Wet Dreams 2 (a.k.a. High School Dreams): What a Gas!

Full disclosure: When I was in college, I wrote a play (my first!) about a young woman who has gastrointestinal problems every time her boyfriend cheats on her. Entitled "The Farce of Faith," this still-unproduced masterpiece was one, long extended fart joke with most of the laughs built around the title character's flatulence. (Her boyfriend cheated a lot!) Who needs to write a clever one-liner or Cowardesque dialogue when they can just have the main character cut the cheese and pinch the loaf? Not me! Or so I thought at the time.

And so think director Jeong Cho-shin and his screenwriter Park Chae-wun. Their Wet Dreams 2 (a.k.a. High School Dreams) has as its love interest, a student teacher (Lee Ji-hoon) who farts every time he gets an erection — amusingly translated here as "a chub." While this malodorous disorder of the dick does not work to his benefit in the bedroom, it also doesn't stop a couple of high school girls from competing for his attentions. To the contrary, his gassy emissions are interpreted as validations of sexual appeal. What does it take to get a fart triggered by this dreamy faculty member's member? Will sucking on a popsicle tickle his sphincter? How about hiking up your skirt? Can a padded bra cause him to let one rip? You'll have to watch the movie to see what works when but as played by the sweet-faced, sweet-natured Lee, you'll find this fartfest a regular gas.

Too lowbrow? I certainly don't think so. Truth be told, I wish the movie had more farts than it currently does. I, for one, am a bit disappointed that this dingbat dysfunction isn't the focus of the film. Instead, Wet Dreams 2 has cast one of his heart-fluttering teen fans as the protagonist. Flat-chested and on the cusp of womanhood, she (Song Eun-chae) isn't nearly as amusing as "her destiny" or even her two best friends, a nerdy girl (an irritatingly self-amused Park Seul-gi) with a terrible bowl-cut and a sassy sidekick (Jeon Hye-bin) who favors side ponytails and perhaps the ladies. Check out her reaction to the movie's one lesbian kiss. Now if only that moment had been coupled with a well-timed queaf!