Tell your heart to buckle up for this one!
Started watching Marriage Contract as a filler in between Reborn Rich and Summer Strike episodes.I'll start with the negatives!
1. Lee Seo Jin's character's family on his father's side are THE WORST!! I just wanted someone to kick the dad and brother in the nuts!
2. BMW badges are missing for half the series. Nitpicking here, but it's probably the easiest car brand to identify.
OK, now that's out of the way - on to the positives. This was a rollercoaster of emotions and if you like that kind of thing, then please watch it. I does have a bit of a daytime soap feel but unlike something like Young Lady and Gentleman, it's only 16 episodes and the production value stays consistent throughout.
The real stand out was the girl who plays the daughter, Eun Sung - an incredible actor. I was really impressed with Uee and having not watched anything with her or Lee Seo Jin before, I'd be tempted to watch some of their other work following this.
The main characters have a real developmental arc which makes you get sucked into the emotions and really feel for our leed, Uee. Like I said if you like that (and getting your heart ripped out and put back again) then watch this drama. I stuck it on 1.5x speed and binged it in a few days.
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A More In Depth Review:
From a filmmaking stand point, this drama makes me love it more. There is a distinct color scheme (try to figure out what it is!), the lighting is beautifully done, THE SCORE!!, scenes are writing to reveal genuine themes (no pandering!), and the editing is also extremely effective as it utilize moments of silence and it also doesn't cut away at the most rawest moments of the characters.
Speaking of characters, the main actors freaking nailed it! This drama is beautifully acted, and I feel as though this drama was truly Uee's baby! She portrays a role I have never seen her in and really meets its challenge! When I previously stated this drama not cutting away on the character's rawest moments, it's usually Uee's character, Kang Hye Soo. Lee Seo jin did fantastic as well but lets be honest the real star is that cute little girl, Sin Rin Ah that plays Uee's daughter in the drama, who gives Marriage Contract this heart warming quality. Very fine acting from supporting cast as well.
One critique about this drama is the end, which ends abruptly and with a cheap voice over; however, it is still a great end as the main character's goals are met with and every character have their own resolution that is meaningful, psychically and emotionally. There are no lose ends.
Another critique is that I wish they explored some character's relationship a little more, the ones I mean are Ji Hoon's mother and her brother; also Ji hoon and So Na Yoon's relationship. They go into them quite briefly and that is why the character development of Ji Hoon's Uncle and Na Yoon's are so sudden and leave's you going 'wait how did they come to that resolution?' so abruptly. However for me personally I like that there wasn't that much of a focus on Na Yoon, as no one likes to hate the second leads because they steal too much spotlight from the main characters (which Na Yoon doesn't!). There is absolutely no second lead syndrome here, another reason why I love this drama!
Overall a 10/10 (which is high as I usually drop Kdramas at episode 7 as they tend to drag on, but not this one!)
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I knew Marriage Contract was worth watching based on the rave reviews I found online but it exceeded my expectations. The main thing that makes it special in my eyes is the chemistry between Hye Soo and Ji Hoon and not to mention the performance of Eun Sung. Although there were some typical Kdrama machinations (I especially disliked the chairman's useless legitimate son), I loved how Ji Hoon slowly fell for Hye Soo and Eun Sung (and vice versa!). It was a delight seeing them as a "family." They fit perfectly together.
Fair warning to all: I had to have a box of tissues beside me as I watched this. Hye Soo's breakdowns and carefully concealed tears at her life going up in flames and her not being able to be there for those she loves me tear up. The relationship between Ji Hoon and Hye Soo in the last 6 episodes is especially touching. I have an aunt who recently died of cancer, so death and saying goodbye is still a raw subject for me.
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Lee Seo Jin has always been one of my favourite actors. And he reminds me again and again in this drama how good he is in emotional scenes. I always love his speaking voice and even when he’s jerk, I find myself rewinding his scenes just to hear his voice lol. And UEE really outdid herself in this role – I thought she is really amazing. It seemed like she truly become Hye Soo and completely transformed herself into the character by the time the drama reached the end. And the girl who played UEE’s daughter in the drama is so cute! I thought how that little body can cry so well? I’m very impressed.
And the chemistry between Lee Seo Jin & UEE is just magnificent. They really look like a couple and all their heartbreaking scenes are very good. I find myself keep watching the last 2 episodes over and over again since it is full of their scenes together. And the scene where UEE sit on the floor after she burnt her hand while cooking is just very well done.
I give this drama 9/10. The leads are beyond awesome and I love the story, acting, pacing, editing, directing, basically everything. The ratings were great and it really shows in the drama.
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As for the songs, they were great. The story is unique because it shows life in many aspects, such as family love, divorce, husband's death, illness and suffering ..
Also the story was impressive because despite the heroine’s illness, but the drama dealt with several issues and problems, and in the end the director returned to show the heroine’s suffering from the disease .. I think related to the story a lot .. How special was this drama I advise you to follow up ..^^
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This review may contain spoilers
Pulls the heartstrings!
First off... if you are not wanting a tear jerker with almost every episode, don’t watch this show. I am not one to watch them much but for some reason I had to see what this was all about. It was not what I expected but it was a really good show.I marked “rewatch” down some because I would personally not watch it often because it is a sad heartwarming show. I do like that it teaches us that money and power is not everything. Love and family is.❤️
Storyline - well written and well acted.
The father is a jerk! I felt bad for him because, even up to the end, he still could not see past his money! Even after his entire family left him. I really REALLY wanted to beat him to death when he told the FL to take all responsibility for the contract and organ issue! He told her she was going to die anyway so just do it! I really hated him then and realized he was not going to change even in the end!
This story was kind of close to my heart in the fact that she had a brain tumor. Been there, done that, and deal with it everyday of my life. I am thankful mine was operable. So I can relate to the FL. I think she did an awesome job. And I love that the ML stuck by her no matter what anyone said! I also am thankful it was a somewhat happy ending in that they did not show her dying. They left it up to us to imagine how long they were together. It ended just right.
Acting/Cast - I have seen Kim Yong Gun in many dramas. He really pulls off his acting for a mean guy lol. He did a great job making me hate him!😂 The ML and FL did an awesome job in their roles. They had me crying half the time.
Music - was really good. Hope I can find it to listen to.
Rewatch - when I want a tear jerker, then yes! I would watch it again. It is good enough to see at least once. Just make sure you have a box of tissue handy.😉
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The underlying message of this drama is that money and fame are meaningless when it comes to attaining happiness, and love is the only salvation for people.
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This drama would have felt way better as a 3 hours movie I think, the story was super stretched it felt like only one event happened per episode (1h), with all that stretching the ending was unsatisfying, bad people not punished enough.
I loved the cast and how much feelings they convey with their silent eyes, especially Uee, new fan! The daughter was super cute and smart too.
All in all I think I would have rated this drama 10/10 if the manchild brother didn't exist and they could have wrapped the story in 8 episodes.
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I can't re-watch this because of the heavy plot. It makes my heart heavy. But overall, this drama nailed it.
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A melo that is a bit meh
Took me a really long time to write this review because I have been contemplating whether I liked it or not and my conclusion is that its meh.I can totally see why this drama commands top marks . Its a super mature watch . It depicts life . It depicts unconditional love and depicts dignified poverty . Its super compelling with beautiful relationships of a familial nature .The two leads were phenomenal .It actually had something to say . I loved all that about it and thats why its gets 7 top marks as a watch.
As for the remaining three marks- the acting and writing had to pull it through over the meh mark to the brilliant mark and unfortunately , it did not have the capacity for that . Certain components of the cast over acted such as the two mature female leads and Ahn Ji Hoon was awful . In fact, what was the point of his character as the distant nephew/son in law in the first place?
Conversations were repetitive and drawn out . Sentiments did not evolve but instead found themselves in predictable and sappy territory. Which was disappointing because this show had portrayed itself as highly mature and clean but that was not the finished product.
Moreover . the pacing was just a bit off . Most things were a slow burn and then all at once all of a sudden .
Overall: Not a bad watch . Not a top tier watch though but it does enough to go the long haul.
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