About Time (2018)

I will start this review with a warning that this drama, even with it's promising start, is very "drop it" worthy. I started watching with a lot of interest, because the premise of "life clocks" was so interesting. I loved the idea of this tragic love story meets rom com, but once I got sucked into the story it was clear that it was turning into a mess of clichés. Still there was enough left to like, so I continued to watch with no regrets. A lot of that credit should go to the cast.

I was at first suspicious about whether I'd like MiKa and Do Ha as a couple, since their chemistry isn't immediate. I know there are often big age gaps in dramas, but her childish behavior, and his stern maturity, initially felt like such a bad casting choice. Then, once Do Ha turned on the charm, I started to really like them together, and got very invested in their romantic dilemma (No spoilers, but I knew tears over them would be involved eventually). I think this is the first "grown up" role I've seen Lee Sung Kyung in, and definitely the most tragic, but her youthful fun personality kept her character from being too depressing to watch as she watches how much time people have left to live. I was also very surprised by how much I liked Lee Sang Yoon as a leading man. He has a very low key seductive quality that I loved, and I felt like I could see all of his characters love, heartbreak, concern, and guilt, just in his eyes alone.

My main, and only, criticism of MiKa... too much dang singing! Unfortunately a lot of this drama becomes about the making of a musical, which started to become extremely annoying. I get that performing is a huge part of who the character is, but I cringed every time I knew she would be singing a full song AGAIN. It's not that she can't sing, but she still sang too much, and none of the performances were epic enough to be repeated. The soundtrack is also pretty good, but because of all the songs from the musical being sung on repeat, I just wanted all the music muted after a while. I honestly wish that most of the scenes and characters revolving around the musical were cut, but maybe it would have worked better with just less. I also say this as a person who LOVES musicals.

The rest of the cast was great, even if some of their characters were written to be cliché, or pretty useless. I really did like everyone... mostly. MiKa's bff was awesome, her brother was cute, and her mom was irritating but also adorable, and I liked Do Ha's banter with his secretary, but there were 2 supporting characters in particular that I liked the most, maybe even more than the main characters.

I'll start with my favorite KDrama actress Kim Hae Sook. She is always good, and this drama is no exception. I feel like her character's story touched me the most. She had so many moments that got me in the feels. I wish I got to see her with MiKa more than many of the other characters, especially Do Ha's family, since everyone but his Dad and half brother were completely forgettable.

My absolute favorite character though is Im Se Mi and Bae Soo Bong. I know this may be an unpopular opinion, but I thought she was flawless. Her outfits were flawless too! Usually I cringe at the idea of a female character who's only there to ruin the main couple, but Soo Bong is that to the best extreme! There were 2 moments when I came very close to dropping this drama completely, and she kept me watching. Her character became definitely overly melodramatic, but it was much more entertaining than the repetitive mess that the rest of the story started to become, or the ex girlfriend who I forgot all about until typing this sentence.

That leads me to my main issue with "About Time". Even though the basic idea of the story is good, the actual drama decides to fill the time with unnecessary filler stories (family rivalries that go nowhere, useless exes, showbiz drama involving a cute but completely ridiculous "genius" temperamental director...) and then resorts to clichés, and flashbacks. I would be lying if I said there weren't still moments that brought me to tears, or made me laugh, but when I finally made it to the final episode it was clear that there was no original thought put into how the story would end. I felt like the ending chosen was a total cop-out, and I even laughed inappropriately at one point. Sure, there is closure for the characters, which will satisfy some, but for me it didn't live up to this story's potential.

Overall, I cannot say that this drama is worth the time. If you decide to watch, and feel the urge to hit fast forward, do it! That's the only way I would rewatch this. There are some good moments, and some thoughtful themes about truly enjoying life, and not taking anything for granted, but, If this drama had a life clock I would definitely cut a few hours from it.

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