A Fun Romantic Movie with a Questionable Premise
This is a great movie, in almost every sense, except for one: It's a little bit... not okay? It's really hard to form an opinion about it, because the show itself is sweet and lighthearted, but the premise is glorifying borderline pedophilia. And, so, in order to rectify these two vastly different ways to judge the show, I'll split my review into two separate sections, and you can make up your mind for yourself what you deem more important. We'll start with a typical critique of the show.Which is, by itself, truly outstanding. A unique plot structure, fantastic writing, and frankly some of the best chemistry between leads I've ever seen in acting make the show a blast to watch. And, while the conflict does arise directly from the actions of the protagonist (which is usually not the most fun to watch), this plot device is believable (she is, after all, a teenager), and doesn't press so much on the story or the character that it makes you dislike her. And, somewhat most unbelievably, the show steers clear nearly entirely of the typical romance misunderstandings that drive most romcom plots at some point or another. Likely thanks to its shorter (movie) format, they've been able to cut off the fat and filler of an already good show and make it that much better. Also- and this is not something I've ever noticed before- the audio quality was great! The male lead shouted in one scene and I jumped because I could've sworn he was in the room with me. The only downside I saw production wise was a little bit of rushing between plot points to fit the entire story in, but I didn't mind all that much and it kept us moving quickly.
Alright, so with that out of the way, let's break down this whole "she's only fifteen" issue. Um... well, I mean, that's pretty much the main issue. I didn't catch them saying explicitly in the film what the male lead's age was, and I'm no expert on Korean law, but from my research Koreans start college and are allowed to drink from age 20 (international age 19). However, the male lead also is starting an internship as a teacher, which you'd expect to happen in the later years of college, so we can assume he's around 22 or older. So let's assume, for arguments sake, that he's around 22 and she's confirmed to be 15. Yikes. That's not quite okay. It's on the border of legality in many places, and on the border of morality in some of those, but generally I'd call that a yikes.
So... what? Is a product of its time? Is it cultural difference? Are the writers pedophiles? I seriously (yet optimistically) doubt the last one, but I think it's safe to say that it's problematic now. Nevertheless, as you can probably tell, I've rated the show mostly based on production quality and enjoyment, which in the end was quite good. After all, it's no fault of the actors and production staff what the writers, directors, and producers of the show get up to. However, I still think it's probably not a good idea to make anything like this in the future, especially if it has a chance of attracting an audience and making people think it's okay.
So, should you watch it? Well, regardless of the uncomfortable age gap, there's never really any sexual tension (thank god) and the flirting comes across more like banter between friends, so I don't think you'll be super uncomfortable (unless you're sensitive to this topic), and the movie itself is well made. So... I guess I would recommend this movie... but I'm not happy about it. And you should watch it, enjoy, and not be happy about it as well.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
My Honest Opinion
Since I was sort of new to watching Asian movies/dramas a while back, I saw this movie on YouTube and was bored so I decided to sit down and watch it. It's a cute movie for newcomers but some of the scenes might have you like, "Um.." because it may seem weird that the male lead said this or did that to a 16-year-old girl. The arranged marriage plot is burned out for me, but it works here in this movie. The parents agreed to it at least. Overall, it was a cute story and I enjoyed how cute it was. Definitely watch it if you haven't already.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
if only she was older…
The movie was not bad its just that the age gap freaks me out like crazy. the ML is an adult in his 20s while the FL is basically a child(15/16). Like WTFFFF ik its an arranged marriage and the marriage was legalised but it still felt wrong in so many ways. How was so many people ok with them getting married????? If you cant teens getting married, i recommend you dont watch this. The child marriage can really pull focus away from the plot cause everything becomes 10x more disturbing.please ignore this part i need to fulfill the 500 character criteria thank you. (owheidhejdudhdjdhisbdidhssjduudhsududhdhdhdhdhdhdudhhdidjdjdidhdidudehehhdhdrhbpqieheisnnwbxbciosiauysyxxbdi)
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
cast- i loved them! i really felt the love and they're really funny! and the girl is sooooooo cute! i love them as a couple ^^
music- it was good and in context. but i didn't pay much attention to it...
rewatch value- i would watch it again and make everyone watch it too! a great way to pass your time.
overall- it's really good and i think everybody should see this at least one time^^
Was this review helpful to you?
Can't believe I watched this bcuz of a reel
The worst movie I've ever watched but considering the year it came out I didn't rate it strictly (if it wasn't a movie I wouldn't definitely dropped it even before finishing ep1)I was going to put 2.5 but made it 4 since I like the main cast and considering the fact that this movie was released before I was born so I couldn't judge it objectively
The only things I liked about it are : The ML who still looks the same as if he aged at once then stopped. Then the FL who looks so cute here NO MORE NO LESS
Anyway I don't recommend it to people who don't like old movies like me
Was this review helpful to you?
Not for me
Looks like it was filmed in good spirits but I unfortunately couldn't get passed the age gap. She was portrayed to be 16!!! and he 20 something. I just couldn't get into it.From the time it started, I figured I should give it a chance hoping she would at least be eighteen or that she would graduate high school and that they could continue their story in college. or that maybe they would be a few (like 3) years older.
Please don't get me wrong, the age gap may not have been an issue for me had she been at least 20 something where at least I could come to terms that she is mentally old enough to make these decisions. It doesn't really matter how big the age gap it is, as long as both partners are physically and mentally prepared. which by the way she initially expresses, she is not ready to get in to such a commitment at such an age.
I kept watching, but still could not get over that fact. whenever the male character did something even remotely affectionate, I felt a certain kind of way.
The acting
Completely separate from the story line. I felt the acting was truly spot on. I rather enjoyed both the MCs as they properly displayed their characters' intentions throughout the movie.
Was this review helpful to you?
The acting was excellent -Loved the girl that played Boeun, Sangmin was really funny, and just everyone added so much to the movie.
The music was fine, but nothing overly special.
Rewatch value is excellent because it was so funny, the relationships were great, and everyone was just so good in this movie.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
não é bom porém não é ruim
não gostei do plot de pedofilia, já que o casamento é com uma menor de idade.mesmo que ele não tenha feito nada com a menina, ele faz umas brincadeiras tão chatas no filme inteiro que acaba com a graça de assistir.
eu realmente não gostei da personalidade do protagonista masculino, apesar dele ir evoluindo ao decorrer do filme.
o filme era para ser de comédia, mas eu particularmente não achei muita graça não (já que a personalidade do protagonista me incomodou bastante)
Was this review helpful to you?
I enjoyed the simplicity of this drama even though the subject matter was not simple. I feel like if this drama was made in 2019, there would be so many more elements, which would be fun, but I enjoy how simple this was. Basically, this drama is about two young adults, who grew up together, that are basically forced to get married due to a promise between both of their grandfathers back when they were in the military. The both don't agree until Seo Bo Eun's grandfather, who acted as a grandfather to Park Sang Min's family after their grandfather's passing, tricks them into thinking that this was his final request before he passed. They soon get married and move in with one another, but always butting heads as they always did growing up - Bo Sun, a 16 year old high schooler who is dating her first love, Jung Woo, a sushi loving baseball star, and Sangmin, the maybe 20 something year old playboy marine.
As the story goes on, I personally saw a big change in Sangmin's personality the moment he finds out about Boeum's interest in another man. It seemed to almost happen instantly how upset he got about it, instead of the obvious jealousy that we see in dramas, which I thought was weird. But I knew at that moment that there had to be more to the story. And I think that is why I loved this movie so much. It wasn't a story about insta -love. It was a drama about one person learning what first love was, and the other person holding on to his first love for years, but never taking the initiative. I loved the playful banter between the two of them, as they had a very close brother sister opposites relationship. Sangmin being carefree while Boeum feeling the need to take care of her family as well as herself. It was nice seeing them rub off on one another, but at the same time, I feel like each of them made the other person feel comfortable to show that sides of one another. I feel like both Sangmin and Boeum are both mature and fun loving people from the beginning, but almost forgot that it was ok to be both. Honestly, it is something that I would love to have in a relationship, someone who is your best friend as well your partner. I loved Jung Woo, and thought he deserved so much more than what he got, but at the same time, it seemed like they had a very sweet and innocent love, rather than what Sangmin and Boeum had. I know it was the marine training scene that finally made me realize what Boeum meant to Sangmin and it warmed my heart. It also broke it knowing that Sangmin knew about Jung Woo, hoping that Boeum would pick him.
Overall, I very much enjoyed this movie a lot more than I thought I was going to, especially with the ending. I think it made it so good to me was falling in love with Sangmin's character and seeing the expression on his face when he was truly happy. Literally, his face just lights up and it could brighten anyone's day. Plus I love how he showed a mature but also fun and carefree side. Boeum took a little getting used to, but when she finally realized that she can let loose a little around Sangmin as well as learned to accept her marriage and fight for her husband, I was fully on board.
Would definitely recommend and watch again. I am looking up more dramas with the main male lead as we speak.
Was this review helpful to you?
