Melo Movie
(2025)

MELO MOVIE | 멜로무비 🍿

What would happen if an acclaimed movie critic and an up-and-coming movie director fell in love? If you’re looking for the answer to that question, then MELO MOVIE is the series for you.

Netflix’s latest Korean romantic dramedy follows Ko Gyeom (Choi Woo-Shik—Parasite, Train to Busan, Killer Paradox), a lovable goofball who is trying to take his obsession with films and turn it into an acting career, and Kim Mubee (Concrete Utopia, Light Shop), a film set assistant who is hardheaded and closed off from everything but the task she’s been assigned to.

Gyeom becomes infatuated with Mubee, and after many failed attempts, Mubee eventually gives Gyeom the time of day, but when an unfortunate accident takes place, it forces Gyeom to put a stop to his romantic feelings for Mubee and redirect his attention to a situation closer to home.

This is the most I’ve enjoyed a Korean drama in a LONG time.

From the hilarious romantic-comedy performance of Choi Woo-Shik to the philosophical dialogue about the escape films provided for better or worse and just the feel-good vibes of the entire series—I honestly couldn’t get enough.

The gift that keeps on giving is Choi Woo-Shik as Gyeom, who is a character you root for from the moment you meet him. His heart is always in the right place, and his willingness to look like a fool just so he can see her smile is what makes his boyish charm so irresistible to those around him. Making her smile is easier said than done because Mubee is an oftentimes unimpressed girl who has been let down too many times to give any more effort to something that may not work out, or work out in the way she wants it to.

Mubee not wanting to get her hopes up and Gyeom being eternally hopeful that everything will always find a way to work out brings some much-needed perspective to both of their lives.

The themes of hope and lack thereof present themselves in the relationship they both have with movies.

Movies can act as an escape from the reality we live in or allow us to live an experience we’ll never have. For some that can be a healthy source of growth and inspiration, but for others it can become a distraction from living in the reality as a participant instead of becoming an inactive observer. It’s easier to enjoy a plot that is predetermined instead of having to worry about things you can’t control and the unknown consequences of the decisions you make. I thought the way they handled those ideas was done in a way that can make you appreciate both sides while advocating for living the life we’ve been blessed with, even if at times it feels like a burden.

The secondary story in this could’ve been its own series, but the energy they had for one another got annoying pretty quick and took away from the only part I cared about, which was Mubee and Gyeom.

One of the great lines from this series that echoes throughout every character's personal journey is “In order for love to be complete, it just needs to exist.” That really stuck with me. The fact love may come to an end shouldn’t matter; it’s the fact that you even had the chance to experience it that becomes the reward, even if it results in hurt.

I should say this is something I’m scoring more for my personal enjoyment than I am for the overall quality of the storytelling execution, which at times felt oddly pieced together.

MELO MOVIE is at its best when it’s about the romantic entanglement of two people who are navigating life in completely different ways, but even when it veers into the dramatic element of the story, it acts as a heartwarming reminder to not let life pass you by—but embrace it with open arms. 

Enjoy!

8.8/10 🍿 🎥

Runtime: 60mins
Episodes: 10
Where: Now Streaming on Netflix

Melo Movie Review (2025) The Richmond Reviewer - February 14th, 2025
멜로무비 Review (2025) The Richmond Reviewer - February 14th, 2025

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