Who doesn't want to see a light romantic comedy in which the misogynist comes out on top? Well, I don't. But here we are with A Female Boss, a jarring rom-com in which the mean-spirited publisher (Jo Mi-lyeong) of Modern Woman magazine falls in love with the cute new hire (Lee Su-ryeon) who kicked her dog. That these two end up as a couple is a strange inevitability, considering she's more about scheming an older businessman (Ju Seon-tae) while he's dating her younger sister (Seo Ae-ja). Does he come to love his employer/sexual-harrasser? Not really. But as his former work buddy frankly puts it, this higher-up is an opportunity for a merger. And what a merger it is! Spoiler alert: By the end of the movie, our unlikable "hero" is running the magazine while his former foil is at home knitting baby clothes.
Even acknowledging the times in which A Female Boss was made, Han Myeong-mo's movie is pretty offensive. (I guess we shouldn't be surprised that the director also made the movie My Sister Is a Hussy which, as its title suggests, isn't exactly a rally cry for female empowerment.) But seeing the magazine's two sassy female editors kowtow to the snivelling male staff (Kim Hie-gab) while the jerk is promoted to the big desk, now under a sign that reads "Men Are Superior to Women," is just too much for this viewer to stomach. There's a fun dance number at a nightclub, an enjoyable amateur basketball game, and a running gag involving a late-night ride home but the joys are few and far between in A Female Boss. The patriarchy ruins everything, even movies.
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