at night. Her demanding, aggressive, and chaotic nature makes Seon-ji a tornado that cannot be tamed, yet needs at least some direction to prevent total destruction. The stark difference between the two Seon-jis is also evident in their outward appearance. The real Seon-ji dresses in understated colors during the day, has straight hair that is often pulled back, and wears subtle makeup. In contrast, the demon-possessed Seon-ji has wavy hair, wears heavy makeup, and dresses as if she's going to a party, while also wearing colored contact lenses. She is bursting with life, which is why it's not so easy to blame her when she does something that gets Gil-goo into trouble. Naturally, there's a certain tension between the two, because the demon knows the young man's feelings for Seon-ji and wants to exploit them. The demon's extroverted nature also leads to some humorous scenes, such as the one where Seon-ji encourages a potential suicide victim to finally jump off the bridge.

The humor in the film tends to be rather shallow, and when it tries to be more overtly funny, it unfortunately misses the mark. Still, the chemistry between the two main characters is well done. Ahn Bo-hyun's portrayal of the male protagonist (primarily seen in series like "My Name") is rather uninspired. He lacks any real backstory. His life is a complete disaster, or rather, he's stuck in a rut. But how he got to this point is never explored, and it doesn't really pose a problem since he eventually gets a job at the bakery. The originality in the relationship, therefore, comes almost exclusively from Seon-ji. This reveals another issue. The real Seon-ji is incredibly dull, and Lim Yoona (formerly of "Girls' Generation" and seen in the aforementioned "Exit") fails to give the character more depth than the script provides. That's a shame, because it makes it hard to want to see anyone other than the demon-possessed Seon-ji. At least she gets plenty of screen time.

Lim Yoona is able to showcase an incredible range of nuances in her other role. She's not simply the hyperactive, hysterical woman; at one time, when being challenged, she can flash a smile as a demon that reveals her reluctance to smile, as this is tarnishing her tough image as a first-class demon, while beneath the surface lies the fact that she's actually just been waiting for the chance to smile. And as expected, the demon isn't so evil after all, of course. We're presented with a nice backstory, and then the drama unfolds. A missed opportunity, however, is that we haven't been left in suspense for a longer time about whether she's truly a demon or if Seon-ji is actually carrying around a childhood trauma — and the early death of her mother would have provided ample opportunity for this — which she's processing through an alter ego. Furthermore, we also have to accept that the relationship with the demon has no future. Either he sets Seon-ji free or takes her over completely. Neither option seems to lead to a happy ending. But as already mentioned, a Korean rom-com naturally needs some tragedy towards the end.

Ultimately — and this too isn't original — we get a consolation prize, but it doesn't quite work. There's still something bittersweet about the story, and the director certainly succeeds in conveying that. The story itself is constantly in motion, yet there are a few moments where its rhythm seems to falter, almost making you lose interest. Since "Pretty Crazy" relies entirely on the "evil" girlfriend as its premise, and Lim Yoona can more or less carry the film single-handedly, this romance proves to be highly entertaining in the end, despite the criticism. There are also enough deviations from the typical formula to prevent boredom. For example, Gil-goo is in love with the woman, but not with the demon (for whatever reason...), and thus this romance might not even be a true romance, but the story rather revolves around friendship and being human. With this, "Pretty Crazy" could also appeal to those who aren't usually fans of the genre. But no matter what: the film certainly has heart.

Buy this movie:

Follow @AsianMovieWeb