Like You Know It All (2009) (2025)

Popular reviews

• Review by KYK ★★★★

  This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

• Review by KYK ★★★★

  For some reason I can never remember this English title (I keep thinking it's like As You Like It... As If You Know It All...something along those lines) and it always slips my mind as a Hong essential. But I'm glad I rewatched this today to be reminded that it totally is a core Hong film. It's also one of his breezy comedies that I often find very hard to watch. P.S. I am fascinated by Kim Tae-woo being a six-foot-tall Korean man and also a canonical beta male.

• Review by Moresbi ★★★★ 2

  M(a)y Korea 2024 #15 - Hong Sang-soo from M(a)y Korea 2024

  Progress: 37/31

  "You directors are all f*cked up!" 😅😂😂

  "Jal al-ji-do mot-ha-myeon-seo" aka "Like You Know It All" was funny (!), interesting and, well, insightful :D

  I'm very on-off with Hong Sang-soo, depending on "substance" and progression but I enjoyed this one quite a bit. Of course, if you're familiar with him, you know the drill ^_^

  The plot makes justice to the movie's title. Two specific timelines that follow the main character's two "events", relationships and.. "havoc" :D

  First and foremost, I'm a BIG fan of Uhm Ji-won and Jung Yu-mi and I really enjoyed them here. Kim Tae-woo did pretty good, considering "all" the commotion. Also enjoyed…

• Review by Stephen Gillespie ★★★

  Ben's Summer of South Korean Cinema Challenge (original list here)
  Review 16/53 (My list here) (Ranked list of films here)
  Category 20-16 : Hong Sang-soo films

  To begin with, Like you Know It All seems sycophantic. We follow an independent South Korean filmmaker of some renown, known for making unique films and currently participating as a festival judge. The connection between art and artist is not supposed to be subtle. Multiple characters talk about how great the filmmaker is and it feels like an exercise in self-aggrandisement.

  And then it shifts, and early. Our filmmaker is the titular know it all who is shown to be a sham, somewhat, and pathetic. That's right, it's another 'men are pathetic' tale from…

• Review by Sean Gilman ★★★★

  "Why don't you admit you don't know it all? It's hard to get someone's heart, right?"

• Review by nrh ★★★★½

  mean as a wasps' nest. almost as funny.

• Review by Lee Does Not Exist सब्बे सत्ता सुखी होन्तु ★★★★½

  broadcasting your L’s amongst the natural beauty around you. one of Hong’s most truthful, and playful

• Review by Sean Gilman ★★★★

  "An extremely uneasy film, the funniest movie Hong had made to that point, with the mixture of comedy of manners, biting satire, and dark humor that is extremely volatile, especially when paired with raw emotional outbursts and some of the most wistful, lyrical passages of Hong’s career."

  Review at The Chinese Cinema.

• Review by rischka ★★★½

  "people don't understand your films anyway, so why keep making them?"

• Review by Valerie Orbach ★★★★½ 2

  Yet another delightful examination of the quirks and follies of human behavior by Hong. Typically episodic and elliptical, the film employs recurring motifs and dramatic situations to zoom in on the frivolities of its no longer young and not particularly successful film director protagonist. Uncomfortable encounters abound, usually involving women and alcohol, yet they tend to be the most truthful. Hong wouldn't have it any other way.

• Review by saturnino ★★★★★

  — What is the most important thing in life for you?
  — The most important thing?
  — I don't mean things like your kids or your health.
  — Freedom. We're unhappy needlessly, because we chase false ideals and other people's desires. It's the strength to focus on one's true desires. That's freedom.

  [...]

  — What did you see by the sea?
  — Everything I’d forgotten about.

• Review by Diogo Serafim ★★★★

  a more direct comedy of embarassments by sang-soo. arguably his funniest film.