This review may contain spoilers
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.
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.
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