20th Century Girl (2022)

I was not expecting to be Destroyed by the feels

I went into watching this as a pretty light high school rom-com with some angsty moments but boy I was taken a bit aback.

The story albeit usual, takes you through a visual journey of 1999 and hits all the sweet spots of being nostalgic in the right way. The phone booths, the pagers, the music, everything is an ode to that era. It has its funny moments, I found myself smiling ear to ear on these people and their situation. The pace of this movie is good.

Half-way through the movie, you'd feel there is a twist. The response to it is predictable on all ends and the ending overall is tinged with sadness.

The actors are delightful. Kim Yoo Jung and Beyon Woo Seok are a pleasure to watch. Rooh Yeon Seo is a believable bestie.

The production and cinematography was of high quality with decent music backing it up. It is definitely worth a re-watch.

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What the heck?!

I put off watching this for the longest time because I had heard about the ending. I decided to pull up my big girl panties, suck it up and give it a watch. Well, I do have to say that the ending really affected my rating.

The concept for the story was cute. Bo Ra's best friend has a crush on a boy and wants Bo Ra to find out everything she can about him while said friend is in America. Bo Ra's detective work was very cute. She was certainly creative in the means that she used to glean information! In the process, Bo Ra starts to like Woon Ho. When her friend comes back, she finds out that Woon Ho is the one she actually likes. This is where the power of friendship was displayed very well, between Bo Ra and her friend. It was sad, you could feel the emotions of the girls, but their friendship was beautiful and strong.

Kim Yoo Jung as Bo Ra, and Byeon Woo Seok as Woon Ho were terrific. They made such a cute couple. Bo Ra beginning to feel the emotions of love that her friend had described to her, her journey of discovery in her first love was a treat to watch. And I thought that Woon Ho was written really well. His emotions just showed on his face every time he looked at Bo Ra, he didn't try to hide it, he was feeling the feels, and he went with it. I can't count the number of times I was taken with his beatific smile. There was no hidden agenda, no game playing, it was just there for the world to see.

So, for three quarters of the way through the movie, I was thinking that I was probably going to rate this pretty high, such was my enjoyment of it. Though there was one head-scratching moment early on, I probably could have overlooked that, but the other two points, just no:
1) There was mistaken identity because Woon Ho had worn his friend's school uniform. There is no way he could have worn his friend's uniform, Woon Ho was about a foot taller!
2) Why in the world did they feel the need to have a different actress play Bo Ra as an adult? That ruined the flow.
3) And the WORST? A ton of time goes by, and she finds out that Woon Ho died years ago!?!? The first thing out of anyone's mouth would be to ask how he died. That is never explained, and it remains this huge clunky rock of disappointment to an otherwise good movie. I mean, just why? There are certainly more satisfactory ways this movie could have ended. I'm just mad.

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Review of 20th Century Girl: 8.5/10 Stars

"20th Century Girl" is a nostalgic and heartfelt film that beautifully captures the essence of teenage love and friendship in the late 1990s. The lead actress delivers a sincere performance, and the chemistry among the cast feels authentic and engaging.

The film's vibrant cinematography and nostalgic soundtrack perfectly complement its setting. Though the plot treads familiar ground at times, its genuine heart and compelling characters shine through.

Overall, "20th Century Girl" is an emotionally resonant and charming film that earns its 8.5 stars. It's a delightful watch that will leave you reflecting on your own youthful experiences. Highly recommended!

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A Definite 'Must Watch'

I am a lover of Rom-Coms, they lift you up and make you believe that your perfect romance might be out there somewhere. 20th Century Girl is one of the ones that makes you think that may be some day someone might love you more than you know, that love could be reciprocated and it was all worth it. Teen romance is something so magical and this film really makes you feel it.
I cry every single time I watch this movie and I've seen it repeatedly, trust me! The acting was amazing, the story is both heartbreaking and beautiful in equal measures and the cinematography really got me too. I would recommend this one to anyone who wants to feel all the emotions of a first love, it's such an excellent movie.

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it was so good at first, until it wasn't.

Honestly, I love this at first. It's such a good choice for you if you want to get hurt by those "sad" movies you are always looking for. But then I realized that its ending was so unnecessary, such a waste. I don't think there's a good point for the writer to twist the plot at the end, they twist from a great start - a colorful and bright opening - to a waste of ending like the efforts that the characters bring all the time ended up fading away with a pointless ending just for wrenching viewers' hearts.

It will be a great movie if they execute them with another plot, the brighter one. Because sad movies aren't always the best.

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Perfeito.

Não tenho palavras para descrever o que estou sentindo. Não sei se tenho palavras o suficiente para demonstrar como meu coração está despedaçado, mas ao mesmo tempo quentinho. Que Filme sensacional, incrível, maravilhoso, perfeito, indescritível, uma bomba de emoções e sentimentos. Um amor tão puro, forto, intenso e incondicional. Uma verdadeira obra de arte, um verdadeiro romance. Será que um dia alguém me amara assim?? Será que um dia amareu alguém assim?? Não importa, fico transbordando felicidade apenas apreciando romances como este.
Espero que Bo-ra, com este final, possa finalmente seguir sua vida e ser feliz, como ela merece por ser uma protagonista explendida. Tenho certeza que era isso que o Woo-ho queria.
Em outra vida, espero que dê certo, esse amor tão improvável, mas tão inspirador.

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Realistic love story

I usually hate unhappy endings, but honestly this was really worth the watch.
The warmth, the fuzzy feeling of falling in love for the first time.
Not all love stories end up happily, and that’s just reality.
Especially since this story is based in the 90s, where it is quite difficult to contact another person, let alone someone who lives in a whole other country. It’s really a whole different experience compared to nowadays, where we can contact our loved ones pretty much instantaneously.
Honestly, this is a much better ending than dramas nowadays where the couple end up together miraculously and happily because they’re main leads.

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Was told to watch by a friend, mixed feelings

My friend for a while had been asking me to watch this Drama. I went into watching this having an understanding of how it was going to end and I still was utterly shocked by it. As well as being utterly in shock with the ending, this is not the normal Drama I would watch, and I STILL LIKED IT.

The story was wonderful, I think that's what made it so sad. The Drama kept bringing back details from the past adding new depth to something you thought was just a simple plot tool. Think that's what made the ending so bittersweet. Poong Woon Ho VHS tape holds all of those sweet memories that you can remember watching as his and Na Bo Ra's romance slowly blossomed. As well as the very special VHS tape being held in a Drama that made continuous reappearances throughout the whole Drama. These small details are what I like to see in a Drama, they leave a lasting image on you after watching.

The acting was great not the best. The chemistry between Kim Yoo Jung and Byun Woo Suk was utterly beautiful. Their scenes had just the right amount of cuteness. They weren't too cute causing me to want to throw up but just the right amount to make you giggle to yourself. Even Kim Yoo Jung and Park Jung Woo scenes held this same cuteness. Though I did find some of the crying scenes a little weird to watch. The tears of the characters almost looked a little too forced, but I mainly only saw this when we were seeing Woon Ho and Bo Ra in their high school years. I do think it helped add a bit of youth to their tears but I still think they looked a bit odd. But the whole air of this Drama was great and I am completely willing to watch other Dramas with these actors.

The music didn't leave much of a lasting impression on me. When watching music can make or break a show/drama, but the music in this Drama didn't do either. After watching this drama I can't remember any of the music that was in it. Some Dramas I watched were greatly better because of the music. This Drama wasn't improved or made worse because of its music. I think its lack of music doesn't decrease how much I liked this drama, but I can't say that if it had a great soundtrack I would have thought it was the best Drama ever.

Due to this Drama being quite a sad one from my standpoint I wouldn't necessarily want to watch it again. Maybe after a bad break up with a nice pint of ice cream cuddling up in bed, but I not going to get home from school and put it on. From my standpoint, it was a wonderful 1st watch and I will always hold it dear to me but not so dear to suffer through that ending again.

Overall, this Drama I would 100% recommend anyone to watch this, but just watch with caution and have that box of tissues with you for the final line.

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Refreshingly Heartbreaking

I know my headline doesn't make sense at all. But for me it does. The story was refreshingly good because I didn't expect the plot twist at all! I thought it was a typical boy-crush-bestfriend-fighting -a for-a-boy type of story. It was heartbreaking but one way or another one has to experience heartache in one lifetime.
I have to warn the viewers that this movie is a tear-jerker and has its moments as far as cinematography is concerned as the movie's time plot headed to the 20th century. As someone who recently experienced a great loss, I broke down in the end. Although I was hopeful that just like in the movie, after 15 years, the aching and the heartbreak from a loss would get better over time. It doesn't go away. That gaping hole will forever be in the heart of the one who was left behind.
The story was good, and the movie left a certain feel-good emotion after. So I have to recommend this movie.

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