In Melo Movie, now streaming on Netflix, Choi Woo-shik and Park Bo-young star as Ko Gyeom and Kim Mu-bee, an actor-turned-critic and production assistant-turned-director, who might be made for each other – if only they could get around their respective baggage long enough to admit it. So, major romantic comedy tone, played at full volume. But Melo Movie is also in love with the magic of film itself, to the point that the very name of Park’s character is a play on “movie.” Will these two make good on their initial meet-cute? And what about their friends, Si-jun (Lee Jun-young) and Ju-a (Jeon So-nee)? Will their relationship survive the sweetheart phase? For an answer, you can indulge in Melo Movie’s ten episodes of ups, downs, rom-com coincidences, sentimental music cues, and lovingly self-aware film references.
MELO MOVIE: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
Opening Shot: A boy sees the TV glow. “I only ever had one dream,” Ko Gyeom (Choi) says in his voiceover. “To watch every single movie in the world.”
The Gist: Gyeom, his older brother Jun (Kim Jae-wook), and Gyeom’s friends Si-jun (Lee) and Ju-a (Jeon) all grew up loving movies and entertainment, and later, as young adults feeling out career paths, they gravitate to acting, screenwriting, and film score composition. But as we meet Mu-bee (Park) through her own voiceover, it becomes clear that her path to working in the movies was quite different. Her dad always dreamed of being a director, but she resented how his constant scramble for film industry jobs kept him away from home. By the time Gyeom and Mu-bee are both 26, and meet randomly on a set where he’s a bit player and she’s a PA, it’s with him amazed that a beautiful woman is named after the medium he adores, and her unwilling to conform to his rom-com conventions.
Gyeom is a mix of oblivious and eager, and possessed of an irrepressible enthusiasm. Mu-bee, in contrast, is a reserved workaholic. While his voicoever marvels about how “she probably has no idea, but she stands out without even trying,” her voiceover frets, “I wish for this guy to give up and leave me alone.” He contrives moments for them to interact – on set, he always manages to find the empty seat next to her at craft services – while she does her best to ignore him completely. He wonders if she’s always been this headstrong. (We know the answer is yes, thanks to childhood flashbacks.) She wonders how he remains so chipper. But at the same time, you can see a few cracks in Mu-bee’s veneer. When Jun asks his brother how he’ll woo his crush, Gyeom just grins. “Do you know how many rom-coms I’ve seen? Have some faith.”
The slimmest bit of a connection is forming. But with Melo Movie, you gotta remember the timeline. Just as there are flashbacks in the first episode, there will be jumps of years forward in episodes to come. Mu-bee and Gyeom will keep circling around their attraction – one constant is how great they look together, even when they bicker – and throughout, Si-jun and Ju-a will determine the rise and fall (and rise?) of their own romance. It won’t all be sweetness, but in Melo Movie, the sentiment seems to be driving toward a happy ending. Take it from Gyeom, the ultimate movie lover: “When the lead gets curious about someone, it usually means there’s romance in store.”
What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Staying with Netflix romantic comedies, Choi Woo-shik stars in Our Beloved Summer, and Park Bo-young in Doom at Your Service.
Our Take: Melo Movie is very sweet, so much that the music accompanying the series often threatens to overload its little moments. But Korean shows aren’t typically shy about this sort of thing, so it ends up working in its favor, especially with the rom-com-ready chemistry between Choi Woo-shik and Park Bo-young leading the way. On the film set where they both work, when Gyeom steals a fake beard from wardrobe to try and surprise Mu-bee? We felt that. When she dismisses him in no uncertain terms, but we catch the tiniest upturn, the opening credits of her emerging smile? We felt that even more. Melo has ten episodes to get through of trial and error, coincidence and circumstance. But in addition to its adoration for the pure potential and joy of popping in a movie and letting it play, we’re thinking that the feelings Gyeom and Mu-bee are developing for one another will help resolve their individual hang-ups, and carry us through. We’ll stick with the occasionally overbearing sweetness of Melo Movie just to see how these two turn out.
Sex and Skin: No. But if we’re counting lingering looks of longing, then yes.
Parting Shot: “I’ve been wondering why exactly I was so drawn to Kim Mu-bee,” Gyeom says in his voiceover. “I think I finally know.” But what comes next, he does not expect…
Sleeper Star: We’re intrigued with Jeon So-nee as Ju-a, and interested to see more of how her character’s love life evolves alongside Gyeom and Mu-bee’s will-they-or-won’t-they dance.
Most Pilot-y Line: In the early going, Mu-bee is not making it easy as Gyeom makes moon eyes her way. “Would you mind not speaking to me? I don’t do well with anyone who tries to engage socially. I hope you understand. Not everyone’s a fawning little whelp like you.”
Our Call: Stream It! It’s the season for Valentine’s Day, right? And in that regard, Melo Movie is ready to provide you with a little bag of candy hearts. Choi Woo-shik and Park Bo-young are quite attractive as they flirt with attraction, and Melo Movie is packed with fun references for any film buffs swooning along with these two.
Johnny Loftus (@glennganges) is an independent writer and editor living at large in Chicagoland. His work has appeared in The Village Voice, All Music Guide, Pitchfork Media, and Nicki Swift.
