Misseu Hongdangmu

This is a thoughtful Korean comedy, slightly risqué, that wins with wit, good acting, and a good (award winning) screenplay filled with surprises. (Park Chan-wook's got a co-write credit.) A number of times it will set you up to dare it to go somewhere, then it will go there and you'll applaud the way it's handled, delicately. There is mildly adult humor in the presence of a child so delicacy is warranted. Props to young actress Woo Seo for taking it all in stride, reminding us that kids are usually hip to the things adults think they should be protected from. Hyo-jin Kong, as the frumpy high school teacher who blushes easily, is surprisingly accomplished in her comic timing, often acting in a meta-aware fashion to her surroundings. The director seems aware of all the cheap ways to make us laugh but instead of utilizing them he steps back and winks at them. This is smart and funny ... not a goof-ball comedy even though it plays like one on the surface.