Melo Movie

nice for a shot of melo or to see a fave actor.

background eps:
awful romantic pursuit... it really feels quite icky even beyond the storytelling intent
character development doesn't end up transitioning well at all
overbearing background tracks

time skip:
- second couple dynamics are painful to watch despite good acting performances. Some sparks of character from the dude defending his feelings, but not worth the screen time as it develops. You hate seeing them and don't get the benefits of the contrasting relationship because there aren't substantial parallels to the main couple. slop that will make many people drop.

- OSTs/background tracks finally find their place, solid, connects the sadness well later on. hits highs instead of the lows I felt in the early eps. occasionally weird still tho lol. main leads' narration sets a nice tone throughout

- some cute main couple moments that make the whole film production background worthwhile. I don't really like how the flirting develops sometimes, but its serviceable to pleasantly fun (PBY <3) they're so much better here than those first couple eps where I don't see the chemistry to form the attachment the plot drops on them.

- brother plot gets a nice handoff from the decently established main couple to land those few episodes of good melo. 5,6,7 but this couple hasn't had the time together to handle the levity of that melo. the tears are real, but the romance isn't.

- individual goals for film production aren't realized well. I get that they all like movies, but do they like talking about movies or their involvement in them? some technical talk would have gave it some substance, but I get defaulting to something basic with how present the second couple is. movie critic and the director 1 on 1 were not enough for me though with how many stacks of vcr tapes we see throughout.

- wasn't interested in most of the side characters interactions with the main cast.

Read More

A more realistic modern day melo romance

LIKES:
1) Writer Lee Na Eun - I like her style of writing realistic layered characters. Her characters are never one dimensional and have realistic insecurities and complicated emotions. The way she writes makes you reflect. Just like she did with Our Beloved Summer, I got goosebumps from some of the lines because it was like Writer Na Eun took a peek into my soul. Love that.

2) The balance of humor, sweetness, and sadness that feels so natural. Nothing feels over the top

3) Choi Woo shik - I love this guy. He's such an amazing actor. This role was made with Woo Shik in mind, and honestly, I can't think of anyone else who could have played this role with the same loveable humor, sincerity and complexity.

4) The brotherhood between Woo shik and Lee Jae Wook. The heartbreaking scenes made me cry like a baby!

5) Park Bo Young - Great as always and a great match for Woo Shik's humor. The banter and reactions are fun to watch

6) The mother/daughter relationship. I love how it was written that PBY takes after her mother's personality. I found that relationship so realistic.

DISLIKES:
1) Pace was too slow and honestly the latter episodes got a little boring in places.

2) I didn't care for the secondary couple or the side characters which led to more boredom when it was their scenes. I did like the movie director though because he was funny

3) The kisses - it felt too careful as if the leads didn't want to upset the people they were dating in real life. Personally I hate that because it takes me out of the story and honestly it almost feels like bad acting. Not sure if this was a directorial choice or an actor's choice, but it killed the romantic chemistry for me. So while I did feel like they had flirty chemistry, it felt more buddy like than romantic lovers.

4) Lee Jun Young's crying - this was a hard sell for me. Felt very forced. He was great in the funny scenes though

If you liked Our Beloved Summer or enjoy more realistic dramas, than I would suggest giving this drama a try. While I didn't like it as much as the former, I still enjoyed the writing and lead characters very much. I think the problem lies more with the directing and editing.

Read More

Flat

It's sad that such a great cast, wonderful cinematography and a fitting soundtrack can't guarantee a good drama.

Everything feels flat, aloof and shallow. The characters, the story, the dialogues. You can't stand on sand castles, you need a firm ground.

Every character feels like a plot device for a superficial life lesson. I felt like this is a story told to teach basic concepts to children. "People have secrets", "You'll never get to know someone fully", "Parents showing up means they love you", "There's labour parents or caregivers do in the shadows", "People should be supported by friends and family in hard times", "Honesty is one of the pillars of a relationship", etc.

What irked me the most was the character's unidimensionality. They're just one thing. ML is a people-pleaser, FL is mean to hide the softness she says she has, SFL is subservient, SML is selfish and the brother is depressed. Because the brother is depressed and people who are depressed lose interest in life, he's shown to have no personality and that's a very extreme way of telling a story, it's something typically done in children stories to help them learn basic concepts.

Kim Jae Wook is an extraordinary actor and could even breathe life into an empty corpse. He's, honestly, the highlight in this drama. His character is shown as the miserable one whose life only brings him down. At one point, SML says that Jun lived his life the way he wanted to live. No, Jun didn't live his life the way he wanted. He didn't exist in the drama prior to their parents died, kid ML doesn't reference him in his life, he knows nothing about him, and he got stuck with raising a kid at 20 years old. He didn't have a choice. He lived for that kid and was mostly glad to do it. Since he didn't seem to exist prior to their parents death, he just became a flat character with a black and white existence. No dreams, no aspirations, no words, not thoughts, as if living a hard life to survive turns you into a literal zombie with no life or a personality. He was there to contrast with ML existence and bring it to life. It's sad, such a possibly rich story could be simply a plot device for a mediocre kid with fear of abandonment as his only trait.

Being neglected as a child and/or losing a parent are very serious and traumatising issues. Throughout the whole drama we saw Mubi's father constantly showing up for her. He saw the love and care he had for her. As someone who grew up without a father and with a healthcare worker for a mother, I honestly can't see how that child - and especially that adult - didn't see her father's love. He even included her in his passion. I'm not sure if that's a failure of the writing or the storytelling.
I don't see a neglected child, I see an entitled brat who even disrespects her craft. Choosing a craft you hate out of spite is something else. She couldn't even understand the movie her father made. They painted him as talentless and pathetic loser just because he wanted to make movies. Not everyone is good at what they love but that doesn't make anyone pathetic, it makes them passionate and we can't live life without passion. Well, we can, but it's not as fun.

We also see that Mubi finds ML resembles her father a lot, we see the parallels drawing between them. Even if she loved her father and didn't resent him, why would she choose a lover that reminded her of her parent? He didn't just reminded her of her father, he reminded her of everything she hated about her father.

We keep being told that Mubi is cold because she's too soft but we don't get to see any softness. We see children's book type of kindness to show us she's a good person and we see her foolishness when she doesn't demand an explanation for being abandoned, when that's supposedly her trauma. She simply gets over being ghosted for 5 years without an explanation and an assurance it won't happen again?

We see ML struggle alone after losing the only family he had, only to have help from his girlfriend and his friends when he's already struggling beyond what he should have. No one extended a hand out to him, no one checked on him. No one cared. Yes, people who grieve need time to sort out their feeling but they also need support and a lot of it, so they don't fall into the darkness. Those people who were portrayed as kind left him alone when he needed the most.

His career change also makes no sense. He loved movies, it wasn't just something he did with his brother. Working at a travel agency because he wants to know the world is the same as working at a restaurant because you like eating out. Only in specific positions you get to see the world, mostly you are stuck behind a computer while arranging the same tours over and over again for other people to see the world.

Well, the result of this drama was just too little for all the means they had.



The movie critic said people should be harsh so we can get better media and I do live by that as well. I believe we should be honest and critic about the media we consume, I'm not doing this just to be mean, there's no purpose on being mean. I'm just being honest, like I am in every review I make.

Read More

Heartwarming show!

I really liked this show, even though it was a bit boring at times. I didn't really enjoy the second couple's plot-I didn't feel sympathetic toward them; they felt more toxic for each other than anything else. Other than that, it was a really heartwarming and comforting show, especially the story of the main character and his brother. The comedy in the show also made it even more enjoyable to watch. I think what I liked most was the male lead's character-he was fun, hilarious, and a great green flag. Overall, even though the plot isn't that special, the script was well-written! I recommend watching it when you're feeling down.

Read More

Good for up to 8 episodes

When I saw the reviews and ratings from others, I was confused because at first, it didn’t seem like a bad series for me. Maybe it was because Park Bo Young was the lead, and the story was about movie enthusiasts, something I relate to. I would say I did enjoy the series, but not until the last two episodes. The story felt somewhat shallow for me. I understand the regret and hatred toward someone who neglected you at a young age because I can relate, having been in a similar position growing up. It was impactful when they discussed Mu Bi's hatred and pain, but by the last few episodes, it became too much and started to feel redundant.

I liked how they portrayed life after losing someone dear to you. I also appreciated the representation of having no will to live but continuing to live for someone else. However, the story itself was weak. As for the second couple, I just didn’t know how to feel about them. The girl couldn’t communicate her likes and dislikes to her boyfriend for 7 years, and then she suddenly left. I get that 7 years was too long for her to bear everything, but the problem was the lack of communication. She just left, then came back and begged him to create music with her. The guy was also at fault. Honestly, I didn’t care whether they ended up together or not.

What I really liked about the drama was Gyeom's love for movies, how it healed him and lifted his spirits. Director Ma was also the best character in this drama. I appreciated Mu Bi’s childhood friend and Mu Bi's mother, as well as Gyeom’s brother, who gave everything for his younger sibling. His story was the best part of the drama. They should have shown what happened instead of rushing it, but it was still so good. His impact on the drama was significant. Everything else, though, felt lacking, especially the chemistry between the leads. It just wasn’t there.

Still, it was nice to watch something I could truly relate to: the love for movies.

Read More

ordinary yet insightful

I've always admired Choi Woo Shik's natural acting style, but this drama feels like déjà vu for him. He has played a similar role before, so nothing about his performance really stands out this time. The story itself is pretty ordinary, following the familiar trope of former lovers trying to reconnect. It also shows how young professionals navigate the competitive world of the movie and music industry. For me, episode 7 was the highlight—it could have told the entire story on its own. The dynamic between the brothers was more compelling, and their chemistry felt stronger than that of the main leads. While the drama didn’t bring anything fresh to the table, it served as a reminder that open communication in any relationship is crucial to avoiding future regrets.

Read More

kim jaewook steals the show?!

the moments that emotionally moved me, i really reallyyyy loved and there are just some moments, i just feel lukewarm about it. so first, this was released on valentine's day so naturally, i expected it to be a romance but it's a combination of many genres and romance is not on the top of the list for this one. i guess we can call it a slice-of-life with themes revolving around grief, second chances, creatives, and of course, movies. my favorite storyline is definitely the one between the brothers, ko gyeom and ko jun. that was so heartbreaking and emotional and thought, that's really where the show shines and the best written part. choi wooshik and kim jaewook delivered with these emotional scenes. my second favorite is the one where the characters talk about their love for movies or music and just the highs and lows of being a creative. we got a director, an actor, writer and musician here. watching people be passionate about their art is always fun.

when it comes to the romance, i guess it started strong for me but ultimately, i did not feel as strongly about it as i wanted. the time skip without a single communication was a bit jarring to be honest. i wish they went more in depth with that. but i did like that in the end there, gyeom and mubee seemed to bring out the best in each other and pushed each other to grow. when it comes to the second couple, i am glad they did not get back together because it just wouldn't make sense and it's just more about getting a closure, growing up and i guess a representation of two young people in love but lacks communication. i think it's a factor too that i didn't think the on-screen chemistry between the two couples isn't really that palpable.

visually, it is very pretty. it's edited in a very ~indie vibes~ way, you know. just like in the movies! :) i mean, it's beautiful. so yeah, overall, i still, enjoyed a lot of this. it's not perfect but it's a good watch for me.

Read More

From Promising Start to Recycled Melodrama

Melo Movie started strong with a fresh concept and impressive first episodes, making it seem like we were in for something unique. But as the story progressed, it fell into the same predictable, frustrating tropes that ruin so many melodramas.

The biggest issue? The male lead disappears for five years after kissing the female lead because his older brother had an accident. Five years? That’s not justifiable. He wasn’t in a coma, he wasn’t isolated—he was working, meeting friends, living his life, but somehow, he couldn’t send a single message to the woman he supposedly loved? Either he consciously abandoned her or the writers expect us to believe he was waiting “in the shadows.” Both explanations are absurd. Why couldn’t he just tell her the truth? It’s lazy writing.

Meanwhile, the female lead, now a successful movie director, is still single after all this time. Why? Because the plot demands it. Any realistic woman would have moved on, had admirers, and possibly a serious relationship. But because she’s the “cutest Korean actress,” the script forces her to stay emotionally stuck on the male lead. The show tells us five years have passed, but nothing in the story actually reflects that.

And let’s talk about how this drama glorifies harassment. The female lead has made it clear that she does not want the male lead back in her life. Yet, he keeps pushing, showing up everywhere, and the story treats it as "romantic." No means NO—but apparently not in this show, because the male lead is "good-looking." Are we supposed to believe that if a man is handsome like Choi Woo Shik, he’s allowed to ignore a woman’s boundaries? That’s a terrible message.

Another major issue is how the male lead is treated like some superior being. The director he works for remembers him too well, as if he were the biggest star in Korea. Everyone is overly happy to see him, reacting as if he’s more special than Gong Yoo or Hyun Bin in the film industry. And the ridiculous coincidences? His older brother just happens to buy a house across from the female lead? The script is full of lazy, forced plot devices designed to push the leads back together.

Worst of all, this feels like a recycled version of "Our Beloved Summer." Choi Woo Shik is playing the same type of male lead again—first with Kim Da Mi, now with Park Bo Young. Netflix seems to be making the same drama over and over, just swapping out female leads.
If you’re watching Melo Movie, you might as well check out Our Beloved Summer, since it’s the same drama with a different female lead.

Overall, Melo Movie had an impressive start, but it quickly turned into a frustrating, unrealistic mess. If you’re tired of melodramas that glorify the male lead’s bad behavior while forcing the female lead to wait around for him, this one isn’t worth your time.

Exactly! The male lead’s character feels completely untrustworthy and irresponsible, yet the drama still wants us to believe he’s a romantic hero. He takes life too lightly, never showing any real emotional depth or responsibility, yet somehow, he’s able to support his older brother’s medical treatments, rehab for years, and even afford a new house—all while working as a ghostwriter?

That’s completely unrealistic. South Korea’s film and publishing industries are highly competitive, and an "unrecognized" ghostwriter making enough money to cover massive hospital bills, rehab costs, and buy property is pure fantasy. The drama acts like money just falls from the sky for him, despite showing no signs of struggle.

And beyond the financial aspect, his personality doesn’t fit someone capable of a serious relationship. He vanishes for five years without a word, shows no deep emotional regret, and acts as if he can just walk back into the female lead’s life whenever he wants. His entire behavior screams carefree and irresponsible, making it impossible to root for him in any real romance.

At this point, the drama isn’t just unrealistic, it’s straight-up insulting to the audience’s intelligence.

EP 3 Critics
The male lead clearly expected the female lead to remain single, lonely, and emotionally stuck on him for five years, which is both selfish and insulting. When he sees her simply meeting an old friend (who, of course, is the typical second male lead with no real chance), he looks disappointed—as if he was hoping she had no one in her life.

This attitude suggests that, deep down, he doesn’t think she’s worthy of other men’s attention. It’s as if he believes she should have been waiting for him all these years, instead of living her life. That kind of thinking is possessive, arrogant, and completely unrealistic—especially when he was the one who disappeared!

It reinforces the drama’s problematic writing, where the male lead is always favored, while the female lead exists just to prove her devotion. It would have been much more realistic and empowering if she had moved on, found love, or at least had multiple men actually interested in her—because why wouldn’t a successful, beautiful director have admirers? But no, she’s forced to stay single just to serve the male lead’s fantasy.

It’s another reason why this drama fails at realistic romance.

Read More

Great Actors, Weak Story

Where to begin? Individually, the actors all bring a strong catalogue of work, and I pick what I watch based on who has been cast. That being said, there just isn't any chemistry between any of the actors. Add to that the holes in the plot that never really get filled in and the who series left me feeling just a little flat.

The ML and FL have a history together. But even before they split and came back into one another's lives, the chemistry just is not there. It always feels more like besties instead of lovers. The fact that the ML never explains to her why he dropped out of her life doesn't make sense. They leave it to the audience to infer that it was discussed. This poor young man has lived a life of loss and they really didn't begin to touch on that until episode 8. The FL had a disjointed relationship with her parents, but again, not touched on until late in the series. Maybe if they had more episodes it could have been fleshed out a little more but given that they had 10 hours to define these characters, I'm thinking they could have found a way to do it.

The second couple is just dysfunctional. The SFL is a stalker and the SML has been in a depressive spiral for years thanks to SFL (who is completely tone deaf). There is no chemistry between them. and it doesn't help that SFL actress was the weakest of the four leads. We get a glimpse of his relationship with his family for five minutes. We get nothing on her background. What's the point of having a SFL and SML if they aren't going to explore the characters? 10 episodes is more than enough time to develop all of these characters.

The supporting characters (including the injured brother of the ML and the ailing former neighbor of the FL) are just there, taking up space. Their stories could have been better told. The actors in these roles were underutilized.

It is not a bad production; it just lacks spark.

At the end of the day, there was a ton of potential that the director and writers just did not solidify. Unfortunate for the cast that did their best with what they had to work with.

Not unwatchable, but not at the top of the list, either.

Read More

Mixed emotions but overall still love it

I didn't start this with much hopes, and was confused with the beginning asking myself where this was going? I originally thought it was gonna be like those cute series where they meet early in their careers , break up and then reunite when they had made it in life. That was not really the case. Both main leads were really great at their roles although i will say that their spotlight got stolen multiple times by the side couple, who never got back together even though they were dying for each others affection. Ko-Guym finding out his brother was actually depressed and realising he wanted to kill himself made me a bit emotional, it was essential for the story but after Ko-Guyms brother died he never pursued anything he actually liked. We see him at a job interview but at a travel agency, now is that because his brother wanted to go on a trip before his death or is that just a random job he wanted to get based on his bubbly personality?
(Side couple made me cry a lot, not only because it was emotional and sad but because it took so long just for them to never talk to each other again LOL)

Read More