Director: Wonsuk Lee
Writers: Wonsuk Lee, Hye-yeong No
Stars: Jeong-se Oh, Yong-Joon Ahn, Seong-woo Bae
A 'not so attractive girl' is single and loses her chance of
promotion at work. Not knowing why, she accidentally buys an old video tape set
titled 'How to use Guys with Secret Tips'. May be this video can help her to
get through life easier. With doubts and curiosity, she gives it a try. And surprisingly,
she gets what she wants at work and the top star LEE falls for her. But can she
keep her true love?
“How to use guys with secret tips” is the debut film from
Lee Won-Suk and what a début it is! Starring Lee Si-Young as Choi Bo-Na as a
second assistant director, A Sad Tomboy type that wears various colourful
hoodies always with the hood up and her fringe down and low esteem. The
director she works with rose to fame by doing a sanitary towel add and fancies
himself as a rock’n’roll style director who constantly plays his acoustic
guitar singing sad songs, basically a bit of a nob! One day he calls her into
his office and asks her to help with a pitch he has lined up, But tells her she
looks like a “Mutt” and to pick him up at 6. This is just a small amount of the
daily barrage she is at the receiving end of, she is clumsy and lacks
confidence, always wanting to be like the other attractive girls who constantly
berate her on her looks.
One day on a shoot at the beach, she once again tries her
best to go about her job when the film’s star man turns up, Shades on, hair
slicked back, chiselled features, you know the type! He departs in slo-mo
style from his vehicle removing his
shades when his assistant who is carry his dog drops it and it then proceeds to
take more than a fancy to his right leg if you know what I mean! She laughs, he
sees her, gives a dismissive glance then walks away. She then recalls him from
5 years earlier when we have a flashback of him trying to impress her by getting
her to listen to a tune whilst he performs a cringe worthy dance, So is this
the turning point she has finally found to think that one day she good be as
good and as big as him? Is that what she wants?
The filming wraps up and we see her stood in the ocean
barefooted staring off into the distance alone. She then awakes on the beach
and everyone has gone, left her alone. She wanders back towards the top of the
beach where she sees a very brightly illuminated store selling all manner of
self-help videos including one strongly recommended by the stall holder, the
one he recommends is called “How to use guys with secret tips!” The guy sells
her the VHS and gives her a free present of a where’s Waldo? Book! So she takes
it home, moans to herself that it has just cost her $500 but proceeds to watch,
the guy on the stall is on the video and goes through various hilarious steps
of how she needs to do what she does to fit in.
So after watching the video this is the turning point of the
film, she turns up for work wearing a skirt and no hoodie much to the shock and
surprise of many of her colleagues, We see the guru video guy pop up on
occasion and give us little sound bites, most of them hilarious, will she fit in? Will she
get what she finally wants? Well you’ll just have to watch it and I can tell
you that you won’t be disappointed.
So as I said it’s the directorial debut of Lee Won-Suk and
it’s brilliant. Ultra colourful very much in the style of Amelie’s director the
great Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Funny, witty brilliant performances and
cinematography also has a great soundtrack, what more could you want! Available
now on DVD.
8/10
Jonny T.
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