Of course this movie will be compared to the huge mega hit "My Sassy Girl." Who wouldn't? Same actress, same director. Same plot? Perhaps. It's difficult to raise the bar when the bar is high enough, and simply put, Windstruck doesn't measure up, but you gotta admit, they tried pretty damn hard.
The story goes of Jeon Ji-hyun, a rough-em tough-em cop who bumps into the cute, friendly physics teacher, Cha Tae-hyeon. Needless to say they fall in love, not without crazy obstacles of course, that require investing craploads of time with each other in awkward situations. Soon enough they fall in love, only to realize it all has to end.
That's pretty much the story. Director Kwak Jae-yong tries hard in cranking up the emotional meter on this movie by making more touching scenes, that require Jeon Ji-hyun to stretch her acting chops and...well...cry A lot. At first it tugs on your heart strings, and at times, my eyes started to swell up. But she cries so damn much it almost becomes meaningless and makes you think, "Man, she's at it again?". Her obsession with losing her boyfriend almost becomes creepy, and you have to wonder if you really enjoy watching her freaking out every 5 minutes.
The problem with the movie is that it's TOO much like Sassy girl. Kwak Jae-yong's once used formula used in Sassy Girl has been done - and although it was a good formula, he should've read the label that says, "Use once only." The all too similar abuse the "cute guy" gets from the "sassy girl", was a bit too much, and the awkward situations Kwak Jae-yong put them together became too much of a cliché and becomes tiring real fast. But then again, it's difficult to find any 2 actors to find good solid chemistry - and in this case - these 2 fine actors just didn't have any. The emotional scenes became overbearing, and at times, you just wanted Jeon Ji-hyun to finally do the deed so she can join her boyfriend.
With all that said and done, I come with a mixed feeling about this film. The cute, and awkward scenes are funny at times, and the emotional roller coaster ride definitely hits a string or two, and the fact that Jeon Ji-hyun put on a extremely solid performance, does the film some justice, but overall, the tone is a bit better than mediocre at best. The new ideas aren't new enough, and the surprise element of the film doesn't even exist until the last minute of the movie. Which - by the way - swept me off my feet. At first, I thought it was pretty cool - but then I realized if the director did that try and compensate or have a guarantee that viewers will still walk away at the last minute thinking, "That was a pretty good movie but the ending was friggn' amazing!." Overall, I would still recommend watching this movie. But it's probably best to watch "My Sassy Girl" first. You'll know what I mean.
The story goes of Jeon Ji-hyun, a rough-em tough-em cop who bumps into the cute, friendly physics teacher, Cha Tae-hyeon. Needless to say they fall in love, not without crazy obstacles of course, that require investing craploads of time with each other in awkward situations. Soon enough they fall in love, only to realize it all has to end.
That's pretty much the story. Director Kwak Jae-yong tries hard in cranking up the emotional meter on this movie by making more touching scenes, that require Jeon Ji-hyun to stretch her acting chops and...well...cry A lot. At first it tugs on your heart strings, and at times, my eyes started to swell up. But she cries so damn much it almost becomes meaningless and makes you think, "Man, she's at it again?". Her obsession with losing her boyfriend almost becomes creepy, and you have to wonder if you really enjoy watching her freaking out every 5 minutes.
The problem with the movie is that it's TOO much like Sassy girl. Kwak Jae-yong's once used formula used in Sassy Girl has been done - and although it was a good formula, he should've read the label that says, "Use once only." The all too similar abuse the "cute guy" gets from the "sassy girl", was a bit too much, and the awkward situations Kwak Jae-yong put them together became too much of a cliché and becomes tiring real fast. But then again, it's difficult to find any 2 actors to find good solid chemistry - and in this case - these 2 fine actors just didn't have any. The emotional scenes became overbearing, and at times, you just wanted Jeon Ji-hyun to finally do the deed so she can join her boyfriend.
With all that said and done, I come with a mixed feeling about this film. The cute, and awkward scenes are funny at times, and the emotional roller coaster ride definitely hits a string or two, and the fact that Jeon Ji-hyun put on a extremely solid performance, does the film some justice, but overall, the tone is a bit better than mediocre at best. The new ideas aren't new enough, and the surprise element of the film doesn't even exist until the last minute of the movie. Which - by the way - swept me off my feet. At first, I thought it was pretty cool - but then I realized if the director did that try and compensate or have a guarantee that viewers will still walk away at the last minute thinking, "That was a pretty good movie but the ending was friggn' amazing!." Overall, I would still recommend watching this movie. But it's probably best to watch "My Sassy Girl" first. You'll know what I mean.