Melo Movie Review
Director: Oh Choong-hwan
Date Created: 2025-02-14 21:46
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Melo Movie Review: Directed by Oh Choong-hwan and written by Lee Na-eun. The Netflix Kdrama 멜로 무비 stars Choi Woo-shik as Go Gyeum, Park Bo-young as Kim Mu-bee, Lee Jun-young as Hong Si-jun, Jeon So-nee as Son Joo-a, and Ko Chang-seok as Ma Seong-u. The drama runs for 10 episodes with every episode lasting for 60-70 minutes.
The drama focuses on Go Gyeum, a man whose life is surrounded by films. He dreams to be an actor but finds himself stuck as an extra and not a star. Meanwhile, Kim Mu-bee has spent her life attempting to escape the grasp of the movie world because her father was consumed by the disciplined world of cinema. When Gyeum and Mu-bee’s lives get entangled, their varying conception of cinema—and life—prepares the platform for a passion-filled love story of heartbreak and self-realisation.
Included in their love story is a former couple, Hong Si-jun and Son Joo-a, who get to unravel their unresolved past, so Melo Movie is a heart-wrenching journey of love, drive, and realities behind the movie magic.
Melo Movie Review
Not gonna lie, I was stoked for this drama. The minute I saw the trailer, it immediately reminded me of Our Beloved Summer vibes (one of my all-time favourite dramas). And with Choi Woo-shik and Park Bo-young as the leads? Say no more! These two are incredibly talented, and with each new role they play, they just nail it. So yeah, I was already a fan prior to hitting play. But, does it feel the same way that I do now after watching it? Well, let’s see what the review has to say about it!
One thing I absolutely loved about Netflix’s Melo Movie is how it handles cinema as a form of escape as well as a burden. Gyeum’s life revolves around movies—he doesn’t just love watching movies; he wants to be part of the industry. But passion can only take one so far, and the drama does an excellent job of showing the struggles of a wannabe actor who isn’t naturally talented. The flip side of the coin, Mu-bee, is the opposite view. She grew up hating the film industry because of her dad’s tragic life, but yet is so deeply invested in it.
The drama contrasts both views so beautifully, so it’s not a simple love story. The film industry is portrayed as magical as well as tiring—while Gyeum idealises it, Mu-bee sees the grim reality behind the glamour. This contrast results in an interesting push-and-pull between the leads, so their scenes together feel raw and real.
At its core, Melo Movie is a romance drama, but it doesn’t tug on the familiar K-drama tropes in an overt way. Gyeum’s dogged but ineffectual pursuit of Mu-bee sometimes walks a fine line between being cringeworthy, but it also reflects the way movies romanticise grand, over-the-top gestures in love stories. The show quietly asks whether such romantic persistence is endearing or problematic.
When Gyeum disappears from Mu-bee’s life, it’s not the kind of melodramatic breakup we’re accustomed to seeing in K-dramas. Instead, it feels real—sometimes, people just get up and leave without explanation, and life forces you to move on. But what if they suddenly reappear, reopening old scars? This theme runs deep throughout the show, not just for Gyeum and Mu-bee but for Si-jun and Joo-a too. Their secondary romance is one of my favourite aspects of the drama because it captures the painful truth of breakups—how some people heal quicker than others, how old feelings linger, and how seeing an ex thrive can bring out feelings you thought you buried.
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Choi Woo-shik is perfect as Go Gyeum. His natural charm makes Gyeum’s movie fixation endearing, but he also gets the emotional depth required for the character right. When his past mistakes come back to haunt him, the anguish in his expressions is real. Park Bo-young, as always, performs flawlessly. Mu-bee is a tough character who keeps her emotions locked up tight, but Park’s subtle acting makes sure that we feel every bit of her internal conflict.
Lee Jun-young and Jeon So-nee are also praised for their performances as Si-jun and Joo-a. Their scenes together are tense, and although Joo-a might come across as tough at times, Jeon So-nee gives enough depth to the character to make her believable. Meanwhile, Lee Jun-young aced the irritation of a gifted but struggling artist who is stuck in his ways.
Aside from romance, Melo Movie Kdrama is also to be praised for its unflinching look at the movie industry. It doesn’t sugarcoat the uglier aspects of filmmaking—the long hours, the financial struggles, the price it takes on people who give their lives to it. The show acknowledges that love isn’t enough to survive in such a cruel world.
I also loved how the show incorporated classic movie references. Whether it was through Gyeom’s constant movie trivia or the set pieces that were filled with nostalgic items like VHS tapes, Melo Movie is every movie lover’s dream come true. It makes you question why we love movies—are they just a way of escaping reality, or do they lead us around to facing it?
I loved Melo Movie, but there were a few things that didn’t quite work for me. Some of the moments did feel a little too self-indulgent in their love of cinema, as if the show was more interested in wallowing in movie culture than in moving the plot forward. At other times, the show dragged, particularly the middle episodes, where some of the emotional payoffs felt redundant.
Also, while the show does an incredible job of depicting complex relationships, I would have loved to have seen more of Mu-bee’s own personal development outside of her relationship. She’s such an incredible character with such a complicated past, and I would have loved to have seen her work through her own demons without the shadow of Gyeum hanging over her head.
Summing Up
Melo Movie is a warm, masterfully made drama that gets to the bittersweet realities about love, dreams, and movie-making. It doesn’t tell a love story so much—it poses more existential questions about why we hold on to certain passions and how our past determines our fate. With phenomenal performances, a new take on romance, and an unapologetic expose of the world of film-making, this drama is well worth the watch.
