Currently Reviewing: Sold Out on You
Reasons To Enjoy Watching Melo Movie
Writer's note: all the credits and sources are mentioned bellow, at the end of the article.
Dreaming of becoming a film director one day, Kim Mu Bi, an assistant director, wants to follow in her father's footsteps, who worked as a filming crew member and who loved movies more than her. After entering the film industry, she quietly honed her skills, not drawing attention to herself in the eyes of others. On the other hand, Ko Gyeom, who stands out too much, rose from being an extra actor to becoming a film critic. He loves movies so much that his goal is to watch all the movies made in the world. He meets Mu Bi on the set of a melodrama film and gets very curious about her because of her name, which sounds like "movie."
(Source: NAY at kisskh; edited by kisskh)
Choi Woo Shik, who is returning to his first romance drama in three years as the role of Ko Gyeom, an aspiring actor-turned-film critic, shared, “‘Melo Movie’ encompasses youth, love, and growth. It’s a story about young people as they mature while moving forward and share warm support for each other with love.”
Park Bo Young, who will become into Kim Mu Bee, a film director who ironically used to hate movies, commented, “[Viewers] will be able to see various forms of love through the different methods and choices that these youths make in pursuit of their dreams and love.”
One of the biggest points to look forward to is the epic collaboration between “Start-Up” and “Hotel del Luna” director Oh Choong Hwan and “Our Beloved Summer” scriptwriter Lee Na Eun. The director shared, “[The drama] not only depicts the beautiful moments of youth but it is also a project that discusses each [character’s] deficiency and trauma. That is why while reading the script, there were many moments I looked back on my past and present.”
Screenwriter Lee Na Eun commented saying, “‘Melo Movie’ depicts the reality and upcoming future of youth who dream of a movie-like life. Everyone experiences a movie-like dream and hardship at least once in their lives, and I included the support and comfort that I wanted to convey to those people at those times.”
The director added, “As many films and dramas have for me, I hope ‘Melo Movie’ becomes a small source of peace and comfort to everyone,” and the scriptwriter shared, “I hope this becomes a story that you can comfortably watch when you’ve become exhausted from crying and laughing within life, which is more cinematic than a film and more dramatic than a drama. One of the important aspects this project discusses is the concept of family. Kim Jae Wook acts as Ko Gyeom’s older brother Ko Jun, and [Go Chang Suk] appears as Kim Mu Bee’s father, and a point to keep an eye on in this drama will be the story of their family relationships.”
Melo Movie is included perfectly into the sub-genre of slice-of-life TV shows, but my one big gripe with it is that it is a tad too long. The show the story of Gyeom, a young man who has been so obsessed with movies since he was a kid that he wants to now work in movies. Meanwhile Mubee, is a woman whose dad loved movies so much that he decided to name her quite literally “Movie”. When these two people suddenly meet, what sets off is a slow-burn romance that takes its time to set the tone and show us the best and worst parts of these main characters.
The story feels a little close to the meta concept because it actually incorporates movie-making in its main story. That is the bread and butter of this series, which is great. It also completely shows the downside, not so beautiful side of the art of filmmaking, emphasizing that it’s a much more administrative, boring, and stressful job than one expects. It's quite relatable this aspect of the show that humanizes the people we tend to “worship.”
Melo Movie in short it’s about chasing your dreams and letting go of things if they get in your way. and not focusing so hard on one thing that you completely forget about all other aspects of your life. The show reminds us that our lives don’t end at age 30; in fact, they just stand at the starting line. I love these realistic sides; yet sadly, what I really didn’t vibe with in the show is the second lead couple and how they took up so much space on the show, dragging it to 10 episodes. This is especially sad seeing how excited people have been to watch Lee Jun-Young. But don’t worry, this show is far better than the disaster that was The Impossible Heir. While it’s true that sometimes we like the second-lead pairing just as much as the first lead, or maybe even more, this particular pairing just felt like a waste of time, as a pair as well as for time on the show. Also, their story is far less hopeful right from the beginning, so it just feels less healing and more like walking into a glass door while you’re taking in the view.
Being orientated more on beautiful visuals, good dialogues, and the side of continuously going back and forth between characters, I don’t think this is binge-worthy and should be enjoyed slowly, like a cup of coffee with your besties, rather than like you have a deadline. Savoring it will make it more interesting; believe me, watching it in one day definitely made it start to feel boring by the end of it.
If you’re looking to be inspired in your late 20s, I’d recommend this show; it definitely gives off the “I know what you’re going through” feeling. If you’re looking for something more energetic like Hometown Cha Cha Cha , though, I don’t think this will give you the same feeling. I do appreciate that we got a healing show not based in a small beachside town, though. This is very much a city dweller story that feels a little stretched out.
Listen to all the official instrumental songs and soundtracks on Spotify, by clicking on the last album picture. Goodbye, see you soon next time!
Sources: 1, 2. 3, 4, 5, 6, Spotify. Cover was created and modified with pixlr.com/ro/express.
