Entourage isn't your average kdrama, it has none of the usual tropes, love triangles, crazy 2nd leads, misunderstandings, absurd coinsidences, scheming, melodrama ect. It actually feels a lot like a western tv show -which shouldn't come as a surprise since it is a remake of an american tv show, and i am happy they didn't try to korean-ize it too much. For all these reasons entourage is a breath of fresh air in the dramaland for me, but it is not a drama for everyone for the exact same reasons.
Story
Welcome to the entertainment industry. The main lead of the drama is an up and coming fictional actor who just had his first movie breakthrough, got mixed reviews but also got immensely popular and we watch him as he tries to find his next project, balancing his personal life and work life in the best (or worst) way he can. At the same time we see his 3 best friends as well as his agency's CEO. All of his friends have something to do with the entertainment industry; the drama's exploring different sides of it through them.
The show focuses on the hardships of the industry, putting it in the spotlight in a rather realistic and even negative -if i may say- way. It targets issues about the entertainment industry like: how difficult it is to find a potential hit movie/drama project, how actors are placed in the public eye and have little to no privacy, the way the agencies try to control them work-wise and personal life-wise, how difficult it is to actually get casted and breakthrough in this industry, the severe importance of appearance ect. Simultaneously, the relationships between actors, actor-manager, actor-agency, actor-significant other ect. Moreover, it puts the actors and agencies on the spot as well, showing both negative and positive aspects of their life and the way they act, as well as very realistic repercussions of their actions (this was probably the most interesting thing this drama had to offer for me).
All that being said, i think it is very obvious that this drama is not the average rom-com one would expect. There is no romance here. There is a love-line plot, but there is no actual romance, this plot line serves a purpose to explain how difficult it is to maintain a relationship being a celebrity and nothing else. The comedy is present, but i would safely dub it as elitist. It's not your usual slapstip kdrama comedy, it is heavily based on sexual comments, and a lot of the jokes involve other idols or actors and i am not sure if they can get across to an average kdrama watcher. What's more, there is no melodrama at all, or overdramatic situations evolving emotional conversations, stares ect.
Lastly, i would like to stress how i totally understand why someone would find this boring. If you're looking for a sweet romance story with comedy, you won't like this. If you're into heavy melodramatic situations this isn't your cup of it either. The drama is a light comedy about the entertainment industry, everything revolves around that. Concluding, the drama is told completely from a male perspective, so there will be a lot of pants dropping, creepy sex jokes, men desperate to have sex, clubs, silly, immature situations ect. If the drama lacked something was a proper female touch, but then again, this is why this drama was fresh and different.
Acting
The acting left a lot to be desired, but it wasn't a problem.
Seo Kang Joon was great, but not really memorable; Lee Dong Hwi, the same. Lee Kwang Soo was adorable and hilarious and performed impeccably as expected, however none of those 3 characters were well-enough written to leave a strong impression.
On the contrary, the most memorable actors were Jo Jin Woong, who portrayed a caring ceo -almost a father figure- with anger management and attitude issues immaculately and also my personal favourite Park Jung Min who might not have been the best acting wise, but the role was a perfect fit and was completely relateable and absolutely delightful!
I would like to emphasise how i wouldn't -not in any way- stick with this drama because of the good cast or because of the countless guests.
As for the supporting cast, amber had the most promiment role of the females, and i loved her. The role was a perfect fit. Ahn So hee needs to work on her acting more and i would like to see Kim Hye In more in the future. However, none of the supporting actresses had the time to build up as characters or show something of substance.
The guests were there for a split second, said a line, waved and that was it. Don't expect much.
Rewatch/Recommend
This drama is an elitist drama, but it's not bad; it's just different. If you are into classic kdramas, ignore this one, you aren't missing out. If you want to watch something different, and have an interest in the korean acting industry, then do try it. I also believe this drama is adressed to male viewers because of the nature of the comments and issues it depicts. I wouldn't rewatch this though.
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That said, this show is primarily about real life. Real life adults in a real life world of celebrities, how it is to be an actor, or a manager, someone with a family and friends to take care of. If you're looking for the romance-driven doe-eyed actress fighting to be in love with the main male protagonist, this isn't for you. This show is for the rest of us who know what being an adult life is like and enjoy a show based on that.
The soundtrack was quality, I enjoyed most of it and it captured the scenes' emotions well.
The cast is PERFECT for the transition of the original HBO cast - Ari Gold (the actors' main manager) is a solid man, very passionate and fiery. The actor for ??? captured his essence perfectly, as did the equivalents for Vince, Turtle and Drama.
This is different from the majority of kdramas out there. And for that, I think ???? fills a very important niche.
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I have not watched either originals of both shows, so I’m judging this as a standalone show.
There is so much wrong with the story. There’s just nothing happening at all. I have read that the original was somewhat like that, the chronicling of what happens in the life of a Hollywood starlet. In whatever way the story was told in the original, it seems to have worked, but the way the story is being told in this remake doesn’t seem to work at all as a K-drama.
The writer’s efforts to portray the reality of the Korean entertainment industry were pretty weak, particularly Young-bin’s status in the industry as a young actor.
Without giving anything away, a lot of story that took place in the last 2 episodes would have been better placed either at the halfway mark of this show, or somewhere in episode 12, which would have allowed the story to go much much further.
There is little to no character development. Young-bin is such a childish, immature character. So-hee has as much personality as a cardboard standee (seriously). Kwang-soo’s character is frustrating at most times.
The bright spark is Park Jung-min’s character, Ho-jin, who was not fully utilised in terms of character developer and the actor’s capability, and of course Jo Jin-woong’s character, the bulldogged agent who admirably never gives up without a fight. Such a waste of talent.
Given the meandering story and non-drama, each episode was such a drag, I kept checking the running time while watching every episode, to check when the episode would end. Each episode was about an hour 15 minutes. Granted, this run time is not uncommon with Korean dramas, but it exacerbated the monotony and boredom I felt watching this show.
It’s a pity this show is such a flop, given how much hype there was, how much money was thrown at it, and a cast with so much star potential.
Overall, and I hate saying this, I do NOT recommend this show at all.
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Good Remake if a bit too faithful in the more controversial aspects
The series captures the feeling of the early seasons of the original perfectly and similarly showcases thereciprocation of personal relationships and business in the entertainment industry.
The relationship dynamics and the setting stay close to the original and while that makes the drama and it's characters feel more dynamic and spontaneous (possibly American) than other Korean dramas set in the industry, it also replicates the views and attitude towards masculinity and woman that permeated the original.
Seo Kang Joon, Jo Jin Woong an Park Jung Min make the characters their own and emphasise through their acting the importance of strong relationships in life.
Overall I would say it is must watch for people who enjoy K-Dramas and enjoyed the original and worth checking out for those intrigued by the summary or the actors.
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The drama is good, even very good in many moments, but its characters are not likeable. There are perhaps a few characters in the background that might be considered nicer. In general, a very human, but therefore ugly, picture of human behavior is shown here. The main character, a famous young actor, is irresponsible, immature, egocentric and selfish. The people around him have a lot of flaws, and those that don't make them nicer, quite the opposite. The drama is about the practically male world of the entertainment industry, because several of the most important characters are men. Women are in the background here and, apart from maybe one or two, they are not shown in a favorable light. But it makes the drama all the more realistic because it shows the Korean mentality also in the entertainment industry. If a producer has to choose in a conflict between an actor and an actress, he will choose the actor. Isn't that so very close to reality. It's painfully close.
Drama has good music. In my opinion, you can watch it more than once, because a lot of scenes are very funny, a lot of very reality in showing the entertainment industry, as if they were from the "truth book" about this industry.
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Nothing interesting
I watched this show without knowing anything about the story; I didn't even know that it was based on an American TV show, so my review is purely about this drama.The first few episodes were so boring. There were a lot of random characters, and I couldn't like the main lead since I don't find them or their storyline fascinating. But in episode 5, a lot of things start getting more interesting and funny, but it does not keep up with the pace at all. There are a lot of fillers, and the chemistry between the couples in this drama is lacking. I watched this drama because of Seo Kang Joon (Cha Young Bin), but I didn't like his role that much, and I think Park Jung Min's (Lee Ho Jin) character stole the spotlight here. There are a lot of great actors, but the story is so mid that you can't even appreciate their good acting skills.
On the other side, the friendship and trust they showed in this drama were entertaining and enjoyable to watch, but nothing superb at all.
I only give this a 3.5/10. I don't think this is for everyone, and I think you will admire this story more if you are familiar with the original American show of this, but if you just watch this drama, I don't think you will have fun.
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This review may contain spoilers
If you enjoyed the OG, you'll likely enjoy this remake
I'm going to preface this review by sharing that I watched the original Entourage as it was airing on HBO almost 20 years ago. For those that don't know the show was loosely based off of Mark Wahlberg's life and experiences as an up and coming actor and the antics of him and the people surrounding him. Many of the main cast members represented actual people in real life. It was obnoxious, sometimes pointless, sexist and often rude... but honestly, I loved it. They were a bunch of idiot twenty-somethings with indulgent lifestyles, who constantly joked on each other and they were lots of fun.The Korean version captures storylines from the first four (or so) seasons of the original following actor Cha Young Bin and his group of friends as they navigate the Korean entertainment industry. If you watched the OG, you'll see some familar themes... big super-hero movie, manager's girlfriend dumping him, Shauna the publicist -except as a stylist, ML's intense love affair, artsy gangster film, crazy director, Rolls Royce, changing agencies (but not the agent)... but each of these familiarities are generally told in slightly or completely different ways. It's enough to pay homage to the original, while having its very own story. Also, like the original, this version is jam packed with cameos. One thing I particularly liked about this remake were the strong female characters of the Agency CEO (this was a male character in the OG) and the female investor character. They weren't often nice, but it was nice to see potrayal of more ladies in power to balance out some of the female objectivity in other parts fof the show. ***SIDE NOTE: I have limited knowledge of the Korean entertainment industry as far as the goings on of film/drama production, casting, talent agencies, behavior behind the scenes, etc, so I will not comment on whether its portrayal was accurate or was made to reflect a more Hollywood atmosphere/way of doing business to more closely represent the themes of the original show. ***
Seo Kang Joon was excellent as Cha Young Bin (the Vincent Chase character). I felt like he channeled the sensitivity, stubbornness, loyalty and narcissism of the OG character. Young Bin is not a representation of the squeaky clean, forever single, glowing actor image that Korean publicity likes to promote... rather he is a flawed guy that often acts without thinking because once he sets his sights on something (be it girl or project) he goes all in and doesn't want to give up. He's selfish and childish, but extremely loyal. I believe, at his core, he's a good guy. The rest of the cast does a good job of representing the three members of his crew as well as his agent. I particularly loved Park Jung Min a s Lee Ho Jin (Yong Bin's best friend and manger) and Cho Jin Woong as Kim Eub Gab (Young Bin's over the top agent). Lee Kwang Soo and Lee Dong Hwi were funny as the dopey duo of Cha Joon (YB's struggling actor relative) and Turtle (sometimes driver, but not much else, of the group).
This is definitely not your typical Korean drama, there is some romance but all that is definitely side story and I felt like the cute relationship between Ho Jin and Jian was just a nod to the Eric/Sloan relationship of the OG. Its more the story of the friendship of four guys, one who happens to be a big star. It's definitely offensive (lots of sophomoric humor), but its also funny and a fun remake of the original with a bangin' OST.
***SIDE NOTE 2: if you are a Seo Kang Joon fan, his visuals in this series are some of his best, IMO, and its worth watching just for those if nothing else :D***
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the lives of celebrities, You'll get an idea. but the good thing about this series is that it teaches you a lot a bout life, love,friendship.. yes! everything is in it..
It teaches us how wonderful life is, and that no matter what problems we face, There will always be sunshine after the rain. .. I had a lot of fun watching this. as in every episode it never failed to make me laugh.
This is what true friendship is all about. there will always be time of disagreements but if it's a true friend, you'll still end up being together again in the end.
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Not for everyone
I haven't watched the original film, but I can definitely see that they kept the American film style. It shows reality of what some companies and celebrities are going through. There isn't any extreme drama going around that makes you angry or upset. To be completely honest, I watched this because I wanted to see Kang Joon (Youngbin)—saw him while scrolling through Instagram and was interested to see his acting. I'm not that impressed to say the least, but I'll check out his other work.The first episode was boring, the second and third were okay, the last few episodes were a bit confusing but to be fair I skipped many scenes. The episodes between the third and the last few were decent, I actually found it kind of fun. Jin woong (Eun Gap) and Jung Min (Ho Jin) did super well! They were the main reason I continued watching.
Also Youngbin was the only one who seemed to have no character development at all? Cha joon went through embarrassing moments, Turtle was just an interesting character at first, but got really boring towards the end, Ho jin became more mature and stood his ground unlike in the beginning. Youngbin just stayed a selfish actor who can never stick to one opinion.
I can see why some may have enjoyed this. Unfortunately, it just wasn't for me.
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The concept was unique, first episodes were interesting and that's it
Many Kdramas was underrated undeservedly, but this drama is not one of them. No other kdrama made me feel the urge to sign up and write the review like this.The initial episodes does a good job on introducing viewers to Korean entertainment industry with several semi-high end parties, eye catching fashion and beautiful cast. The first episodes were compact, the characters were believable and likeable. The interaction between the group of friends were generally fun and natural throughout the drama.
With such good foundation, it's a shame that the drama failed to develop from this point. The story revolves around the main character who seems too unstable emotionally with no justification. Main character's development was weak, the main character seems like an anoying, childlish actor who is famous for no reason. There is not a single scene potraying his strong acting skills as the drama want us to believe. By the middle of the drama, the only interest left for me was the development of side characters - which was reasonably fun to watch but then ended abruptly by the end of the drama. There are few rare moments when viewers can enjoy the success of the main character and his team - after so much trouble, but the tension quickly drop and the story becomes dull again.
The ending was not rushed, but unsatisfying. It's not the worst kdrama I've watched, in fact, the plot and setting was quite unique compared to many other dramas. I almost feel wasting time watching it.
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Bu dizi kara mizah, ünlü hayatını ve gerçek duyguları birlikte ifade eden dizi
Aşırı iyi diziydi?. Gündelik hayatda olan komik anlarla sahnelenen bir dizi. Aynı Mr. Bean çekildiyi filmler gibi kolay anlaşılır, belgesele benzer aynı zamanda dram ve komedi içeren bir diziydi. Acayip samimi geldi bana, oyunculuk üst seviye. Zaten Seo Kang-Joon oyunculuğu harika ötesi, hele CEO olan karakter vardı orda adam dökdürmüş, her karakteri ayrıca çok beğendim. Diğer diziler gibi dikkat çekici senaryosu yok. Ama baya iyi yapılmış. Duygular özenle ifade edilmiş. Kızlar izlerse onlara belki bayağı gelebilir. Çünki erkek hayatlarını onların yaşam tarzlarını gösteriyor. Nasıl desem ilk bakışta sersem, delice gelebilir. Dialoqlar günlük hayatdan götürülmüş kesinlikle, hani arkadaş olan 3-4 erkek birlikte izleseler kendilerini görürler kesin?. Dizinin OST larını çok beğendim. En önemli nokta bu dizi tvn 10 yıllık kutlamaları zamanı yayınlanmış o zaman goblin ve diğer reklamı çok yapılan diziler gündemde olduğu için bu dizi geride bırakılmış ve sanırım davet edilen oyunculara tepki olarak dizi sabote edilmiş gibi geldi bana. Ama dizinin ilk bölümünde bile şans verilen aktris Kim Te Ri, Twenty... adlı dizide en iyi aktris ödülünü kaptı, yani oyuncular qayet başarılı sadece o zamanda nedense eleştiri aldılar? Puanlama ve eleştiriler kötü halbuki dizide dram, komedi, mizah, hayatla ilgili sahneler muhteşem işlenmiş. Dizi ortalama bir dizi değil, hele her kesin anlayıp izleyeceği türde değil ama herkesin izlemesi gereken kalitede bir dizi. Sanki çabuk bitsin diye bişeyler sıkıştırılmış. Yani son 3 bölüm bana öyle geldi. Belki de dizi aslında 2004-te yayımlanan ve 8 sezon olan aynı adlı amerikan dizisinden götürülme diye 16 bölüme sığdırmaya çalışmışlar ama dizi 8 sezon olsaydı ben izlemek isterdim güzel çok samimi dizi?⭐Was this review helpful to you?
