Story
Introduction to melodrama. One character is a self-hating guy with mommy and daddy issues who is dying from a terminal illness, one character is seemingly the knight in the shining armor who is a coward and makes the wrong choices for noble reasons, one is a bad raging bitch who things she owns the world, and lastly one is a fighting hero who tries her best to stay sane and survive but fails miserably furthering the overdramatic nature of the whole thing.
The backstory and plot here is probably the best thing this drama has to offer but will probably be appreciated only by the melo fans; others will find it rather stretched and too fake and I won’t say it isn’t. However, in all its greatness it is nothing new. It gathers all the clichés, car crashes, illegitimate children, hit and runs, terminal illnesses, rich vs poor people, and lastly the legendary –at this point- cycle of the leads chasing each other. Female lead wants male lead but he’s a bastard and 5 episodes later male lead wants female lead but she’s a bitch while they love each other like crazy and they have barely any reasons to act this way. This is probably the worst part of the drama imo but then again it takes a special viewer to appreciate it.
The story has nothing new to offer, and the plot gets heavily dragged midway due to the chasing around, but does this mean this is the worst drama ever? No. Does this mean this is totally unwatchable? No. It is just addressed to a certain type of viewer who will love it and its flaws completely. That’s all. If you like usual melodrama you’ll like this, there is no funny side character, there is no comedic relief, there is scarcely any rationality in the writing, and the whole plot is over the top, but to be honest that is melodrama’s charm. Take it or leave it.
Acting
Stellar performances by everyone; however Kim Woo Bin is probably the only memorable actor in this one. His acting was very emotional and he was very pleasant to look at.
Syzy won’t be winning any awards for her performance but her acting was way better than expected and didn’t bring the show down at all.
Recommend/rewatch
We all know what melodrama means. If you like overly emotional and depressing stories, you want to cry and watch a doomed romance then go ahead. This not the best melodrama i've ever watched but it isn’t bad at all, on the contrary i'd say. However if you expect smiles, fluffiness, butterflies and funny cute situations give this a pass. I will never rewatch this.
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For me, the MVP of this drama is Kim Woo Bin. He's the reason I wanted to keep watching no matter what. He mastered the charming jerk persona as Joon Yeong, and I was impressed by his range in this drama (from confident smirk to ugly tears). The story is so over the top, so It would've been easy to over act, but his character felt natural and real the entire time, which makes this crazy story work. I definitely became uncontrollably fond of him (sorry, i couldn't resist), and not just because of his shirtlessness. I missed out on Heirs, so this is my first time watching him, but certainly not my last.
He is paired with Suzy, who I think is a pretty good actress (even in one of my least favorite dramas ever "Big"), but she had her work cut out for her playing Noh Eul. Noh Eul is an interesting character, but also a frustrating one to watch. She also has a lot of weird wide eyed moments in turtlenecks, that kept reminding me of Shelley Duvall in "The Shining". Suzy has great chemistry with Woo Bin, but I think his charm deserves most of the credit for that. Suzy makes Noh Eul likable, and easy to empathize with, but there are moments where her actions are pretty ridiculous. That's a reoccurring theme for most of the characters in this show. They do things that make no sense, but the actors are good so it's ok.
That brings me to the rest of the cast. I think they all did a really great job considering how completely unbelievable most of the characters are. Jin Kyung is stellar as Joon Yeong's mom, but the way the character was written annoyed the hell out of me. Im Joo Hwan played his duality well, but the more melodramatic the story got, the less I liked his character. The junior romance subplot was also pretty cute. All the characters were memorable to me only because of the performances, but the characters themselves were often contrived, and lacked any real depth.
Speaking of lack of depth, I think that is what stopped me from really getting into this drama. In the beginning I was drawn in by the flirting, but then story turned into a revenge plot filled with greed, and betrayal, and everything you've already seen in other melodramas. Soon I found myself just watching the boring revenge plot just so i could see what would happen to Joon Yeong. I think that was the one redeeming thing about the plot. The cast's performances in the last 2 episodes got me in the feels so bad I was emotionally exhausted by the end, and was definitely underprepared in the tissue department. I finished the drama satisfied, though not impressed, which sums up this drama pretty well.
Overall, this was a great display of Kim Woo Bin's talent, but a pretty forgettable drama. The soundtrack is forgettable, the plot is forgettable, and even the title is forgettable. Still, I was entertained enough to want to keep watching, and It also didn't feel too long at 20 episodes. It was certainly cliché, but there are enough unexpected elements to keep things interesting. Interesting enough to watch again? No.
If you like melodrama, and tragic romances, there are a lot of things to like about "Uncontrollably Fond". There is not enough actual romance to satisfy true romance fans, or comedy to even justify having that listed as a genre for this drama. You also have to completely suspend disbelief, be able to empathize with horrible people, and be willing to believe the unbelievable... which is not a crazy request in dramaland. I can only recommend this drama with the disclaimer "Buyer Beware".
They also totally missed an opportunity to promote tissue boxes with Woo Bin's smiling face on them.
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A Problematic Tearjerker...
If you ask for a drama watcher’s recommendations of “ saddest dramas they’ve ever seen”, it is probably likely that you’ll hear or see “ Uncontrollably Fond” ranked somewhere on that list.The series focuses upon successful superstar Sin Joon Young ( Kim Woo Bin) who awkwardly meets his old flame from his youth, No Eul ( Bae Suzy), a producer of documentaries. When their respected careers awkwardly make their paths cross once again, No Eul is surprised to learn how much Joon Young has changed into a shallow and materialistic individual, rather than the kind-hearted person she once fell in love with, however, Joon Young also begins to stumble upon a life-changing truth which may finally ruin his relationship with his former love...
Undeniably, Uncontrollably Fond isn’t the type of drama to watch if you’re looking for something” fun and fluffy” ; the focal point of the series centralises upon terminal illness, tragic love and angst with Lee Kyung Hee’s ( The Innocent Man, Chocolate) screenwriting hoping to tug at heartstrings of viewers , rather than relish in a sweet romance tale (as shown in his more light-hearted works). The show is certainly effective within inflicting heartache onto viewers towards the particular fate of our characters, however, it is still certainly problematic when it comes to characterisation, as well as clearing up the evident inconsistencies which arose in this angst-ridden ride as well.It is important to note that the acting in the show is certainly quite good. Kim Woo Bin and Bae Suzy are undeniably brilliant actors, however, it is fair to say that their characters are tackled interestingly, to say the least.
Bae Suzy’s character, No Eul is undeniably a kind-hearted soul who is passionate about her work and desperately tries to make amends with Joon Young over the course of the series . On the other hand, No Eul often felt too dormant within her actual role and presence as a fleshed-out individual onscreen. Whilst it is important to stress that a show doesn’t necessarily need to go into a whole life story upon a character in order for viewers to “ get to know them personally”, it’s hard to really distinguish or get a grip upon No Eul as a character outside of her “ necessary flashbacks “ and past relationship with Joon Young. Even minor details such as her interests, interactions outside of her workplace and reactions to prominent obstacles over the course of the story , often felt passive and lacking in emotional depth to truly portray her as a well-written female lead.
Then of course there is Kim Woo Bin’s role as Joon Young. Undeniably Joon Young goes through several terrible ordeals even before the main events of the series, which fundamentally shapes his certain outlook upon life, relationships and characters (No Eul, being the evident subject of Joon Young’s changed interactions and feelings). No Eul’s entry into Joon Young’s life again comes nearly simultaneously with his life-changing news. This consequently causes him to try pushing No Eul away, as she becomes his saddening and haunting reminder of a past that he’s tried to reject, and he can never return to.
This of course leads us down two routes of “ problematic” characterisation; the first within Joon Young’s behaviour, and secondly towards this behaviour is inflicted towards the female lead No Eul . It’s important to say that Joon Young’s reactions and attempts to drive No Eul away by flirting with other women, did add a slightly realistic reaction towards the male lead’s scenario. Joon Young is supposed to be only human and naturally intrinsically driven like most people towards rash decision-making.
However, Joon Young’s often anger-driven emotions and reactions towards his situation by throwing things or beginning a screaming match, soon became both frustrating when he began to lash out at times upon No Eul. A lot of fans of Uncontrollably Fond’s pairing often seem to gloss over the fact that ,for the majority of the series, Joon Young was emotionally abusive and physically harassed the female lead upon several occasions ( not least throwing her out of the car in the middle of nowhere, grabbing her arm often without consent and often manipulating her feelings rather than merely being honest).
Again, this is not saying it was “ wrong” for Joon Young to have feelings anger or for the show to touch upon emotional abuse or physical harassment, but it was concerning that the drama neither raised this up prominently as a terrible issue or relationships, and suddenly tried to “ sweeten” this by Joon Young and No Eul’s more “ romantic” feelings before the finale. This sudden transition from Joon Young tossing No Eul out of a car to hugging her several episodes later, wasn’t just nonsensical, but ridiculous in terms of character and relationship progression.Nevertheless, despite the questionable relationship between the two characters, the finale did leave a sucker- punch for viewers’ feelings. Without spoiling too much, it is fair to say that upon reflection the ending isn’t “ sad” per say because of the fate of our characters, but rather the blinded acceptance towards what is happening in their present, rather than their pasts or futures.
Overall Uncontrollably Fond wasn’t a bad show with some well-written qualities of the psychological complexity of coming to grasps with terminal illness, relationships, love and an emotional ending. On the other hand, Uncontrollably Fond had little greater character depth, straying away from cliches and explanations ( not least the “ unexplained illness”) ,a healthily progressive portrayal of relationships and problems of sugarcoating issues of emotional abuse and physical harassment within the main couple as well. As a drama to pass the time and as a tearjerker , Uncontrollably Fond is undeniably a good-binge watch, however, if you’re looking for a show with genuine depth and a well-written relationship between our leads, then look elsewhere because Uncontrollably Fond certainly isn’t the one that you’re looking for.
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The acting felt very real and the story along with it was touching to the point where you cry very loudly! And the music. OMG!! The soundtrack was epic in many proportions.
From the first episode on I became curious, interested and wanted to know how things would play out in the end. But one thing i was certain from episode 1 is: This would not get a happy ending...
Even though it was a sad ending, the good guys won the battle. Everything was resolved before the minute was up! But ignore bad reviews and go watch this, my low expectations for this changed after first episode. So go watch it, and make your own opinion! Don't let anyone keep you from watching such an underrated drama!
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Story
This a fucking melodrama for god's sake. If you're complaining about the shallowness of the characters, or the never-ending cat-dog chasing between the two leads, well then you must not be familiar with melodramas. Melodramas are usually very slow paced, filled with one-dimensional characters, and everything is exaggerated. In terms of the story, I was fine with it. Nothing spectacular, but I liked the backstory and how the story progressed (especially the ending). Gave everyone proper closure (yes including Shin Joon Young), and reminded us of a sense of realness.
Acting
Kim Woo Bin literally carried this show. If you were to compare his acting to a boxing match, it's a straight up beat down. Every time I think of a bad boy stereotype, I always remember Kim Woo Bin. He just portrays it the very best for me; signature smirk, douchey tone, always looks angry. Idk... it gets the job done for me. Suzy was ok for me, like the rest of the cast. Not good, but not bad as well. (For all Suzy haters by the way, her acting has improved drastically in while you were sleeping)
OST
This is the bomb!!!! I have only given a perfect 10 to music to 1 other show, and that's Goblin. Trust me, even if you don't know the show, you'll love the OST. It fits the scenes in the show perfectly, and the blending of the music made it so much better for us to hear. Even the english song was good. The tune and melody are happy and bubbly and full of energy, but when you actually listen to the words, it's actually bitter-sweet cause it kinda foreshadows a lot about the show. I loved every song in the show.
Rewatch value
I'm not really a fan of Melodramas, but even if I was, I'd still not rate the rewatch value of this enough. The heartbreak was good, but it lacked enough 'romance' and proper build up for me to remember.
Overall
This drama received so much hate and criticism because of it performing badly, and people started to say that it is a bad drama when it's actually decent. Let's be honest, how can you expect this drama to be viewed a lot when it competed with Doctors (Park Shin Hye and Kim Rae Won) and later on, W (Lee Jong Suk and Han Hyo Joo). That's just plain injustice
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This drama first starts by showing you countless of flashbacks to main characters teen years. After 3 or 4 episodes we finally get into present time and actual story starts from there. But when I was watching this I felt like writer couldn't decide whether go this way or that way and ended up choosing right in the middle, hence the mess. And it felt like there wasn't that much romance even though this belongs to romance drama genre. Relationships were explained or left in halfway and you don't really get to see main couple developing relationship deeper.
In story we also get lot of cliches like evil mom, crazy girlfriend/ex-girlfriend, accidents etc.
I'm not fan of Woobin, his looks are not my style and I don't like Suzy. I chose this drama because of synopsis which as I said before was not equivalent to story at all. But if I have to find something positive about either one of leads it would be Woobin's acting. I was surprised positively that his acting skills have matured alot and he plausibly plays his role.
Same cannot be said from Suzy, I felt she went too over even though her character was a little eccentric.
Only thing I could really enjoy in this drama was Noh Eul's brother, Noh Jik's scenes. Lee Seo Won is amazing new rookie actor who I'd keep my eye on after this. Even though he's a rookie, he gives great performance as Noh Eul's stiff little brother who doesn't really know how to act with people, especially with girls.
Even though I like Im Joo Hwan as an actor I didn't like his character here, Choi Ji Tae felt distant and writers didn't open his story almost at all. We saw him only as kind of sidelooker.
Other characters also were quite boring. Only character that brought a little bit energy to story was Noh Eul's best friend Go Na Ri (played by Kim Min Young). She was believable in her bestfriend role and could act caring, angry and sad scenes really well.
So I didn't like this drama but it's funny that it's OST is one of the best I have ever heard in korean dramas. I'm definetly going to get the OST.
Overall, if you don't like sad, depressing melodramas, skip this. You will just end up dropping this if you're waiting a smooth flowing romance story.
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I am really disappointed seeing the great cast and potential, but already at episode 8 or so I was tempted to drop it.
There are some nice, funny and romantic scenes, but overall it was a feeling of lacking a stringent plot development and of course, the whole "I won't tell anyone that I am about to die" thing dragged unbelievably until almost the last episode - which concluded almost hastily. (Couldn't they show a tiny bit more of the aftermath?)
I really like the main actor, but unfortunately I felt that this was not the best role for him. I applaude him for his ability to let himself cry, because this is difficult to do, but it just didn't fit him.
Somehow, I feel like this drama managed to get all the K-drama clichés together, but in a weird, unsatisfying way.
My rating is still generous considering that I wouldn't advise watching this unless you are a fan of the actors or don't have anything else to watch. But in singular scenes it was good, putting it altogether though, failed.
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Good Weights
Kim Woo Bin’s Acting: Honestly, when I saw Kim Woo Bin in The Heirs, I got scared. He looks a little intimidating with those bushy eyebrows and glaring eyes. But when I saw the trailer of this show. I started to see him in a completely different light. And despite the show’s disappointing script, Woo Bin managed to carry it gracefully to its climax. His acting was simply stupendous! He gave more than a 100% to make Joon Young convincing and managed to shine even in a dull show like this. Be it the flirty Joon Young or the sick and dying Joon Young or the jerk Joon Young he did it all with ease. I wouldn’t be wrong in saying that the show was bearable only because of him.
Unexpected Chemistry: Joon Young and Noh Eul’s chemistry was rather bland but there was a couple that brought a smile to my face. Noh Eul’s brother, Noh Jik’s pairing with Ji Tae’s sister Ha Ru was simply adorable. Their chemistry is evident from their first scene together. And their little love story gets better and better with each episode. I used to actually look forward to seeing them on the show. Their puppy love definitely stood out and brought some liveliness to the drama. Sadly, this cute pair hardly has any screen time. I wish the makers could give these lovebirds some more role.
Music: Whoever selected the background scores for the show must be applauded. The soundtracks suited the show’s melancholy theme and gave life to scenes.
Bad Weights
Snoozy Suzy: I have never seen any of her previous shows so I wasn’t aware of her acting skills. Sadly, she was the show killer for me. Being the show’s lead, with two men fighting for her, she looked terribly clueless as an actor. I realised her lack of acting skills in the first episode itself when Joon Young asks her if she remembers him and she says that she does and abuses him. Such a well-written scene and well performed by Woo Bin but Suzy managed to ruin the classic cliffhanger with her blank expression and shallow dialogue delivery. Actually, I should have understood from the much exciting promo itself when Joon Young asks if she was willing to date him for three months and she gives him a blank look. The show could have been much better had she put more efforts in her acting. Though she started acting better in the last 4 episodes where her character experiences major ups and downs in life and she changes as a person, but the improvement came too late. She’s cute but pales before Kim Woo Bin’s strong screen presence.
Sad Script: The show is about a dying person’s past and his last few days of life. So the general theme of the drama is ought to be sad but more than that the show was confusing for me. Joon Young was perpetually temperamental. He kept going back and forth with his love for Noh Eul each time for a different reason. One day he is flirting with her, wooing her and then the next day he treats her like trash. And it’s not even because of his sickness. His character was so capricious that I found it difficult to keep up with the story. OK! He has a plan and is working according to it but this only makes the female lead look utterly pathetic. His actions make her look too needy and weak as the main character.
Characters on the show seemed to have no other work than mess with Noh Eul’s life. Everyone seemed to be doing something that directly or indirectly affected her. It’s funny how both the sons of Assemblyman Choi were madly in love with the same girl. What’s surprising is that both the guys are super successful but are still fighting for the attention of a miserable girl who has absolutely no zeal in life. The drama was so slow-paced that only those with great patience or great love for Woo Bin could manage to follow it dedicatedly.
Though the show’s beam balance has tilted with good weights, it’s bad weights still weigh it down on the negative side. Apart from the OST and Kim Woo Bin, there is nothing great about this show.
Uncontrollably Fond is strictly for those who love Kim Woo Bin. It is one of his best performances and he shines like the brightest star in this drama. Others can ignore this one. There are better shows to watch in 2016.
Originally posted on www.alphagirl.in
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For the music, it was amazing and each song was wonderful.
The acting was really good in a way that you would actually feel like it is a real story.
I am definitely going to rewatch it again when I am free and I can't wait for it and I am sure that you will like it as well.
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Uncontrollabe Nonsense
Where does one begin with such a trainwreck of a show? The cast? Let me see: They were all relatively seasoned veterens. I am not a huge fan of Kim Woo Bin but he certainly carried the show. His character was not a likable one so it was hard to empathize with him even when we found out he was sick. Bae Suzy was terrible? I mean it had to be her right? Her character was such a trainwreck the whole time but honestly does she not know how to act? Was it the director who made her act in such a manner? All the shrieking and flailing around. Drinking until passed out drunk. I understand she had been through trauma as a child when her father was killed but nothing she did after that made me feel sorry for her. She tried to take care of her younger brother which was exceptionally commendable but really I also think she was selfish. We were supposed to be empathetic to her, but I ended up not caring one bit about her or her plight. She really was a useless, horrible person along with the rest of them. Kim Woo Bin's phsycho mother. Thank god I do not have a mother like that. Just a toxic selfish bitch who lived in the past pining away for a man who threw her away. Wow! Then there is the atagonist family. Father, Mother, Daughter and Son. More toxicity in one family than anyone can possibly imagine. I did somewhat feel sorry for the son. He in a way was the only character in the whole story I somewhat empathized with. He was exceptionally weak and snivaling but at least he did not stoop to his parents level of low. The whole filial piety thing seems to be an excuse for so many toxic things to be allowed to happen. Is it really anything like that? Then there was the sister and the crazy fiancee of the son who was not really the son of the father. Both horrid wretched people. The only likable person was her brother. He was just a cutie all the way through. Every other person, managers, friends, etc. all had their own agenda and thought nothing of trashing/trampling on another person to make sure their agenda was carried out. Finally we get to the number of episodes. A completely unecessary 20. They could have and should have stopped at 16. It might have been a 5 if they had. I know this is an older show but it is still available on Viki so thought I would give it a try. It should just fade away never to be seen again.Was this review helpful to you?
This is a melo. If you know that, then you know what you're getting into from the start. Stop pretending you don't get it. It's all about the over-the-top concepts and dramatics. You're meant to get frustrated, cry, and get angry... ...a lot...
That being said, one of the most recent melos I watched was I Have A Lover, and I actually enjoyed it. With that in mind, this melo, UF, was much better than that by far. It wasn't overly frustrating. I cried just enough. It kind of felt cathartic because, from the start I knew the end, and I did enjoy knowing, so I could savor and cherish every bit of well-done acting by Woo Bin, who utterly impressed me with himself, for the 1st time I might add. If you haven't watched and are curious, this statement about Woo Bin should be enough to make you take the leap, I should think. I've never been on the Woo Bin hype train. I never found him overly attractive, and actually the first time I saw him in a show it was awkward watching him because I felt like he had a lazy eye and it would distract me from his acting [what he was saying or doing]. I never found him to be a "lacking" actor, just, you know, the typical model turned actor, playing the idol figure in the high school dramas. But this, this show right here is where he surpassed my expectations. I felt his emotions... it felt real to me.. he neither overly acted sick or cool. He had the right amount of everything at every turn....
...and not to discount Suzy, because her role was dark, but not as "meaty" as Woo Bin's role, she still played the shameless idiot who got screwed over all her life and took it in the rear, yet, somehow managed to show a immense amount of dignity caring for her love, Joon Young [Woo Bin]. I was pretty happy with it all for what a melo has to offer. ;)
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