1
SKITC
Probably within reach of a coffee
This review may contain spoilers
Faceplant
This should have been a better show. "Her Private Life" is a couple of better casting decisions and half a worthy script away from being a really lovely romantic comedy.
Park Min Young is an unquestionable talent with a particular panache for comedy and the show is marvelous so long as it centers around her Curator Sung Duk Mi. It helps that she's regularly accompanied by the sublime Park Jin Joo and a solid though underutilized Ahn Bo Hyun. The only moments where Park Min Young is outshone is by Kim Sun Young. She is spectacular here.
And the first half of "Her Private Life" is welcomingly center around Duk Mi, her fandom for One's Cha Shi Ahn (who presumably is a better singer than actor), her rivalry with Kim Bo Ra's fangirl Cindy and the fake then real romance with new director Ryan Gold as portrayed by Kim Jae Wook. But as with most dramas, the production can only keep the two leads apart for so long and once the inevitable comes to pass, the project's flaws overwhelm the positives.
Plenty of criticism should be directed at the meandering, nonsensical storyline. It's deserved. There's opportunities to allow the outstanding supporting cast to share some spotlight, but it's completely ignored except as momentary throw-ins in the final episode. Particularly frustrating is that a relationship between Kim Bo Ra and Ahn Bo Hyun was happening but it was literally given less than a minute of airtime. It's a massive gaffe to not give these two a sizable amount of attention.
But it's a casting blunder more than anything that torpedoes "Her Private Life". Kim Jae Wook fits the tall and pretty profile, but he is totally lost trying to portray anything beyond mild annoyance or complete boredom. For around nine episodes, that's the extent of the demands - looked annoyed, looked bored and be photographed with Park Min Young. This much works. But when Kim Jae Wook's Ryan Gold has to step forward in act two and the character is navigating childhood traumas, the show sinks, quickly and irreversibly.
Add (G)I-DLE's "Help Me" to every playlist possible. It's one of the catchiest pop songs on any soundtrack anywhere. But don't put "Her Private Life" on a watchlist.
Park Min Young is an unquestionable talent with a particular panache for comedy and the show is marvelous so long as it centers around her Curator Sung Duk Mi. It helps that she's regularly accompanied by the sublime Park Jin Joo and a solid though underutilized Ahn Bo Hyun. The only moments where Park Min Young is outshone is by Kim Sun Young. She is spectacular here.
And the first half of "Her Private Life" is welcomingly center around Duk Mi, her fandom for One's Cha Shi Ahn (who presumably is a better singer than actor), her rivalry with Kim Bo Ra's fangirl Cindy and the fake then real romance with new director Ryan Gold as portrayed by Kim Jae Wook. But as with most dramas, the production can only keep the two leads apart for so long and once the inevitable comes to pass, the project's flaws overwhelm the positives.
Plenty of criticism should be directed at the meandering, nonsensical storyline. It's deserved. There's opportunities to allow the outstanding supporting cast to share some spotlight, but it's completely ignored except as momentary throw-ins in the final episode. Particularly frustrating is that a relationship between Kim Bo Ra and Ahn Bo Hyun was happening but it was literally given less than a minute of airtime. It's a massive gaffe to not give these two a sizable amount of attention.
But it's a casting blunder more than anything that torpedoes "Her Private Life". Kim Jae Wook fits the tall and pretty profile, but he is totally lost trying to portray anything beyond mild annoyance or complete boredom. For around nine episodes, that's the extent of the demands - looked annoyed, looked bored and be photographed with Park Min Young. This much works. But when Kim Jae Wook's Ryan Gold has to step forward in act two and the character is navigating childhood traumas, the show sinks, quickly and irreversibly.
Add (G)I-DLE's "Help Me" to every playlist possible. It's one of the catchiest pop songs on any soundtrack anywhere. But don't put "Her Private Life" on a watchlist.
Was this review helpful to you?
