Sweet and Sour (2021)

Sad yet realistic

I am a newbie to KDramas, having seen only a few of them, and I haven't reviewed none yet, but I felt compelled to review this one right after watching it.

I do not like this kind of movies, because they sadden me and real life is tough enough. However I agree with the message the movie sent and the importance of listening and caring for your loved ones. Work should not ever come first. The movie portrayed realistically the ups and lows of a relationship strained by long commute, long working hours and temptations of having attractive colleagues at work. Not a single moment I thought any person was bad - there are no villains here, just flawed young people making flawed decisions. I just felt sad for them and wanted to hug dearly my loved ones afterwards. If you like to watch genuine dramas about life, you might like this movie. Be warned, the ending is not cheerful and perfect. It is just like life tends to be sometimes, sourly realistic.

Do not read further if you wish to avoid spoilers.

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The main lead Hyeok deserved what he got at the end. Even then he didn't realise what he did wrong, given how self-absorbed he was. For me, the breaking point was when he wanted her to terminate the pregnancy. A big nope, and the biggest sign their relationship was doomed. Luckily for her, she decided against it as we saw in the reel in the end. While I do not agree with her decision to seek refuge in the arms of the man she just feels sorry for, I can understand that she just wants the best for the baby that otherwise won't have a father. Still, who knows? Maybe they will reconnect in Jeju, after all, he's coming there too, although maybe not at the same time. The movie left that card open. I am not sure would I, if I were Da-Eun, accept him back. He still seemed immature at the end, only sorry for himself.

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Your Enjoyment of this Completely Hinges on the Last 10 Minutes of this Movie

I think this movie is hard to recommend and equally hard NOT to recommend. Without spoilers, I can't explain why, but whether or not you enjoy this is completely based upon your reaction to the last few moments of this movie. Some people will think it is a masterful ending. Some people will feel completely cheated. Therefore, you won't be able to make an informed decision for yourself about whether to give this a watch or not unless you don't mind directly looking up spoilers on the internet. Personally, I didn't think the ending was particularly clever, but it was certainly unique.

This movie felt well-acted, but all the other elements felt average to me.

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A realistic look into the human heart

This movie sort of reminded me of an old fairytale/fable, with a godfather, moral of the story etc. Romance comes second to what is ultimately a slice of life movie.

I feel like the biggest reason it is getting such negative critique is because the whole concept of cheating doesn't align with peoples' moral compasses and then everything else they watch is automatically seen with a more judging eye.

To be honest, I felt that the movie did a great job aligning to everyones' moral compass.

It showed that a lot of factors can come into the swaying of the human heart (the desire to take care of someone, location and just being present, workplace commitment, timing conflicts etc).

It showed that we can often be blind, irrational, and take for granted what has already been obtained.

It showed that there are many reasons one enters into a relationship. It showed that love... can be fleeting.

However, it also provided a glimpse of hope that there may be some good people, who can love someone irrationally, who can show good gestures from the heart, and that those who perservere in this way will, quote on quote, "get the girl".

But ultimately, this was a movie that really captured the weakest parts of the human heart, made vulnerable for the world to see.

It wasn't an extravagant and mind blowing movie, but it accomplished what it had set out to do. A light-hearted movie with some thought provoking moments that I would recommend to anyone that just wants a nice and relaxing watch.

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An okay movie, not a priority watch at all

I love Chae Soobin, I watched the movie only for her. I might be biased but she carried the movie on her back by successfully keeping the audience's sympathy with her character until the very end.

40% of the movie were montages of the guy cheating that contributed nothing to the plot.

Overall, watch it if you're bored as hell and have absolutely nothing else to do. The movie doesn't make you laugh, doesn't make you cry, doesn't have any thrill element, only fills you with dread at the characters' bad decisions and their audacity to behave the way they do, worst of all, it all seems too realistic to brush it off.

The twist was unexpected and made the movie worth something. Would I recommend it to anyone? A solid no.

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Did someone say plot twist?!!!

"Sweet & Sour" could have been a better movie but sadly everything that makes it good is packed into the last 15 minutes. If "Got emm" was a movie, this would be it, but don't waste your time trying to guess what will happen. Sadly the twist at the end is the payoff for enduring the rest of the movie, which was a struggle for me. The majority of this movie is about a bad relationship, but we don't get a chance to really fall in love with the couple or the characters first so it was hard to care and not just be frustrated at the repetitive problems and fights. It honestly felt like a waste of actors that I normally really like and that's the most disappointing part.

I am a fan of Chae Soo Bin (since I am not a Robot), but I felt cheated out of getting the chance to actually get to like Da Eun. In the beginning her weirdness is interesting but once the story focuses on the relationship everything is about Jang Hyuk's new job and changing perspective and as much as I like Jang Ki Yong he is not likable in this role at all. Yes, both actors do a decent job with showing a "realistic" relationship but they don't have the chemistry nor are they interesting enough to keep the story engaging. Krystal as Bo Young is meant to add some exciting rivalry and chemistry to the story but her performance was too one note for me. In this case the character seemed better written than acted out. She wasn't horrible but I was far from impressed.

The one high rating I have for this drama is rewatch -ability. Once I saw the end I wanted to watch it all again from the beginning with a new perspective. Unfortunately, the majority of the movie would still be mediocre. The retro synth music makes it even cheesier. Also, it's really hard to make scenes interesting when so many of them require reading text messages.

Overall I get why this movie would be popular and highly recommended but that doesn't mean it's good. There are certain things that are never explained (like why was the mysterious wingman constantly messed with the lights lol) and too many work is sooo hard scenes, but by the end I didn't regret watching it and could appreciate the writing more, plus I'm curious about the book it's based on. Maybe if this was a drama instead we could have gotten to know and like the characters enough to make the plot have a stronger impact but this movie felt like it was rushed AND like it dragged simultaneously. With a title like Sweet & Sour I expected this to be less bland.
Still, maybe with different expectations, this movie may suit your taste. I'd prefer more spice!

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Creative production & A “Realistic” Story

Watching the trailer, I knew I was getting into the themes of cheating though what I didn’t expect was how it would be played out in the movie. It was the storytelling that actually made me rate this a relatively high score. At first, you would think you would already know the flow of the story and towards the end, you would realize you didn’t all along. Based on the other reviews, yes, it may seem confusing but personally, I do actually think it was an artistic move. It made the movie much more interesting and creative in a sense however, I personally wanted a closure to Da Eun and Jang Hyuk’s relationship.

Story wise , I think it takes on a very realistic approach to relationships that not every relationship works. As the title connotes, every relationship has its sweet and sour moments. In the end, It all depends on the two people in the relationship whether they choose to be together and love each other or not.

The actors all did a great job on portraying their roles and well contributed to the story. All in all, I think it was still a good watch even if I spoiled myself by reading reactions on twitter (lol).

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A Huge Skip For Me.

Okay so this movie was a waste of time, so I'll keep this review short and sweet (haha, get it?).

It started off okay. You see the FL's who's a nurse eventually start a relationship with one of her patient Lee Jang Hyuk, and to be honest that part was entertaining. I had my suspicions that she was cheating on him but once Jang Ki Young appeared on screen, I was simply convinced that the character Lee Jang Hyuk simply ended up losing weight to please Da-Eun as he insisted he would.

Then you enter what I would call the second half of the movie when Jang Hyuk interns at this new company. He and the other intern Bo-Young get at each other's throats and eventually end up pining for one another. First off can we talk about how terrible of a girlfriend Da-Eun is? Obviously, it's inevitable for long-distance relationships to struggle, especially during its early stages, but it's crazy to me how little Da-Eun was willing to sacrifice for Jang Hyuk. Despite the fact that Jang Hyuk would commute back to Incheon from Seoul for her, all Da-Eun could do was to complain. Never once did she offer to alleviate some of Jang Hyuk's burdens by commuting to Seoul in order to see him.

Then, we enter Bo-Young and Jang Hyuk. Sigh. Where do I start? No chemistry whatsoever. Don't understand why they became a thing. I didn't even realize Jang Hyuk was attracted to her until he mistakenly called Da-Eun Bo-Young and also lied that he was having dinner with his team when in reality he was having dinner with Bo-Young.

Overall, I just don't understand the need for this movie? Like what's its purpose? What were the writers trying to do? Seriously. I'd like an answer. Especially with such a great cast, I was expecting so much more. Even the ending plot twist could not save this wreck.

Okay, so quick question for anyone who knows, was it implied that Da-Eun ended up getting an abortion or did she just lose the baby? I was kind of puzzled as to what happened to the baby.

Also, huge shoutout to Lee Woo Je who kind of carried this movie on his back LMAO.

Anyhow, I guess my review ended up being a little sour AMIRITE?? Ok. I'll stop now.

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Unimaginable plot twist

This movie truly captures every emotion of 21st century dating and depicts the problems which can lead the relationship to crumble. One of the best thing, is that the cast is amazing and did justice to their roles.
The movie portrays the sweet-and-sour taste that comes with romantic relationships especially when faced with the choice between love versus career.

The climax makes the movie stand out completely. It tells that relationships aren't always sweet, they tend to be the sweetest only in the initial phase after which it eventually starts becoming sour.

The movie teaches you a lot about how long distance relationship works, how people are scared of long term commitments, how working life could be so hectic and also how one trues to find comfort and love in these types of situations.

The plot twist is so amazing and so unpredictable that it catches you off-guard and completely changes the course of the movie. Truth be told, I was kinda disappointed with the ending twist. I was like, "what just happened". Initially I was confused, but later after analysis and deep thought, I understood the plot twist.😅

The plot twist is unimaginable. That's the victory and the best part of the movie. As majority of us believes in a fairytale, happy ending stories, this drama slaps one hard right to the face, that, there's no such thing.
There's is no happy ending in real life.

The ending will not be the thing you seek for.
So, if you are mentally ready to watch it and is interested, go for it👍


- KDRAMAAA_LOVE

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Shocking plot twist in the house yeah..

It was all great as they depicts a realistic problem of LDR couples. As an audience who doesn't like typical plot this was remarkable. I think no one could have ever guess the plot twist.

Acting wise there was nothing to say. They did well, it was all natural. Besides, the shots were typically good for me.

The characters were portrayed agreeably that I personally hate a particular character. I saw and barely understand everyone's point of view.

As for the music there was nothing that get stuck on my mind. They did not prioritize the background music that much I believe.

All in all, it's great and fine, it just all went wrong in the coda. In which, they could have explain more rigorously.

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Didn't see the plot twist coming

I enjoyed this movie even though there are a lot of negative reviews, which I guess are warranted. However, everyone has their own opinion but for me I just want an interesting plot and some great acting and I think this has both.
I've seen so many A-dramas now and I think this could be the only one that I did not see the plot twist at the end coming. I am still processing it, but at this point I think it worked.
Of course I have more sympathy for the FL, the ML gets what he deserves as he is not a very nice fellow, clutching at straws to settle. But who knows, FL may turn out ok, but it is just so uncertain as seen in her final expression in the film.
Overall, I enjoyed the movie.
It is getting harder to find good A-films/series as I have seen most all of them. I am hoping they keep coming.

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