Love Untangled

it's cute

I'll admit, I was drawn to watch this film because of the hype. No need to beat around the bush, it didn’t live up to my expectations. The acting is fine, but the storytelling is the real issue. honestly, I can't blame the audience. The hype probably came from the lack of strong k-dramas/k-films this year. it reminded me of the c-19 era when everyone was suddenly releasing good music, simply because people were hungry for something to hold on to. However, I’m not the kind of person who can survive on crumbs; I need a full meal. This plot has been done hundreds times in other EA films, (especially in China and Japan), where seems to be a strange obsession with killing off characters in romance films. Within the first ten minutes, I guessed the entire story arc, and I haven’t done that in a while.

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Sweet, but

This was an extremely sweet movie and it really hit the right notes to get the feeling of nostalgia and youth friendship, without making anything too over-dramatic.

I do have one big gripe with this movie though; the tone stays pretty consistent and light-hearted throughout but it does what a lot of Asian movies seem to do in the third act: the noble idiocy break-up, followed by the time jump reunion. While this movie subverts the trope a bit (thank god for that), I'm not the biggest fan of it being there in the first place and felt like there had to be a better way to incorporate character arcs without doing it.

Still, a cute film.

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Fairy Tale Mashup

This is not complicated. It's very much the "Shin Eun Soo Show" with a stock plot, stock supporting characters, stock high school setting, etc. The plot is almost verbatim "Ugly Duckling". Shin Eun Soo's Se Ri is not an exceptional student, comes from a middle class family and although she has a few close friends, is not particularly popular. Her defining feature is her persistently curly hair which she dislikes and blames for her romantic misfortunes.

Cue the cutest boy in her class recognizing her existence.

Cue her crush on said cutest boy.

Cue entrance of new, nice boy that does anything Se Ri needs.

Cue serpentine series of events of dealing with hair curls and high school crushes.

The supporting cast is actually pretty strong. Cha Woo Min, Yoon Sang Hyeon, Kang Mi Na and Choi Gyu Ri all are as good as the script allows them to be (which is unfortunately pretty limited). Gong Myung probably isn't the best choice as a credible high school boy but when a production needs a laconic, slightly depressed, quiet type, that's Gong Myung.

But as noted above, this is really a beginning-to-end spotlight vehicle for Shin Eun Soo and she mostly delivers. It's a departure from the high school students she's played previously. Her character is not a rebel, is not angry at the world, is not griefstricken or living in an abusive home. Se Ri is a fun, typical teen but Shin Eun Soo brings her to life as an exuberant, extroverted, energetic bowling ball of harmless mayhem. She's far from perfect. She'll cook up a selfish scheme.. She has no shame in asking her friends to go along with her impulses. She is oblivious as, well, most real life teens are. But she's easy to root for because she's genuine and warm and kind underneath the frenetic exterior.

Is it award-winning fare? No. Is it going to transform Shin Eun Soo's acting career in to a stratospheric, A-list juggernaut? Also no.

But it definitely does enough that it wouldn't be a surprise if sometime in the near future, this actor does have that transformative, breakout performance.

Not a must see but recommended nevertheless.

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Shin Eun Soo Steals the Show

Love Untangled is one of several recent dramas set in the ’90s, a backdrop that some viewers will find nostalgic while others will be discovering for the first time. The film captures the era well, from school life to fashion trends, immersing the audience in its time period.

The performances are solid overall, though the group of friends feels underdeveloped; their personalities could have been explored more deeply. Instead, the movie is largely carried by Shin Eun Soo, who delivers a bold and touching performance that provides the story’s emotional core. Gong Myung also does what he can with Han Yun Seok, a character defined by his quiet, one-sided love, though the role gives him limited space to stand out.

As a youth romance, the film delivers what you’d expect: playful banter, tender moments, and the bittersweet process of learning how to navigate feelings for someone. However, several storylines feel underused, such as the rivalry with Park Se Ri’s sister, Yun Seok’s strained relationship with his father, and the love triangle, which never develops to its full dramatic potential despite its importance to the plot.

Ultimately, Love Untangled may be somewhat predictable, but it still offers a wholesome and enjoyable experience, particularly for fans of the genre.

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Satisfies the cravings!

I went into this movie wanting an easy, funny, nostalgic high school romance with low angst and this movie delivered it perfectly. Was I expecting something along the lines of parasite or some renowned movie? Nope! The trailer promised an easy breezy nostalgia with some funny moments and this movie delivered it all.

I liked the characters... i liked their friendship. I always dig whenever a movie is set in the past... 15 years or back. Before the internet boom. It always gives a melancholic feeling of the bygone era. This movie is about a high school teenager navigating her heart through a crush on a fellow high school mate and ends up following in love with someone else totally.

I was surprised by how mature she was to know what her heart wants so quickly rather than dating her crush and then realizing she was always in love with someone else.

If you are looking for a deep, twisted and dramatic ending... this is not for you! This is just a simple teenage romcom with funny moments here and there of two teenagers falling in love and being there for each other.

I really thought this would have a sad ending with how quickly these two ended up together, but the drama really did not go that route and gave us a lovey dovey ending... which I was so happy with.

The movie has its faults, sure... the secondary characters are just there as a prop... we don't get any other story about them, than they being friends of the leads or family... So ya... that is negative aspect, but this movie is all about the main characters!

All in all, I wanted a simple rom-com with a predictable ending and that's exactly what I got! So yaa I got no complaints....

Rating: 9/10

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Love that tingles in nostalgia and cozy feelings

Love Untangled instantly unlocked my high school era and threw me back into that chaos of crushes, puppy love, and reckless decisions powered by zero foresight but maximum emotion. It captures that age when humiliation feels like the end of the world, yet you still dive headfirst because the butterflies are louder than your survival instincts. The vibe is youthful, messy in a cute way, and honestly just comforting.

I had a full ecosystem of butterflies flying laps in my stomach while watching this. The story stays light without being empty, and even without major complications, it still pulls out different emotions like it’s running its own little emotional variety show. It’s a simple premise executed with so much charm that you don’t even look for anything deeper. You just sit there, watch the kilig unfold, and feel your heart do that little giggle.

This is hands down a perfect ten for me. It’s warm, it’s sweet, it’s nostalgic, and it delivers exactly what it promises. If serotonin was a movie, it would look a lot like this.

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Cute but...not really memorable

I quite enjoyed this movie which features high-schoolers in the 90's navigating friendship and romance. The overall vibe is vibrant and fun, with the heroine being a very lovable character. If I enjoyed the period era in which the movie is set up, I had trouble believing in the heroine "ugly duck" problem with her hair as she was just peak adorable.

Acting was good with Shin Eun Soo shining in her female lead role but unfortunately, I felt that the main male lead role was miscast. Gong Myung acting was alright but clearly I could not buy him as a high school student, even one repeating a year. That gap between the cast and the story was a bit an hinderance in my appreciation of the romance, even if there were a lot of sweet moments.

I would recommend this to people looking for a sweet 90's youth rom-com. It is not very deep for sure and it did not leave me with a strong lasting impression but I had a good time watching it despite thinking the main lead was a bit of a miscast.

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