''Lovely Rivals'' (; lit. "Female teacher vs. female student") is a 2004 South Korean comedy film about a harsh teacher and her headstrong 5th grade student who battle for the affection of the school's handsome new teacher. The film attracted 1,175,580 admissions in 2004.
''Koreanfilm.org''. Retrieved 2013-01-11. The scene in which the character Yeo Mi-ok is caught on camera slapping her student was based on a similar real-life incident from earlier in the year in which a teacher repeatedly punched a student in the face.

Plot

On the first day of the new elementary school year in Korea, Ms. Yeo Mi-ok (

Yum Jung-ah Yum Jung-ah (born July 28, 1972) is a South Korean actress. Her notable films include '' A Tale of Two Sisters'' (2003), ''The Big Swindle'' (2004), ''The Old Garden'' (2007), and ''Cart'' (2014), as well as the television series ''Royal Family ...

) lays down the law to her students. She is strict and demanding. When her new student Go Mi-nam (

Lee Se-young Lee Se-young (; born December 20, 1992) is a South Korean actress. She debuted as a child actress in 1997 and was best known for her roles in ''Dae Jang Geum'' (2003), '' When I Turned Nine'' (2004), ''Lovely Rivals'' (2004), and ''The Wonder ...

) arrives late and calmly takes her seat, Yeo ignores Mi-nam. Assigned bathroom cleaning duty as punishment, Mi-nam beats up the girls who taunt her and forces them to clean instead. At home we see that Mi-nam lives with her mother, who rarely has time for her because of the hours she must work at the food and alcohol tent she owns. Back at school, the newest male teacher Mr. Kwon Sang-min (

Lee Ji-hoon Lee Ji-hoon may refer to: * Lee Ji-hoon (entertainer) (born 1979) South Korean singer and actor * , South Korean actor * Lee Ji-hoon (actor, born 1988) Lee Ji-hoon (born October 29, 1988) is a South Korean actor. He made his acting debut in t ...

) is causing a stir with his handsome good looks, and every female teacher and student is falling for him. Mi-nam tries to apologize and unburden herself to Ms. Yeo, who ignores her while trying to impress Mr. Kwon. Mi-nam decides to compete for him as well, even getting his cellphone number. Mr. Kwon goes to Ms. Yeo for advice on how to deal with the students' affection, not realizing she likes him too. The teacher and the student start a heated rivalry that climaxes when Ms. Yeo slaps Mi-nam in class—and is recorded doing so on a student's cellphone camera. She resigns from the school but eventually makes amends with Mi-nam and returns to teach.

Cast

- Yeo Mi-ok *

- Go Mi-nam *

- Kwon Sang-min *

Byun Hee-bong Byun Hee-bong (born Byun In-chul; June 8, 1942) is a South Korean actor. Career Byun In-chul was born in Jangseong County, South Jeolla Province, and attended Salesian High School in Gwangju. He took up law at Chosun University before droppin ...

- Principal Byun In-chul * Lee Won-jong - traffic police officer * Na Moon-hee - Mi-ok's mother * Choi Ran - Mi-nam's mother * Kim Eung-soo - vice principal *Choi Bo-kwang - Jang Soo-kyung *Lee Jae-gu - Kim Joon-sung *Kim Ga-eun - Grade 5 Class 2 female student * Im Won-hee - man in TV drama (cameo) *

Cha Seung-won Cha Seung-won (born June 7, 1970) is a South Korean actor, who began his career as an in-demand fashion model in the 1990s. Cha achieved stardom through the hit comedy films '' Kick the Moon'' (2001), '' Jail Breakers'' (2002), '' My Teacher, Mr ...

- Teacher Kim Bong-doo (cameo)

References

External links

* * * {{hancinema film, Lovely_Rivals, Lovely Rivals 2004 films 2004 comedy-drama films Films about educators 2000s Korean-language films South Korean comedy-drama films CJ Entertainment films 2004 comedy films 2004 drama films 2000s South Korean films