All about My Mom (2015)

All About My Mom needs a WARNING label. This may be kinda spoilerish, but I think the information needs to be provided. If a person has ever lost a parent from an illness, and doesn't want to vicariously experience the same emotions and pain, then this drama is not to be watched. I wish I had known, because I wouldn't have watched this.

Now on to the story. It is a well written family drama. It isn't that makjang since there are no birth secrets, amnesia and other type Korean troupes. I have a few complaints about how the parents sometimes treated their children even though they went through the same thing. There are a few unnecessary characters that make unnecessary grief for some of the characters. But I guess there were side story lines needed. However, the character development is extremely well done and I became invested in the lives of the family. I like the pacing and the ending is daebak!

Each actor took on their role splendidly. I don't believe anyone could complain about a single person's acting. Go Doo Shim is amazing as Im San Ok. Watching her progression and seeing her life felt real. I didn't realize Oh Min Suk was such a versatile actor. He impressed me the most.

The music is good and appropriate.

I will never rewatch this.

If you like family dramas with deep emotions, then this is the drama for you.

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"All About My Mom" as the title suggests, it's all about moms.

Parents are God's precious gift to us, so never take them for granted. Feel blessed for having them in your life and feel blessed if you had them at some point in your life. There are so many people that don't know that kind of love. It's an emptiness beyond compare, don't take them for granted and let them know you love them because you never know when they'll be gone. Don't let life keep you busy from them, life will always be busy this won't change, don't forget as we grow up they grow old too.

I started this drama expecting it to be an average enjoyable family drama, I did not expect to learn so much and feel the way I felt while watching it. This is such a beautiful realistic story about family, parents, mothers.. I doubt anyone can't relate to the mother daughter relationship, or son father relationship, or daughter father, son mother, bother sister and finally husband and wife. The way family bonds were portrayed here allowed me to connect on the personal level with how the characters were behaving and those relationships. I have seen many family dramas, All About My Mom is the 2nd family drama that I consider a masterpiece and an outstanding one.

Story: Your regular family, with issues of favouritism and conflicts between siblings and between kids and parents. The family bond is pretty much the core story of this drama. It's about those people's daily life and how they learn to live with each other. Siblings feeling inferior to each other because of favouritism. Parents feeling guilty for mistakes they've done in their life while raising the kids. A mother who loves her kids equally but shows it differently. A daughter who feels left out all the time, A son who feels burdened by his mother's over love and special treatment. It's almost impossible that you won't relate with any issue in this drama because this is life, and this is what family is all about. What can I possibly say about mothers? What words would do them justice? Mother: the only person who wishes you to be a better person than her and have a better life, the only person who will not love herself over you, the angel who will always give and give without expecting a return. No love in this world can be compared to parents love, no love in this world can be compared to a mother's love. This is the story that gives this beautiful angel the credit and regards she deserves. Nothing I can say in words that would describe what is a mother, but this story is more than qualified to do so.

Acting: 100/10. An award winning performance.
Here we come for the best part, the acting. The acting here in this drama makes other dramas with an outstanding performance look like nothing in comparison, and no I'm not exaggerating. What made this drama so popular with high ratings? what makes it special? Nothing about the story new or special. It's the way those wonderful, amazing, incredible cast have performed it. Brace yourselves this part will be long!

Go Doo Shim: as San Ok. Man, I need to stay away from you faaaaar away! I can't believe this wonderful woman brought tears to my eyes several times during the whole journey! I can't believe I cried like a little baby. I'm far from someone who can cry for her own problems in life, let alone for a drama. I loved it but also hated it, I loved that she melted my iced heart and broke me from the inside but also hated seeing myself cry for a drama. She made me reflect on myself many times and slapped me in the face with every lesson I learn on how you should appreciate your parents. We are not angels and we tend to think that just because we are humans and just because they are our parents they'll love us no matter what. Stressful life, upsetting things, depressing issues, having the hardest time in your life, does not excuse any selfish behaviour towards your parents. Go Doo Shim's acting wasn't acting, she was a true mother, a real mother image to the point where I felt the need to hug her so tight. She broke my heart several times as if she was really my mother. She won the Daesang award for her role here (2nd time winning). Her performance is what makes this drama a 10/10! She is officially my second favourite actress. My favourite sentence of her "Shut da mouse" aka "shut the mouth".

Oh Min Suk: as Hyeong Gyu. My most hateful character but my 2nd favourite actor in the cast! I hated him so much, I really hated him from the bottom of my heart. The amount of hate I had for him I thought for sure even if the dramas ends his character will have no redemption from me, but the writer proved me wrong. Oh Min Suk as an actor I've seen him before but never like this! Even as a villain in KMHM he did not stand out, an yet he is not even playing a villain here but that performance, man that performance...made me speechless! He is such a great actor, those scenes will forever be engraved in my memory I will never forget his scenes because I learned from him so much. The way he managed to make people hate him so much even though he wasn't a villian but at the same time appreciate his acting skills. All the comments all the reviews about this drama is regarding the cast and how emotionally flawless their performance is. While watching I'd always see such comments and reactions from people "I hate him so much I hope karma gets him, but the actor deserves an award". Officially fan.

Kim Kap Su: as Dong Chul. My 3rd favourite character and actor in the cast. I never really bothered feeling anything about any of the old couples I've seen in previous dramas. I never cared about parents relationship as husband and wife in previous dramas. I never paid attention to that aspect, but here it was totally different. Instead of the kid's love life and the kid's romance I cared more about the mother father relationship as husband and wife. I loved how this part of the story was written because based on real life experience it's very relatable and real. I loved the relationship and though his character is not the lovable character I still couldn't help but love him! He wasn't the perfect husband he wasn't what you'd want for someone like San Ok but he wasn't hateful person too. It is impossible to hate him! Though he has his selfish moments and carefree moments he also have his sweet moments. To me Dong Chul wasn't a bad husband, but he falls short in comparison to San Ok. San Ok is too wonderful of a person that people think she is too good for him. The way I saw it those true truly and sincerely portrayed what a husband wife relationship is, how it is when you have you companion with you all these years. I adored the way Kim Kap Su played his character! He is the cutest, sweetest, adorable father/ahjussi I have ever seen and the way he talks, the way he laughs, the way he calls his wife "Okaaa" aka his wifes name is the sweetest thing ever. I find it really cute that he calls his wife by her name and not "honey" like most married couples do in K dramas.

Eugene: as Jin Ae. Well, Eugene is forever one of my favourite actresses and I never skip any drama of hers. One of the reasons I started this is her. Jin Ae is the first surprise for me, because I wasn't expecting to relate and understand a character as much as I did with her. Her frustration, her feelings of being left out I can relate to it all. Her conflict with her brothers, her mother.. very relatable and her character the hard working person who always tries her best to win her moms favour. I'm sure many of you can identify her and relate to her. Eugene once again proved herself as a worthy actress, specially her scenes with her mom, the thought that this is all "acting" won't cross your mind. Jin Ae is the sweetest daughter a mother could ever wish for and you can learn so much from her.

The rest of the cast I loved them all, I may not liked all the characters but I loved the actors.

Music:
I loved all the OSTs, but the reason I'm giving this 10/10 is because of one song, "To My Wife" by Tae Jin Ah. The only song that actually manages to make my eyes tear, I still can't believe it but it had such an impact on me. The song was used perfectly in the drama, in the perfect scenes which stimulates all your emotions and you find yourself tearing up. I have a friend who cried without watching the drama, only from listening to this song. The singer has such a powerful husky voice and he feels so much in pain while he sings it. The lyrics are simply beautiful, from a husband to his wife.

Rewatch:
I don't rewatch dramas, I have very few special ones that I might rewatch. However family dramas in general are rewatchable and this one I think belongs to that list.

Overall:
Though this drama has romance but if you came here only for the romance then this drama is not for you. Yes it has romance, and more than one couple but the essential element here isn't the romance, it's the family bonds. If you came here hoping for makjang, plot twists, melodramatic events, things happening all the time...etc then this is also not for you. As I already mentioned this is purely family drama, it's all about mothers. A daily life of a regular family with normal daily issues nothing out of the ordinary. However if you want to watch something that hold such great values, something that could teach you valuable lesson and remind you of things you love and value, a drama that hold such beautiful meaning and carries a noble message about a creature we call angel, about mothers...Then yes I most definitely recommend it. I will miss this drama dearly.

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