After an initial surge of mixed bag offerings from Korea, the release of films of late has been rather lacklustre to say the least. Amongst these disappointing offerings is My Boss, My Student, a film sequel to the original My Boss, My Hero. The film initially begins rather confusingly as Sang-doo plays Doo-sik in what seems to be a dream fantasy of some sort, but is actually Sang-doo getting the diploma for his boss.
After this initial period the film begins proper, and once more Doo-Sik is having to go to school, but rather than taking his place as a student, he is now acting as Student Teacher as a means to get his degree, and to stop the continued laughter at his expense by his superiors. Many of the same initial scenes from the first film appear in the second, such as the fanfare by Dumb-garl, the moronic idiot that gets things wrong all to impress his boss, with his reward being a large helping of slappy happy across his forehead and back.
We also get the scene of Doo-Sik being late for school and almost getting whacked for it, as well as various changes of dress prior to actually attending the school. So far, so familiar and nothing original has cropped up. Things become a tad more interesting when we discover his elder is a student there, as if you remember from the end of the last film, he was being sent to school.
By sheer movie magic coincidence the two end up at the same school, and Doo-Sik must handle not beating his boss to a pulp, while at the same time instilling discipline in the rowdy students. There’s also a perverse interlude involving a student girl and one of the teachers, as well as yet another corrupt school issue involving the son of the director who runs the school, as well as Sang-doo and Dumb-garl end up in Hong Kong to try to resolve a trade dispute between them selves and the Hong Kong Chinese.
Finally we have the obligatory repetition of the school relationship, the girl that ends up in hospital having suffered from a massive blow, and Doo-Sik risking his entire career for revenge, which ends up with Doo-Sik, Sang-doo and Dumb-garl all ending up in yet another brawl, this time lazily chorographed and about as exciting as a dose of piles while stuck on a cramped bus with no where to sit.
The films main issues are that it is too formulaic, too familiar and severely in any real originality. There’s nothing about the film that grabs you either as a drama, as an action film and it’s core, a comedy. The gags are ahout as funny as a dead kitten rotting in your wash basket, with most of the visual gags being over the top and lacking any comic value. Besides, we’ve seen it all before which is another problem, and had they come up with a much smarter formula then we might be looking at a more positive review.
Gone is the human drama, humour and mostly tight direction of the first film. Instead it’s replaced with a lingering bad smell of a sequel that offers nothing to the viewer and is simply a waste of good money. I certainly couldn’t recommend the film on the basis of what is offered, and I dearly hope that a third film isn’t in the works. The only interesting aspect about the film is the title, as the film box reads, supposedly, My Boss, My Student, yet the subtitles offer a different interpretation of My Boss, My Teacher.
It’s the only thing that made me think as to whether I had the third or second film in the series, as I assume the teacher aspect would be saved for a third film, unless it’s called My Boss, My Boss in which Doo-Sik finally achives the status of being a mafia boss and is allowed to take control, but ends up in all sorts of shenaingans. You can tell by my tone that I am quite simply ecstatic at the prospect of what the third film, should there be one, will offer.
Quite honestly, I don’t know what’s happened to Korean film making since the initial burst of energy and original films, it’s gone a bit down hill, with the region offering mediocrity en masse, and delivering nothing in terms of entertainment.
A few yerars ago they were called the new Hong Kong, but I think it’s fair to call them the new B-movie Hollywood as their films stink and rot as much as an American B-movie. As things stand, I am disappointed to say that this sequel and others like it should have been aborted at the conception phase of making the film, and be done with.
They offer nothing to the paying public, and I am forced to repeat myself endlessly to emphasise just how poor this film is. There’s nothing remotely funny about the film, nor does it offer an insight in to Korean school life like the first one attempted to, or any comedy, drama and anything else it may proclaim to offer.
It’s a human vegetable that does nothing but stare back at you, and in response you simply stare back, zombified by the sheer trance like experience of looking into the depths of boredom the likes of which you’ve never reached before. Take my word for it, My Boss, My Student is a torrid waste of time, and I certainly don’t recommend watching it. Rent or buy the first film, as it’s infinitely better and much more entertaining.
Verdict: My Boss, My Student is My Waste Of Time