Girlfriend (2020)

Rom-Com sympa et bien jouée (assez fraiche) malgré les "grosses ficelles" du script

I started this drama because I wanted something cute and easy to watch.

STORY:
Encounter between a cold CEO, forced to cohabit with a poor actress. She was recruited by his mother because she looks like the CEO's ex. She will turn out to be (undoubtedly) the girl who saved him ten years ago and whom he was in vain looking for.
He decides to give her a chance to make a career thanks to the resources deployed by his group.
The storyline is quite classic, and at the beginning, I had an "déjà vu" feeling. But the themes are approached from a new angle (resemblance, independence, love vs. career, etc.).
Some coincidences are a little too obvious for us to fully embrace the story, but we can nod along thanks to the talent of the actors.

TECHNICAL:
Excellent casting for this rom-com. The CL is very cute and the chemistry is palpable. The relationship is built slowly (VERY) slowly, and Western viewers want to slap the hesitant, stuck, overly cautious ML. What is pleasant is the mutual trust and the absence of doubt about their reciprocal love. We are (alas) forced to go through clichés [1/ cancer 2/ I'm leaving you to protect you] , but it doesn't last too long.
The secondary actors are also excellent. The main secondary characters are well developed and the side romances too. I really liked the character of the mother, clever, mischievous, who protects her son. However, their relationship doesn't seem to be very affectionate (which doesn't make sense).
The production is dynamic, not too many flashbacks, not too many slow motion scenes. Good !
The OSTs are not memorable, but well adapted to the different emotions.
Nothing special about the framing: we can see some pretty landscapes, but the aesthetics of this drama will not be memorable.

CONCLUSION
Nice despite the obvious tricks and "dramaland" coincidences!
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J'ai commencé ce drama parce que j'avais envie de quelque chose de mignon et qui ne "prend pas la tête".

STORY :
Rencontre entre un cold CEO, forcé de cohabiter avec une actrice "don du ciel", recrutée par la mère car elle ressemble à l'ex du CEO. Elle se révèlera être (sans doute) la fille qui l'a sauvé des années auparavant et qu'il cherchait en vain.
Il décide de lui donner la chance de faire carrière grâce aux ressources déployées par son groupe.
La storyline est assez classique, et au début, j'ai eu l'impression de "déjà vu". Mais les thèmes sont abordés sous un nouvel angle (ressemblance, indépendance, love vs carrière, etc.).
Certaines coïncidences sont un peu trop flagrantes pour que l'on puisse adhérer totalement à l'histoire, mais on peut se laisser prendre au jeu grâce au talent des acteurs.

TECHNIQUE :
Excellent casting pour cette rom-com. Le CL est très cute et l'alchimie passe bien. La relation se construit lentement (TRÈS) lentement, et les spectateurs occidentaux ont envie de donner des baffes au ML, hésitant, coincé, prudent à l'excès. Ce qui est agréable, c'est la confiance mutuelle et l'absence de doute sur leur amour réciproque. On a (hélas) droit aux clichés 1/ cancer 2/je te quitte pour te protéger, mais cela ne dure pas trop longtemps.
Les acteurs secondaires sont excellents. Les principaux personnages secondaires sont bien développés et les romances annexes aussi. J'ai beaucoup aimé le personnage de la mère, futée, maligne, qui protège son fils. Cependant, leur relation n'a pas l'air d'être très affectueuse (ce qui n'est pas logique).
La réalisation est dynamique, pas trop de flashbacks, pas trop de scènes de ralenti. Bien !
Les OST ne sont pas mémorables, mais bien adaptées aux différentes atmosphères.
Rien de particulier sur le cadrage : on a droit à quelques jolis paysages, mais l'esthétique de ce drama ne sera pas mémorable.

CONCLUSION
Sympa malgré les grosses ficelles !

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Overall it’s a decent drama that wraps up everything decently well. To me, the drama happened in three arc: 1. Beginning - hired as a stay-home pretend girlfriend, 2. Middle - her becoming lead actress at his company, 3: End - romance and their wrap up. Honestlys, I think the first half is more interesting than the second half. I think I enjoyed the stay-at-home nurse/maid/pretend girlfriend portion of the drama more. The biggest problem with the drama is its overuse of tropes and cliches. It’s not just a few sprinkled here and there, it’s literally the whole story. The entire story is build on tropes and cliches. I mean I can stomach quite a few of them but at a certain point it became tiresome.

What I like
- Actually I like a lot of the couples in the show. I thought most of the are adorable and had pretty decent chemistry
-A lot of likeable supporting characters: ML’s mom, FL’s manager, ML’s cousin, director,
-A lot of nice feel good moments
-It wrapped things up decently I guess

What I don’t like:
-Some terrible characters: rapey director, terrible manager, annoying exes everywhere…lol. I’m fine with good well developed antagonists…but most of them are just shallow and one-dimensional
-Tons of cliches and tropes. I actually like a decent dose of cliches…but only in moderation and only if it adds entertainment value to the storyline. However, it’s just a little to much here and I feel like it takes away from the drama and sometimes just unnecessary
-Some over the top scenario and weird unnatural behavior from characters. Like you can't be a competent CEO of a media and hired a random girl who's acting you're not familiar to become a top star.
-There's so much repeated exposition, my god. Exposition is fine and use a lot times in detective drama. Here let me give you an example. At one point the evil ex who was a big star finally realize her behavior and thinking was wrong. It goes like this, she has a dialogue with her assistant/manager explaining why her behavior is wrong. She then had a scene with the ML's mom explaining why what she's doing is wrong. Then next episode, she had another monologue explaining why what she's doing is wrong (as a self-reflection) I guess. Look I get...she finally realized her behavior was wrong...but do we need to spend so much time and scenes on this?

Couples:
-Main couple - like the female lead and she’s a pretty good character overall. I liked how she handle her situation from the beginning to the end and how she handled her romance and life. Though she is Mary-sue-ish at times but it’s not overbearing. The male is decent most of the time but sometimes borderline annoying but overall I thought he’s tolerable. Their romance is sometimes cutes, sometimes romantic, and mostly reasonable. The biggest problem with them there constant pull and push on whether they like each other or not. It’s ok to have a bit of that but sometimes it’s just too much.
The secondary couple between ML’s friend and FL’s friend. They’re a very sweet and cute couple together and they’re both very likable character. The biggest problem I have with them is their story. There are constant overused cliches employed in their story: bad romantic history, bad rapey producer, misunderstanding…again and again, random fiance, disapproval mother, different class and social status. Imagine if you brainstorm a bunch of romantic couple cliches…that’s literally their entire story. Otherwise they’re extremely cute together, moreso than the lead.
The third couple is the director and the FL’s manager. Not a lot of screen time but I find their romance but be more subtle, simple, and cuter.
The ex boyfriend and his gf/fiancee. They play thei

Just some thoughts:
I’m on a modern Chinese drama binging run. Most of these light hearted romantic comedy drama is full of cheese, over-the-top behavior, and weird scenario so for most part I’m ok with it as long is it blends well together in a decent package. For this drama the two random ML and FL throw together in a fake relationship is a standard trope. One that I enjoy for most part, it’s ok here but not as well developed as it could’ve been. That there pretty much sums up what I feel about this drama by the end. It’s all just a bunch of popular tropes thrown together. If you wanna focus on standard tropes, I think the best is to have an interesting take on it. However, this drama seem to written by a committee of people brainstorming popular trope and using everything they can think of in it.

I love the characters but the story just isn’t there. And when the story is not well developed, 36 episode seems like a slog. Would I recommend it? Only if you’re a fan of these type of drama.


Some rant I have [MAJOR SPOILERS]
- That whole ML's obsession with finding out the girl with butterfly tattoo who I think he mistaken as a birthmark is just borderline weird. It's fine to try to find the person who saves your life and thank her. But to hinge that as the pivotal drive to your lovelife...is just weird. I mean the guy clearly never know her since he didn't even know how she actually looks like. This is one of the most important point that drove the entire drama. It's what led him to his ex and it's what caught the ML's attention on the female lead. And here's the twist, which is clear even since the beginning. Let me just spoiled it for you. Turns out, the FL is the women who saved him. That tattoo/birthmark was a temporary tattoo she had drawn on her based on a picture of the his ex (cause I guess she was a big fan of her....who at the time should have been a totally unknown...but let's not get too caught up on that). It's just thats such a weird crucial plot point.
- Is that cancer fakeout really necessary? It was just so abrupt and random.
- The way they wrap up all the antagonist is just weird. Pretty much they all come to the realization that they've been acting like jerks. It's find but the way they did it is so abrupt...AND it happened all at the same time. It's like the writers suddenly realized we're near time end so abruptly make sure the character repent and apologize for their behavior. They did that and gave all them all that and their personality just changed completely. Note that this all happened back to back to back. First, ML's ex realize she's wrong...and then FL's ex realized he was wrong...and then FL's exes fiancee realized shes wrong...:/

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First of all, I watched this on youtube and this is my first time watching drama that still on airing, because I always hate it to wait every week for another episode. But this drama really attract me! It is very light and entertaining drama.
Since the first episode, I know this is will be another fav drama for me.

The main lead is very handsome, charming and his acting is good too! At first, i think that this drama will be like the other CEO stories, but nooo.. this drama is so fun! And not to forget the female lead! I've watched her previous drama, which is my true friend, but her acting skills really get better in this drama. She is cute and pretty too!

I really love the stories between Ye Fei Mo and Wen Xiao Nuan, they are so cute together. And not only the main couple, but the story of their friends Jia Yi and Gu Yun Zhou also pretty interesting. Oh yes, and I really like Fei Mo mom. She is the best, because she isn't like the typical rich mom that we usually see in the other drama.

Definitely worth watching! And hope they will make the season two too!

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This a drama really has a good potential & started really great but... it got boring. They dragged the love triangle way too long. There arent much development for the main actress except that she became a nobody to a lister actress. whatever that means. Started watching in youtube then the mgtv app. The subs are way so off in both. My mind has to do a double work in thinking what the hell they were saying. If u can find it somewhere with better subs then good for you. As a drama lover, ive seen so much plots & Id say there aint nothin new here. Seldom do we see a rich mom liking the poor gurl so it was cute but aint new. The stereotype was passed on to the friend though. Arranged marriage and wanting them to separate, name it, they have it. The tsundere was way too much it took 25 episode till they got together. They keep on mentioning that the lead was a younger version of the ex but seriously, they could've done more auditions if they wanna push that cos after reaching 20ish episode of hearing it youll get a tick in the ears coz the lead & the ex female definitely don't look in any way alike. leads have good chemistry but dont expect good kisses because this has few. They have the drunk kiss, then the shooting kiss, confession kiss , then the ever after kiss. Thats it. This drama has a bunch of hot actors. From male lead to the director friend, to the VP friend, the actor cousin. Even the a** of an ex is good looking. The female lead is very pretty. Not skinny. Just curves at the right places which was refreshing to see in her light color ensembles. To each his own, it was an ok drama. Just dont expect too much. I never rewatch especially if there’s way more better dramas out there

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Cutest CEO in Love

This is a sweet, sweet, sweet romance comedy. It also has a love triangle, or love square rather. Basically it’s a story of a want-to-be female actor meets cold, wealthy, young, good looking CEO and both fall in love rather quickly. The storyline is cliché and tropey. However, I have to say I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the whole drama because of its wonderful actors. If you have watched My Girlfriend is an Alien, this drama has the same vibes.

Ye Fei Mo (Lawrence Wong) is perhaps the funniest cold CEO I’ve ever seen. Lawrence Wong the actor is not that tall compared with contemporary Chinese actors, but he is extremely good looking with a crazy physique. He definitely has the charisma of a successful CEO who doesn’t come under the control of his family. I really enjoy watching Ye Fei Mo’s hilarious and silly meanness and bossiness, and his unreasonable demands which can be changed as according to his whims. As much as we hate an authoritarian government, being bossy in a jealous boyfriend can be cute to watch, though not tolerable in real life. Ye Fei Mo rehearses his lines, or his expressions repeatedly to find the perfect one, and the process is simply hilarious to see such accomplished CEO overthinking such trivial matters because he’s head over heels in love. Lawrence Wong delivers every time with his little hidden smirks here and there. His tenderness mixes with bossiness is really a joy to watch, and I laugh out loud each time. Lawrence Wong’s crying scene is epic; he’s so convincing, perhaps the best crying from a male actor. Great acting.

Ye Fei Mo’s love, Wen Xiao Nuan (Xu Hao) is a pragmatic, down-to-earth, hardworking girl trying to save the legacy of her parents’ theater arts. Xu Hao is a wonderful actor. Her portrayal of Wen Xiao Nuan is authentic, lovable and convincing. Perhaps an accomplished ballet dancer in real life, Wen Xiao Nuan’s intensive training is executed beautifully with actual dance movements by the actor herself; she has great poise and she is simply amazing.

For once, I love a powerful wealthy CEO’s mom, Big Princess (played by Li Ying) as nicknamed by her son Fei Mo. She’s shrewd and knows her son inside out. There are a couple of side couples with rather deep character development. I really enjoy watching the Gu Yun Zhou character (Wu Hao Ze) though the acting part is not top notched. Having said that, we can tell the actor is working hard to bring out his best performance, and I commend him for that.

This drama also reminds us the power of social media. It can create as well as destroy, especially in the entertainment industry which is the setting of this drama. One of the main flaws for me, apart from some of the logic, is perhaps the outfits of the actors. It appears that they wear the same outfits for days and for various different events (I understand that they may have shot the scenes on the same days, but still, these are the little details Chinese dramas tend not to take care of). I also find the complexion of the actors almost totally whitewashed. Though looking beautiful without blemishes, they look very unrealistic.

The last scene of the last episode reveals the identify of the mysterious girl with the “birthmark” who has also rescued Ye Fei Mo from drowning years ago. This is a great ending with all loose ends closed, rewards awarded and justice served.

If you want a good laugh and don’t mind the repeated storyline, this is a good drama to put on your to-watch list.

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I don't know if it's just the mood that I'm in, but it was a struggle to finish this drama.

The synopsis is usually my type of shit, I love me some good tropey cheese, and I actually liked the first half. But then as the story kept going on, I started liking the characters less and less. Everything they did started to annoy me. The pace was so slow, and as the drama went on I realized that the plot was disappearing. They were just existing in their melodrama without the story actually progressing and the characters developing and it got tiring to watch. I ended up just skimming the dialogue of the last five episodes because I just wanted it to be over with. The only character I liked until the end was the mom, I just stopped caring about the rest.

Since I liked the first half and hated the second, I decided to meet in the middle and rate it a five. Otherwise, I have no idea what to rate this mess.

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A messy mess

Believe me, it was a mess. I just want to take out my mop and broom just to clean up this big mess of a mess! And because their plotline was so thin, they had to add a dash of cancer, a sprinkle of separation anxiety, and 3 cupfuls of villains just to reach 36 episodes. Not to mention the scriptwriters of this show ought to be burned on a stake! The ML took the Fl on a romantic boatride to watch a meteor shower and with an overdose of cringe told the Fl he wants to be part of her galaxy or something... seriously, who says that? .. and by the next episode, Fl was wondering if ML likes her or not... EEHH???
Having said that, I"m still not finished. I did not like the male lead at all! Rude, overbearing, doesn't know how to apologize.. I could go on and on... and I will. I will be shallow and mean but it has to be said! ML is so short, I get distracted sometimes. His legs and arms are so short and stocky. The ex girlfriends strappy legs are so much longer than his..(lawrence wong fans can hit me now)
The FL on the other hand, I liked a lot. Her character was feisty, strong yet sweet. And she doesnt look anorexic like most cdrama actresses. All 5 points of my rating all goes to her..

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Boring

One word "boring" ! I skip few episodes... The lead confesses his love at the 27 episode if I'm not wrong and she doesn't answer right away, it takes another episode or two, come on !!
Plus, both of them are so childish I can't take it. He's suppose to be a CEO but behave like child when he doesn't get what he wants. And she's suppose to be a grown up but also behave like a child.
We all know that in dramaworld girls are innocent naïve but her she really did get on my nerves ! ^^' she's so childish and stupid sometimes...
I've watched a tones of drama belive me, but this one I didn't like it. I like when it's cheesy, sweet and romantic, and in this drama there is all of that, but I think I just hate the characters.
There is 3 couples in this drama and I thought the 2 others are more sweet and interesting that the lead couple.
Sorry for my kind of mean opinion, but that's really what I think.
If you want to watch really cute cheesy romantic chinese drama, watch these :
- Love is sweet (the best !)
-Intense Love
- Lost romance

P.S I'm french sorry for my english. Thank you for reading my review. Wish you the best.

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If you're not into cliché shows, Girlfriend is not for you. This is one stop shop for nearly every cliché out there, so turn back now if that's not what you're looking for.

If you are searching for a fluffy, relatively light show to fill your time, then Girlfriend fits the bill. The series has three couples it follows, as well as your requisite "villians" of the story. The plot is nothing we haven't seen before, but I appreciate the female leads in this drama greatly as they, for the most part, were strong and stood up for themselves. Their relationships are sweet and caring, and you get to watch as they get past the growing pains of they respective relationships. Also, shout-out to the writers for skipping the evil mother trope, and replacing her with a kind and caring mother instead. She was fierce but supportive, and that was lovely.

The con on this is that it was longer than it needed to be. If you want to do yourself a favor, skip through episodes 30-34. You won't be missing much, and it's less tiring than trying to deal with the unneeded drama crammed into those few episodes. Right around then, several of the characters start acting out of character as well, which makes it a little annoying.

All is well in drama land though as they pick it back in the last two episodes and everybody lives happily ever after. Even our villians, who learn that their efforts were superficial at best. The acting is fine, nothing too ground breaking, but the actors convey the story well. The music was sub-par. Nothing really emotionally evoking.

All in all, Girlfriend is not a bad drama, and is pretty enjoyable for the most part. If your looking for something light and sweet, this may be your boo.

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My most annoying drama for 2020

The writers screwed up. It could have been a nice fluffy drama but they decided to put in a bunch of characters who are apparently still hormonal and has not mastered the art of communication. Their way of solving problems is to run away. The only adult character in the whole drama is the VP, the Mother & the Agent lady. The president himself is childish and immature.
For 2 broke actresses who can only land background roles apparently can afford to live in a luxury condo, 1 floor below the President himself. Insert eye roll here. The main female character is extremely full of herself. She thinks that everything that goes wrong is her fault.
- The drama she acted in not getting good review = her fault. (Production, Director, Writer apparently are absolved of any responsibility)
- The male lead in her drama going on strike = also her fault. (I have no idea how to even respond sarcastically to this stupid plot)
Nuan Nuan started the off being smart & spunky but along the way her brain melted. Same goes for President Ye Fei Mo. Apparently falling in love melts your brain.

The main message the drama wants to tell the viewers is that women should never choose career over love or you'll end up alone forever. This drama must have been written by a women hater chauvinist.

I feel sad for the actors having acted in such a ridiculous drama.

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