So, long story short (and oh how i wish this drama was shorter), BIG is boring!
The Hong sister's must have found this script in a old shoe box in the back of a closet, and directed it on a whim without any forethought. I didn't expect much originality based on the title/synopsis that obviously borrows from the Tom Hanks movie (and countless movies just like it). I did, however, expect to see something fun, and that is why I am so disappointed with Big. In the end, I did not have fun watching this. It stars an often shirtless, and absolutely adorable, Gong Yoo - HOW CAN YOU MESS THIS UP??? Apparently it is easier than I thought.
First, the story is a mess. For the first 5 episodes I was completely hooked, because I couldn't quite figure out what would happen next. From that point on it was clear that the Hong Sisters weren't quite sure what to do next either. There's a convoluted story about miracles that goes nowhere, and has zero substance. There are a few more episodes with a couple of fun scenes, but there are many more frustrating scenes. About halfway through the series all the characters start to repeat themselves, literally doing the same things each episode, and the story just drags along. I can't believe some of the nonsense scenes they came up with to fill the time (painting pandas???!!!) Even the stories that involve minor characters are completely pointless time fillers. It was extremely hard to complete this series. I continued to watch for Gong Yoo, but even he wasn't enough after a while.
The cast shouldn't be blamed for the horrible script, since they at least made it watchable. Still, the majority of the cast gave forgettable performances. Shin Won Ho is asleep for the majority of this drama. Baek Sung Hyun's dorkiness was sweet, but I grew tired of his loyal puppy dog routine. Of course there is an evil mother who Is pretty standard, but not a stand out. There's also the quintessential "other woman" who quickly becomes an irrelevant character.
I was not at all impressed with Lee Min Jung's portrayal of Gil Da Ran. Teacher Gil was the "older woman", but she often seemed extremely immature, not too bright, and damn near mental. Listening to her lecture KKJ about maturity grew tiresome quickly, yet it's what she does for the majority of the show. I lost all interest in the romantic storyline because she annoyed me so much as the show progressed. I thought her dramatic overacting in the final episodes was laughably bad.
Suzy's Ma Ri was by far the strongest characters on the show, and the character I hated the most. It was hard for me to sit through some of the ridiculous antics she got away with. In a script full of lackluster characters with shallow storylines, Ma Ri is the most memorable. Suzy definitely deserves credit for making the unbelievably ridiculous MaRi very believable.
Of course it's great to see Gong Yoo back, looking so good, and giving a great performance (...while showing some skin. yay!). Unfortunately, even with dual roles, his talent in wasted in this drama.
I'm convinced that this is the worst drama that I've ever completed. The ending confirmed my hatred for this drama by giving some vague conclusion, that answered no real questions, and was completely cliché. It also confirmed that the entire story could have fit into a 2hr movie format with time to spare. After loving so many Hong Sister's dramas I really felt like this one insulted my intelligence. I had hoped, till the very last episode, that something would happen to make me see this drama as at least "decent", but it always just got worse.
My Advice? Take this off your 'to watch' list, and skip to whatever is next. If you are planning to watch this because you ran out of new dramas to watch, I'd suggest rewatching one of your favorites instead. If you missed Gong Yoo, like I did, just watch Coffee Prince again. I'm honestly amazed that anyone liked this drama at all. If I could, I would take my 16+ hrs back!
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