You Make Me Dance (Movie) (2021)

Red string or red herring?

You make me dance is a story that is as unlikely as its pair- a debt collector and the debitor. It offers nothing new either in its plot or in its characterisation. But it makes us sit through till completion because of how honestly it portrays that unlikely story. Jin Hong Seok is a machine living his monotonous life and Song Shi On is at the prime of his youth full of hopes, dreams and wishes. One seems about done with his life while the other actively wants to begin his. In another world where chance encounters with supposed couples do not happen, these two might have as well lived their lives blissfully unaware of the other's existence. But here they form a strange bond that develops with the help of some even stranger rationale. It's also strangely engaging despite the lack of a strong plot and any actual conflict.

In many ways, the movie is simple minded and that can be refreshing to those who do not want to spend their time dissecting all the layers underneath a character. There are themes of abandonment and midlife crisis but they are not addressed, just mentioned. I wouldn't say any character is well rounded but that is on the story- the characters are molded to fit in. It's an easy watch if we just accept the things the way they roll out and here's the catch- in spite of all its misgivings, the movie is surprisingly acceptable. Not in a "this is ridiculous but it's funny and emotional" kind of way but more along the lines of "yes, it's far from perfect but it's not impossible". That definitely goes in favour of the movie.

Another impressive aspect in this clichéd story is that it doesn't depend on fate, much in contrast to its opening scenes. The leads try and make things happen instead of leaving them up for Fate to chance upon and throw in their way. Whether this was intended or it just unknowingly came to be, it feels good.

The figurative red thread keeps making metaphorical appearances throughout and is well used. I didn't understand what purpose the CEO of Chachacha was supposed to serve, but thankfully her scenes are limited and she is present more to pull the story towards the required ending than to be an actual obstacle. Same goes for Shi On's senior. The final twenty minutes could have been written, edited and presented much better. Everything was building up to that point and it felt as if the balloon just popped all of a sudden without any reason. It was an unsolvable mess of poor writing and poor execution and that was actually the bigger disappointment compared to the wafer thin story line. Music is good even though it doesn't stand out. Cinematography is okay and the performances are convincing. This isn't something I'd fawn over now or later but it's not bad as a one time watch.

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Light-hearted and Cute, but Unrealistic and Illogical

Completed - 2/18/2022 - 7.75 rating

If you are not watching this aired weekly, it's best to watch the movie version than the drama version. The story flows better and it's not as fragmented. This is a cute and light-hearted BL drama/movie, with decent chemistry and somewhat good-looking actors. Also, something is wrong with the synopsis here, "After a serious row, he is thrown out of the family home and is left with an emotional wound. " <--- I didn't see that happening!! Serious row? Thrown out??

What I enjoy:
1. I like the bus scene with their pinkies in the air. Really cute!
2. Cute interactions between the leads.
3. Great songs - Korean BL dramas never disappoint me with their songs.
4. Production value seems decent enough for a low-budget web drama.

What I don't enjoy (spoilers):
1. The acting of Won Hyung Hoon (Creditor) is not very good. I know his character is supposed to be quiet, but he comes off as bland and emotionless.
2. Unrealistic and illogical plot lines (stop reading if you don't want my cynicism to spoil your happy bubble):
= Will a debt collector really trust you enough to extend your loan payment for a month after a dance that's not even that good?
= The whole debt collector profession in this drama is unrealistic.
= If a debt collector moves in with you, you should kick him out immediately (DANGER!), no matter how nice he seems.
= Just because Shi On got the audition to play the lead role, doesn't mean he automatically has money. He actually has to work first to get paid. Why does it seem like the loan is totally forgiven all of a sudden?
= If they assume the loan is forgiven, then why did Hong Seok leave Shi On in the end? As Shi On said, the previous relationship ended and they can start anew. Why leave? I still don't get it.

Though it seems like I dislike this drama/movie, I did have an enjoyable time. I needed something light and short, and it suits my needs. I just can't give it a higher rating, as it doesn't seem fair to the other dramas that I rated a 8.0 and above.

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Cute

I enjoyed this. I think it had a lot of potential and could have been better, but if you're in the mood to watch something sweet without thinking too much about it, then it's worth a watch.

It was a bit difficult to buy into some of the situations. I think that's because the movie plays on its predecessors for eccentric storylines, but didn't really know how to lay the foundation for them. Like in the beginning when the two debtors were there watching the boy dancing, I think it would have been stronger if both debtors watched him dance, but the secondary debtor (Mr. Kim) left early because he didn't get it. And yet, the first debtor (Jin Hong Seok) couldn't leave because he was so drawn into the dancing. Mr. Kim kind of helps ground us in reality, and emphasizes how Hong Seok is different from most people. That kind of emphasis on the dynamic helps support the eccentric nature of the storyline.

There were some scenes where I was like, ehhh this could be done a bit better. Sometimes the positioning of a character between cuts would be inconsistent, which was a bit distracting. Probably not for most people, but I tend to get distracted by minor details unfortunately haha.

Their first kiss scene was another point I was a bit disappointed by. The dialogue suggests impulsivity, passion, and then suddenly stopping. But the emotions weren't brought out strongly enough, and the transitions between these stages felt smooth. Here, the emotions in the scene could have come out stronger by occurring suddenly instead of smoothly. It's a very emotion driven plot, but I don't think the emotions came out as well on screen.

So basically what I'm saying is, the movie felt a bit like it was under its potential. It could have been polished just a bit more. However, it was still entertaining and I did enjoy myself! Its quirky storyline reminded me of the kind of shows that drew me to kdramas in the first place.

I did like the way they used slowmo, which is rare for me as slowmo is a pet peeve of mine. But the slow motion wasn't too slow, and it continued the scene. And I liked when the sounds of the scene played over the slowmo. It felt.... almost dreamlike? That was a really nice touch.

It's a cute movie.

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This needs at least 30 minutes more to be BELIEVABLE and LOGICAL! It took its time to introduce the characters even with subplots we don't give a sh*t about (boss of the ML) and they finally start to be friends, young ML doesn't have even think about the other as a love interest that he suddenly confesses 10 minutes before the ending ??? And what ? They kissed and he got rejected, then they are together for one night once he got 1st place (they made a whole drama about that just to not uses it after... underwhelming af) and he "broke up" "abandonned" him the next morning ???? To finally jump off the car and getting back to him in the last minutes ? I'd rather have no drama about the sunbae at dance and the female boss and the 10 last minutes developped during the fucking movie not just threw at your face for 8 minutes straight where all happened at the same time for no f*ck*ng reason. Ilogical, underwhelming, confusing and unsatisfying. I doubted I'd try anything else from the screenwriter or the director. Easy watch though

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Pinky promises

I remember watching this as a drama a couple of years ago and not liking it very much: I found it messy, lacking chemistry and with low production value. Ever since then, I keep stumbling on occasional review and feeds post and they are all praising it highly. So I decided to rewatch it as a movie and to see if my original appreciation still holds!

Unfortunately it does! Even though I like this concept of red string of fate, it was nevertheless underwhelming. The motif of the red string is repeatedly used in different ways throughout the film which I found rather original: scarf, rope, pinky promise.... The characters are complete opposites: a cold debt collector and his fiery dancer debtor. Their relationship and bickering was nice, the actors were very much at ease with each other and yet still something was missing. They looked like they were not in synch while filming. The rest of the characters are just caricatures, barely sketched clichés: the cruel lady boss, the idiotic flamboyant sidekick, the mean rival (actually we never find out what happened to him after they spent so much time on him and when he left their last showdown with a cocky smirk!). And the sets? Pretty winter scenery but no heating inside: it was very cold on sets - that is very obvious!

Again, we have a korean mother who abandons her child after getting him in debt and cutting all means of communication with him. Are korean parents really this cruel? This is something that keeps repeating in k dramas so there must be a sliver of truth there. And that truth is ugly and it paints korean parents in a very bad light!

But everything considered, it is an OK single watch!

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You Make Me Dance "made me want to dance"

A short drama that caught my attention for the dance theme and the aesthetics as well.

Basic summary.... A good drama, touching and engaging like every Korean drama. The actors are good, have good chemistry and I recommend it for those who like a light romance without much catching. If you want a short story, without much believable development and with a cute love, this drama can please you as it pleased me.

Now the whole review:
First you need to start watching knowing that the story is not meant to give you great conflicts and surprising twists, it is a light and relaxed cliché, which yes, could be better if it had another purpose. I believe that for what the program announces there is a very satisfactory delivery. You Make Me Dance was one of the dramas on my list that took me the longest to watch, but as I recently saw that it was shorter, I decided to end my procrastination soon. And what an experience my friends, really heartwarming and making him dance to the beat of every dance, dialog and scene. As I said the actors have chemistry and I follow a classic drama script, very light and without those hot kisses - except for the first one in the office, which for me was the best.
I think it was the only thing that left me with a taste of wanting more, I wanted a little more intensity - it's not chemistry, because it has plenty in the looks and conversations. I loved the soundtrack and I already have some songs saved on my Spotify cof cof hahaha.

No Spoiler:
Unlike other small series I've seen, I believe this one had a round end and left me satisfied, without that feeling of "Oh my God, why did it end if there could still be more?". Because it didn't need more and if it had maybe it would spoil - unlike the last review you wrote about Semantic Error, YMMD is a treat with a nice and cute ending.
I really enjoyed the moments I spent with this drama and I really hope more people can be influenced to watch it by my review.

Spoiler:
I liked the way they developed Shi On, a boy who was forced to grow up and mature on his own after a regretful abandonment, and who still trusts people and wants them around, even if he is rejected. He tries hard and puts effort into everything he does and that's why he doesn't lose their love. As for Hong Seok, I have to admit that I was angry with him at the end for hurting my baby Shi On, but he ended up making the right decision and leaving the boss going back to his beloved. The end even made me like the chief collector, who released him from his promise. The legend of the red thread might be a beaten and overused one, but here it works and makes everything even cuter - the first scene made me smile like a little girl in love hahaha. The two needed to find each other and really form a couple that can't be separated and when a novel manages to leave this feeling in the viewer, ladies and gentlemen, this is a good novel. When you believe that nothing can stop them and that no matter the difficulty, they will get through it together.


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Thank you who read this far, XOXO <3

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