Yeonae-ui mokjeok (2005) Reviews

• Rules of dating are: there are no rules

  Gigo_Satana2005-08-26

  Primitively speaking, there are far more bad romantic films with happy endings, than there are great films with sad or refreshingly innovative good endings. This film begins in a very straightforward manner as we see a man and a woman in a park, sharing verbally and physically uncomfortable moments which pave the way for the film's entire theme. Hye-jeong Kang (OldBoy) plays Choi, a 27 year old student teacher assigned to a new school under guidance of a one year younger counselor Lee, who just happens to be a degenerate womanizer. Almost immediately he starts hitting on her and inviting her for drinks after work, but Choi, although not thrilled is neither too reluctant nor disturbed by his persuasiveness. It becomes even more strange when we find out that they both are in stable, long-term relationships with people who care greatly for them. For the first half of the film Choi's character seems internally vacant and emotionally unconscious, which prompts Lee to further pursue her with sexual endeavors. She confesses in suffering from insomnia, but shows signs of more serious depression that we become only aware of later on. There are quite a few things she could have done to stop Lee from pursuing, but she chose to deal with things in a lukewarm, almost uncaring fashion. At certain instances she lead him on and at other she pushed him away. There are moments when a viewer might not find things to be as humorous as Lee sometimes makes it to be with his borderline rapist behavior. Some might find it quite graphic actually and completely unromantic and unfunny. But I couldn't stop thinking about the film called Swept Away (the original, mind you), where sex was the force which brought two different people together. This film is similar to it in other ways as well. When these characters are together the world around them disappears, leaving them free of consequences and fear. But there are always consequences, especially for such unusual tales of romance. Calling this film predictable or forcefully perplexing is unjust, although the process is quite frustrating, just like the relationship between Choi and Lee. I couldn't' have imagined any other way. The following comments contain **Spoilers** Some time later after they decide to fully indulge in their untamed desires, more people become distraught and aware of their relationship and expose part of the past that Choi was still emotionally scarred with. This is something that Lee already knew, but probably couldn't imagine the toll it took on Choi. That's when the film got back on track for me and hit the mark, as Choi decides to inflict same crudity that she was served with in the past on Lee. So she finally gets what she wanted. She got rid of Lee and kept her job, along with her dignity. For some people this could be the nail in the coffin, but I think her decision couldn't have been more suitable. Lee, a man who didn't believe in love, saw sex as the primary mean of relationship, even after she let him get very close. Choi has been mistreated in her life and couldn't afford another humiliation. Her decision served simply as an equalizer. And when the time was right for her to meet Lee, who she had grown to like, she was full of life and confidence. Lee on the other hand was more hesitant and almost childlike in his acceptance of whatever it is she was going to offer him. A switch of roles if you will. End of Spoilers. This film might not have employed the most (or any) lovable characters that romantic movies are structured upon, but I found it rewarding for its daringness to explore this sensitive issue. Movies like Rules of Dating, Someone Special and Green Chair don't want to settle for a conventional tale of romance. They don't necessarily strive to give you the warm fuzzy feeling which I find very refreshing. And although this film is not as pragmatic as Sang-soo Hong's Turning Gate or as subtle and intense as Ki-duk Kim's 3-Iron, I found it strangely amusing and candid, but maybe because I was able to associate it with a person I know who is similar to Lee and watching him was both humorous and humiliating at the same time.

• Twisted fun

  YNOT_at_the_Movies2006-03-26

  I really enjoyed this Korean film "Rules of Dating." You would think this is a romantic comedy from the poster, not quite. It's very hard to say what it is. It's murky, funny, weird, blunt, twisted, and fun. The first line of the film is: "Are you wet?" the handsome school teacher Lee asked the newly arrived student teacher Choi. No, they are not in the rain, they are sitting on a bench on campus in the beautiful fall weather. Lee is hitting on Choi as soon as he sees her, while both of them have a lover of their own. Nevertheless, the flirtation goes up and down, never a quiet moment. The movie is very frank about flirting, sex, dating, and may I say, "sexual harassment?" Wait, that's a term only used in America. I think the American audience will be appalled by Lee's behavior, but the movie can get away with it because it's a Korean film and set in Korea. If you enjoyed "My Sassy Girl," this will be a similar love hate drama, only smarter. The film dances around the true feeling of these characters and plays the mind of its audience. Just when I think they are in love, the film let Lee and Choi show me that they are just flirting. When I think they are just having some fun, they start to show me that they are in love. It's almost like I am dating somebody but I can never figure out what my date is really thinking. Of course, this is not a Kim Ki-duk's film, so I was hoping some more twists and turns (with my twisted mind) to happen while... oh well, I still love this film.

• A Feminist Perspective On Dating

  Desertman842011-09-27

  Rules Of Dating is similar to a Son Ye-jin starrer,My Wife Got Married. It has a feminist perspective in it. It is a tale about a male teacher that never takes women and relationships seriously, suddenly realizes that women also have the capability of doing the same. His beliefs about dating have been challenged by an experience with a student/teacher. He also deals the same emotional pain that a woman experiences when things go through the same situation in a romantic relationship. This movie is an eye-opener especially for womanizers and men who has the same beliefs of the male teacher. It is Fatal Attraction minus the violence and horrors. The film has a mix of drama and comedy. The acting was good with the exception of Kang Hye-Jeong for she did an excellent job as the student/teacher. The movie starts slow and then it builds the surprising twists and turns of the plot. It may not be a masterpiece but it is still a good movie. It is highly recommended for Kang's excellent performance alone. It is a must-see not only for Kang's fans but for people who want another type of romantic comedy with eye-opening situations instilled upon it.

• A realistic romance melodrama

  zhixiong2005-08-28

  The lead actress in this movie, 'Yeonae-ui mokjeok' (international title: Rules of Dating) has grown up since her role as Mido in Oldboy (2003). Rules of Dating is a realistic romance melodrama about how a teacher ( Park Hae-il) flirt with a female student teacher (Kang Hye-jeong). However in terms of age, the student teacher is much older than the teacher. The movie starts off slow but picks up in the second hour. Throughout the movie, we get to see the relationship between the two teachers flourish and fluctuate periodically. The interesting bit is that Kang Hye-jeong is already engaged to a doctor and Park Hae-il has a steady girlfriend for 6 years. Recommended to anyone who likes realistic romance stories without Hollywood special effects. Mao points: 7/10

• A ludicrous, self-defeating treatise on sexism in Korean society

  kjihwan2006-01-28

  The title, meaning 'The Purpose of Dating' in English, is extremely misleading: this is a would-be critique of the misogynist, sexist culture manifest in Korean society. Kang Hye-Jung, of 'Oldboy' fame, is an intern teacher working with a lecherous, insincere Park Hae-Il, who asks her to sleep with him on her first day of work and continues to hit on her. She resists him at first, then tries to match his aggressive, unreasonable advances with equally outrageous counteroffers, then starts to fall for him. Much of what the film tries to do is very laudable: through Hong it asks some troubling questions about the culture of victimization women who are unfairly labeled as 'loose' or 'man-eaters' suffer in Korea. 'The Purpose of Dating' has some very felt words to say about the hypocrisy of such misogynistic attitudes: Hong's former lover who abandoned her and spread poisonous lies around to make her seem like a desperate stalker in order to save his own reputation; the female teachers at the school who pompously warn of 'home-wreckers'; and Lee, who exploits his positional superiority to prey on Hong, are all both the cause and the symptoms of the sexist, witch-hunting culture still prevalent in Korea. In terms of drama, there are some scenes, particularly the 'moment of truth' at the school towards the end where Hong turns the table on Lee, that stir the blood in a way not seen since Christian faced off with his father in 'Festen'. However, the storyline mechanisms which call for Hong to fall in love with her tormentor/lover Lee are so insufferably smug and contrived, not to mention wildly implausible - the highlight being Hong's inexplicable attraction to Lee - that any notion of realism or social relevance are largely thwarted. It won't do to simply film the movie in a realistic style or deal with realistic situations, because Hong's character is infuriatingly inconsistent, and Lee depressingly dislikeable. It completely undermines the movie's credibility to have such ridiculous lead characters, never mind have them carry out the most nonsensical romance seen in quite sometime. And the film's coda, which sees Hong and Lee together in gleefully contrasting circumstances, is mind-blowingly unconvincing: Lee, one of the most repulsive cinematic creations of the last 5 years, gets nowhere near his just deserts, ending up in the arms of the now-rehabilitated, happily employed Hong, whom he does not deserve. A truly ludicrous, self-defeating ending if ever there was one.