missing a spark
Have to preface that I don’t think my standards were set incredibly high coming into this — when you watch this type of romcom youth movie you pretty much know what you’re going to get, plot-wise. A movie like this is elevated on the strength of its cast.That’s where this movie misses the mark. I just don’t feel like I was given enough to fall in love with these characters. I think the male lead was miscast and I didn’t feel chemistry between him and the female lead. The other love interest character was barely in it, and because of that it didn’t really make an impact when the FL chose the ML over him. It just felt like “okay yeah, duh.” This applies to the entire movie; the emotional gravitas was missing, or the “spark”.
A strength was the FL’s group of friends — I loved how they were always so supportive of her.
I liked that the FL was able to realise on her own that the ML always liked her for who she was, but the problem was after that realisation I felt like the movie was just floundering. The forced “ML had to leave” and “she tells him to go even though she loves him” but they meet again 1-2 years later in college story thread really didn’t need to be included. It felt tired and not well-paced.
Dunno what was the point of having the character of FL’s fraternal twin sister. She had like one line. I thought she would play a role in the story; you have a pair of fraternal twin sisters but one is prettier (this isn’t true ofc but ykwim) and achieves better grades, and there’s just no conflict arising from that?
Overall I think there’s way better 2000s nostalgia-bait youth romance movies. I think others did it better and this one just feels like a pale imitation, to be honest.
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Park Se Ri and her posse work tirelessly to find the perfect moment for her to confess to Kim Hyeon. She returns to the secluded beach where they both ended up swimming one day only to rescue new student Han Yun Seok from drowning instead. Park’s posse helps Han out as his leg is broken and soon he’s working with them to create origami love eggs for Kim. When Park discovers that Han’s mom has a process to straighten her unruly locks, she further ingratiates herself to him hoping the mom will give her a discount on the expensive treatment.
The ahjussi elephant in the room was that Gong Myoung was 31 in 2025 compared to Shin Eun Soo’s 22. If you are a fan of Cha Woo Min, he’s a small supporting role rather than main character. The twin sister mentioned prominently in the intro faded away almost immediately. None of the characters in the friend group were developed enough to tell them apart. Their sole goal was to support Park Se Ri which made her come across as self-centered. She wasn’t afraid to be manipulative with them or with Han Yun Seok. The first hour with her whining, ranting, and pouting was hard to watch. Only as she started appreciating the person next to her, did she settle down and think about someone else. The second half of the film was a much easier watch for me.
Unlike characters who are considered ugly because they wear glasses and capitulate to wearing contacts, Park’s inner war with her hair became less important as she matured and accepted herself. After all, she had loyal friends, found love, and had a great family. Humans always seem to want what they don’t have be it straight hair or curly. The first half of the film had Park Se Ri living her life superficially, in the second half she dug a little deeper to discover other people had their own problems and she needed to be a friend to them even if it required sacrifice on her part.
15 August 2026
Cameo spoiler note below:
*Sweet Baby Gong Yoo made a cameo near the end of the film along with his Kim Ji Young: Born 1982 costar Jung Yu Mi!
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it was ok but nothing so special
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SIMPLE YET SWEET 90s ROMANCE
It is sweet and nostalgic teen romance set in 1990's Busan. It follows Se Ri, a girl who thinks her curly hair is stopping her from confessing to her crush. But when a new student, Yoon Seok gets involved in her plan, she discovers more about love and herself.The movie shines with 90s vibe, warm atmosphere, and natural chemistry between the leads. It captures the innocence of first love and delivers a touching message about self acceptance.
Still, the story is a bit predictable, and the idea of treating curly hair as a problem can feel uncomfortable, especially to modern audience. It's forgivable in context since it's set in the 90s, still worth watching.
Overall, it's a light and a heartwarming watch. It's a kind of movie you can rewatch whenever you want to feel cozy, relaxed, and a bit nostalgic.
Plot 6/10
Acting and Characters 8/10
Cinematography 9/10
Writing 7/10
Pacing 8/10
OST/Score 8/10
Overall 7.5/10
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It was okay, that's it!
I just curious on this film. I am not really fan of films but lately I tried watching them because I got the chance to finish the story in just one episode. I tend to lose interest for some Kdramas that's not appealing anymore at some point of the series so I somehow watch films already.This series was okay. it was cute. The story was there. It was slow pacing and just fine. There was nothing special that I really dropped it 30mins before it ends. I stop because I am sleepy.
And browing on Tiktok there was an edit that made it looks like the same feels of the 20th Century Girl so I decided to continue it to watch it. It was different actually, very different. I just felt sad on the hospital scene but ending was a closure for everyone.
It was okay, and I agree with the first review I read that there's nothing special. That's it!
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Light hearted
I just know for a fact that the second you saw the trailer to Love Untangled, you had 20th Century Girl war flashbacks. I understand your sentiment because that happened to me, but I’m happy to inform you that you will not be weeping at the end of this film, instead you might find yourself giggling your way through the whole thing.If you’ve previously seen high school Korean dramas or films, it’s likely you already know exactly how things turn out in Love Untangled. It could basically be the most predictable film of 2025, but that’s okay, because not everything needs to be a shocker or give you a love triangle so intense that you don’t know who to choose. This film clearly has a main lead, and you can’t even call the other guy a second lead, so don’t go in with high hopes of something intense here.
But, if you want something truly adorable and you like y2k youth-romcom type of film, then I recommend this to you.
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Not exactly terrible but not mind blowingly good either
I mean, I can name 10 other movies with the exact same or similar plot that are far better than this one. It starts off as a silly, goofy, feel good coming of age story but takes a slightly dark turn in the last quarter. Overall, it's pretty light hearted. Like I said, it's not bad but other people have made similar movies and theirs are just more enjoyable than this one. I only watched this because I had nothing better to do and I'm pretty sure it's the same for many other viewers. At least this movie introduced me to a few cool songs.Was this review helpful to you?
Predictable plot
Movie is good but most of the plot is predictable. No suspense, no heart pounding moment. just a simple story. If they keep little suspense untill end then the movie became great. but according to my view full story is normal. you can tell already what is going to happen in next scene.( i think story was written by a newbie writer ,who just start to write ).
But i love the one thing in the movie as a message given in the movie" love yourself as you are." ML and FL had great chemistry too.
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2
1
1
1
1Cute, heartwarming, and nostalgic.
"I always thought I had to change for someone to like me.""I like every version of you."
Set in the 1990s, Love Untangled is a romantic comedy and youth movie about high school romance, friendships, and self-love. It follows Park Se-ri as she tries to navigate through the formative years of her life. Her most pressing problem? Finding the courage to confess to her crush. Just like Se-ri, I must confess — when I first read the premise, I rolled my eyes. I thought this movie was going to be one of those outdated stories that reinforce the toxic belief that you must conform to societal beauty standards in order to be accepted and loved, but it wasn't like that at all.
Instead, the writers took a "love yourself" and "you are beautiful just the way you are" approach, and I'm so thankful for that. The concept might be familiar, and therefore predictable, but the actors' delightful performances make the story feel relatable and engaging. The movie reminds us that diversity is beautiful and receiving genuine affection doesn't require us to sacrifice our true selves. It is a much needed reminder in a world that is constantly trying to change us.
With likable characters and an uplifting message, Love Untangled delivers just enough high school nostalgia, genuine friendship, and awkward first love to leave me grinning. I recommend it for those in search of a cute and feel-good story.
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Who rules the world ? CURLS !!
The movie captures how the little things feel so big when you are a teenager...from fighting with frizzy curly hair to building up the courage to confess to your crush.The movie is about Park Seri's journey to confess her crush with her ride or die friends and new transfer student Han yun seok. It's endearing, humorous, chaotic at times but surprisingly a touching story about first love and insecurities.
It was all warm sunshine and rainbows. That is how I felt watching this. It somehow
brought back all the memories of having a teenage crush. The butterflies...the messy confusing feelings that comes with it...the anticipation and the occasional tears too. I also appreciated how the insecurities were subtly depicted and how it was worked through. Nothing felt forced or too over dramatic.
That said, my only gripe was Yun Seok’s mother’s storyline. It felt like it came from nowhere and felt a bit underdeveloped for the impact it had on the movie. More like shock than substance.
Acting wise, Shin Eun Soo was spot on. She was bright, awkward and very teenager-y (if that's a word). Gong Myung did well too, though it was a stretch to see him as a teenager sometimes. Cha woon min in short supportive role was charming as always.
Overall, this was a feel good movie with the message of self acceptance in the most subtle and teenage way! It is nothing out of the box but a comforting watch!
I would definitely recommend it!
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Unfunny and Uninteresting
A plot that has been used on a lot of K-Dramas recently, I watched Love Untangled with minimum expectations, and still got disappointed.The Plot - A Girl with curly hair wants to get it untangled so that she can propose her crush. A concept that is not unknown in dramas. What I expected to be honest that maybe the movie will preach about loving yourself irrespective of appearance, but it didn't.
Talking about the chemistry, I felt both the ML were miscast and the screentime for Cha Woo Min was insanely low. There was no emotional gravity, no bond built-up and lack of spark that made me lose interest in the characters.
The second half felt like watching something with a 2x speed, no development, rushed story, weak screenplay and an unsatisfactory ending. Honestly, the movie did try something, but felt nothing more than a pale imitation of other rom-com themes that I have seen in the past.
Overall, Love Untangled is a messy and a weakly written rom-com that neither romanticizes it's character fairly nor leaves a strong message of loving yourself with the flaws. A total disappointment.
My Rating : 2/5
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jst ok
I wouldn’t rewatch it’s okay was predictable and got a bit boring at times.Was this review helpful to you?
