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This
kdrama broke the ratings record set by "Dae Jang Geum" last year, reaching
57% ratings at its peak, re-capitulating both Park Shin Yang and Kim Jun
Eun back into the limelight and marking their successful return to the
goggle-box. SBS has once again demonstrated the winning formula of wooing
outstanding actors who had crossed over to the movie world to star in
their kdrama production.
The story of “Lovers in Paris” is really nothing to
shout about. It is a typical romantic comedy, with a “Cinderella-like”
fairy tale. But what gave this kdrama so much commercial success, besides
the fairy-tale like story, is the outstanding job that SBS has done in
casting and the wonderful packaging of the entire serial.
You can see that SBS pumped substantial investment into producing this
series. They picked Paris – The City of Lights, and one of the most
romantic and beautiful cities in the world to start this kdrama. SBS had
KJE attending a classy dinner dressed up in haute couture and doing a
romantic waltz with PSY in a French chateau in the first episode! And they
even had PSY zip around Paris and Nice in a Mercedes sports car, and a
Rolls Royce! This is packaging at its best.
There are many parts about the story that I completely disagreed with and
which I felt were disconnected and unrealistic. I would think for a man of
KJ’s position, he would have had professional butlers to tend to his
house, or at least a professional housekeeper versus engaging a part-time
student like TY to tidy his place. Nonetheless, that was how the writers
chose for the 2 leads to meet. And if TY were so poor, she would never had
the chance to be YA’s
classmate, as YA would have attended expensive elite private schools. And
why SH fell so hard for TY remains one of the biggest mysteries for me. As
a matter of fact, I could accept YA's intentions much better then SH’s
obsession. And finally the cliché plot about KJ being SH’s half-brother
and the usual family objection to KJ and TY were big put-offs for me. Then
again, if all were smooth-sailing in this relationship, this would not
have been a kdrama.
Sometimes I’ll like to think that I am tasteful about my choice of kdrama.
I know I am sappy, but I’d like to think that I am tastefully sappy. Yet
with such an atrocious script, and cliché storyline, I am sad to say, I
LOVE “LOVERS IN PARIS”! (C’mon, I need a big dose of chick flicks as
well!).
Choosing the bespectacled Park Shin Yang, with his straight-faced
professional good looks, as the task oriented President of GD Motors Han
Ki Joo, and the comical Kim Jun Eun as his dorky love interest Kang Tae
Young - these two must be the match of the century! TY and KJ were smitten
with other from their encounter in
Paris; TY with the wine,
dine, dress and dance; and KJ with TY’s unpretentious ways she ate her
cake and her non-stop meaningless chattering and frivolous ideas. Their
roles contrasted and yet complemented each other so much, and with all the
funny punts thrown in by the writers, even after it ended in mid-August,
“Lover in Paris” had the
audience begging for more of this funny couple.
I almost forgot about Park Shin Yang, as I have not seen most of his
recent works at the movies. The last I saw of him was in “Indian Summer”
and that was a long time ago. As for Kim Jun Eun, I really thought she has
a knack for comedy when I caught her in “Spring Breeze”. It was really
great to catch a light-hearted funny kdrama after my spate of tearjerkers.
I thoroughly, totally, completely, loved seeing PSY and KJE in this drama.
I felt Lee Dong Gun was so extremely cool as the bad-boy drummer SH. But
the pairing of SH and TY was not as convincing as the KJ and TY pairing. I
felt that KJE was more compatible with PSY as she looked a little too old
for LDG. The producers were definitely skewed and lopsided in their choice
of couples in this love triangle when they were casting and developing the
story. It was obvious that the entire set-up was pro PSY-KJE, and that the
roles were tailor-made for these two.
HKJ’s task-master approach to the entire dating and courting process must
be the most hilarious theme of the kdrama. The writers threw in all the
imaginable courting tactics that a girl could ever dream of from a man
like PSY. The producers even threw in a fairy-tale engagement party cum
honeymoon to please and melt the audience with the saccharine sweet yet
brief pseudo-marital bliss that the two leads enjoyed in the serial.
The greatest thing about this couple was the strength and support each
showed to stay together. Even for TY’s character’s, she never really lost
her spunk despite of the adversities she had to face, unlike many of the
usual weak female lead characters in kdramas who just weep in silence. She
remained cheerful and resilient even when she was constantly put down or
belittled by KJ’s family, YA or harassed by SH. One of my favorite scene
was this one about TY when, feeling upset after her first dinner with Ki
Hye, she vented her
anger on this dummy and ended up with bruised knuckles! And the serenades
they did for each other are the “MUST-SEE” scenes in this serial.
PSY played HKJ so well that in the end I couldn’t decipher sometimes
whether I’m in love with the actor or the character he played. The way he
delivered his sometimes cheesy and corny lines with such a straight yet
sincere face, the way he displayed his love in such an unassuming and
matter-of-fact outright manner, and exhibited his pain without bawling all
demonstrated an outstanding actor working his magic on the character.
There was no surprise from KJE’s performance. On the comic front, she
fitted the role of the lively TY to the tee. Her expressions, although
mostly exaggerated, were funny and she was not afraid
to provide the required comic relief at the expense of looking ugly. My
only complaint is how overdone her face is with plastic surgery. You can
see her chin folding up and her eyes collapsing. I though it was ironic in
one scene in the toilet where TY passed a comment about YA’s surgery, when
in facet, KJE is definitely the one with more work done on hers. And
because of this reason, I felt that KJE lacked that simplicity that the
character TY needed.
I have never seen LDG’s performance prior to “Lovers in Paris”, but I have
to say he really looked cool despite playing second fiddle in this kdrama
and held his presence against the charismatic PSY. His slender and lanky
frame, coupled with this scruffy look, contrasted nicely with the
clean-cut and serious HKJ. On the surface, SH had this free spirit and
drifter image. But deep within him, he desperately yearned for acceptance
in the family. On one hand he depended on KJ, yet on the other hand he
wished to break away
from KJ’s shadow. LDG was charming as the ladies' man and he showed
sufficient devastation as the wounded SH who felt abandoned by his beloved
uncle (because of TY) and ignored by his mother (because he was a product
from Ki Hye’s unhappy marriage to his father). I felt that the writers did
a terrible job with SH, and LDG really saved the character with his
performance. On one hand, he loved his uncle dearly, yet he was immature
enough to blame KJ for all his unhappiness and turned against him over a
girl who had never showed any interest in him! The transformation they
made SH go through was really far-fetched. And I can’t figure out whether
SH was trying to win his uncle back from TY, or TY back from KJ?
The villainess(es) in this kdrama came in the form of Moon Yoon-ah and her
mother, who would stop at nothing to win HKJ as the trophy
husband/son-in-law (I think Mrs Moon could compete with KJE for the most
overdone plastic surgery award). OJE’s performance can be summed up with
one word: flat. Yet again, I partly blame the writers for it. She blindly
followed her parents’ arrangement to marry HKJ. And she tried all means to
break KJ and TY up despite being told off and put down by KJ repeatedly
not to waste her time on him. If she were the spoilt rich girl that she
was crafted to be, how could she put up with such treatment? OJE also had
limited expressions in her
performance, displaying the same look every time she appeared.
And Mrs Moon, with her mould-like face, cement-thick foundation and
high-pitched voice... where did SBS find such a hideous-looking woman with
a face to match her detestable character?
Beside PSY and KJE, I really like the character of Baek Sung Kyung, HKJ's
ex-wife. She was the only character, besides HKJ and KTY that felt
remotely normal. She loved KJ, but she divorced him because he was
incapable of giving her the love she wante, although she must be dying
inside seeing his affection for TY transforming him into the man she had
always wanted when they were married. Kim Suh Young was sophisticated as
the competent BSK with a mind of her own. KSY was able to display the
confidence of a woman in her position. But I felt she was a little
deficient in displaying her vulnerabilities
when she witnessed the blossoming romance between KJ and TY.
This kdrama can’t do without me dedicating a paragraph to talk about the
wardrobe. PSY had some fancy suits in this kdrama. I read from the forums
that a lot of the suits and ties were tailor-made just for his HKJ role. I
much preferred his wardrobe in
Paris, as his subsequent
suits had some strange color combinations. I love TY's extra small jackets
and soft scarf-like belts. They looked really cute on KJE, but again, I
felt she looked a little too old and sophisticated to dress that way.
Actually her outfits after she got engaged to KJ fitted her better. My
favourite was SH's wardrobe. In the T-shirt and torn jeans ensemble topped
with tuxedo jackets, he truly looked like a rock star. And when he shaved
to transform into the white-collared designer in GD motors, they had the
tall slender actor decked out in unconventional suits with thin-looking
monotone ties. It gave SH a tad more of a working look without taking away
the artistic aura of the character. Noticed that KJ's ties were usually
large knotted colorful ones, which was a distinct contrast to SH's work
attire. Outstanding job! (See what I meant by packaging)
My Favourites
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Every scene of HKJ and KTY
· TY eating KJ’s birthday cake in Paris
· TY chattering non-stop about movies
· KJ staring at TY’s elated expressions as she watched the performances in
Moulin Rouge
· KJ pretending to be TY’s boyfriend at the café after she spilled a drink
on a GD employee’s girlfriend
· KJ pretending to be TY’s boyfriend at the bar in front of YA
· TY taking KJ to GD Motors to try to retrieve her father’s camera
· TY working overtime on a bad-hair morning avoiding KJ, and KJ
subsequently buying TY cosmetics to freshen up
· TY telling KJ that she couldn't swim and them plunging into the pool
· KJ staying over at TY's after he ran away from his engagement party
· The date where KJ bought the HUGE piggy bank
· Their first kiss after KJ punched his competitor
· KJ serenading TY
· The bus incident and the proposal
· Picking an outfit for their engagement etc
· KJ during business discussions, I love his arrogance!
· KJ’s relationship with his sister, so close and intimate
· SH, TY and KJ going to a Korean sauna
· KJ at SH’s bed after SH’s accident
· The farewell at the airport
· TY’s young cousin
Don't understand
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- Why did SH love TY so much and why did he have such a drastic change,
AND THEN turn back and decide to let go ???
- Why did Yoon Ah hang on to KJ, and then why did she let go?
- Why did Director Choi set everything up and then let go?
- If Director Choi was the right hand man of the president, why didn't he
let KH marry him when she was pregnant with KJ?
- Where was the chairman when KJ had to answer to the board about the
plummeting share price of GD Motors?
I hated
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· The way SH hurt himself physically when he was sad
· All scenes with YA and/or her mother
· TY’s uncle’s hairstyle
Many people complained about the ending of this kdrama. I personally
thought it was ok, may be a little abrupt and perhaps a feeble attempt by
the writers to add some depth/twist to something that was rather
commercial all the way. They should have just given the audience what they
wanted and not tried to be too smart.
Despite the poorly-structured story and the unbalanced efforts put into
building the characters in this kdrama, the outstanding and overpowering
chemistry and performances of PSY and KJE override ANY reason NOT to catch
this kdrama. The rating for this story would have been a 3 were it not for
this couple. Don’t try to think too much or read too much into the kdrama,
rather catch this for an entertaining good time! It will not disappoint.
review
by :
spcnet.tv
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