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Sometimes, all you need is a short-ish rom-com drama with a solid but unsurprising story. "Love Tractor" is exactly that.
Neither the character dynamics (excitable puppy vs. cold cat / country mouse vs. city mouse) nor the backstory (controlling father, betrayal by lover, thwarted dreams) are in any way new. The setting is an appropriately romanticized village, complete with stereotypical overly friendly villagers and out-of-season fresh fruit and vegetables. Wounds heal quickly without scars; the surroundings don't change with the progressing in-universe time.
And yet, it works.
The story, tropey as it is, takes its time to develop Seon Yul's character from being closed-off and exhausted to a confident young man who has found his own way of life. Events around him fit neatly into the narrative, and everything resolves without becoming too cheesy.
Ye Chan's antics are the eye-catcher of the series (and another proof why you should hire actors who know what they are doing -- according to MDL, the actor Yoon Do Jin is a stage actor in SKorea), and the main aspect that elevates this rom-com above the average. Yoon Do Jin gives his character an endearing quality, child-like but not childish, with unexpected words of wisdom, delivered with perfect innocence. In contrast, Do Won ("Seon Yul") gives us a subtle performance of a jaded man that you need to look closer to see. Both of them balance each other quite nicely.
Technically, I find this to be a solid production; I am not a fan of the sung OST but overall the background music fit well with the rest. I wish they had used the countryside to more effect -- most of the time it was just there -- but we all know that in reality, country life looks nowhere near as idyllic as on screen.
Was it good?
It was a solid, if predictable, rom-com with well delivered performances.
Did I like it?
Yes, and I even have rewatched it a few times.
Who would I recommend it to?
To someone who is looking for a rom-com with comedy elements, with a relatively short runtime.
Neither the character dynamics (excitable puppy vs. cold cat / country mouse vs. city mouse) nor the backstory (controlling father, betrayal by lover, thwarted dreams) are in any way new. The setting is an appropriately romanticized village, complete with stereotypical overly friendly villagers and out-of-season fresh fruit and vegetables. Wounds heal quickly without scars; the surroundings don't change with the progressing in-universe time.
And yet, it works.
The story, tropey as it is, takes its time to develop Seon Yul's character from being closed-off and exhausted to a confident young man who has found his own way of life. Events around him fit neatly into the narrative, and everything resolves without becoming too cheesy.
Ye Chan's antics are the eye-catcher of the series (and another proof why you should hire actors who know what they are doing -- according to MDL, the actor Yoon Do Jin is a stage actor in SKorea), and the main aspect that elevates this rom-com above the average. Yoon Do Jin gives his character an endearing quality, child-like but not childish, with unexpected words of wisdom, delivered with perfect innocence. In contrast, Do Won ("Seon Yul") gives us a subtle performance of a jaded man that you need to look closer to see. Both of them balance each other quite nicely.
Technically, I find this to be a solid production; I am not a fan of the sung OST but overall the background music fit well with the rest. I wish they had used the countryside to more effect -- most of the time it was just there -- but we all know that in reality, country life looks nowhere near as idyllic as on screen.
Was it good?
It was a solid, if predictable, rom-com with well delivered performances.
Did I like it?
Yes, and I even have rewatched it a few times.
Who would I recommend it to?
To someone who is looking for a rom-com with comedy elements, with a relatively short runtime.
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