I did not know a couple of the leads but they were really good and made me believe their characters. Their acting was so natural and so funny when they have to be, and they made me cry at the tender moments as well.
The music was so well suited to the drama.
As for rewatch value, it's a long drama, so maybe in the very far future I will go ahead and re-watch. It's worth it.
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Cast: My favorite character was Dal Bong (Hyung Sik) I think he resembled his father in personality and traits the most - he was the most caring kid this guy had - even in his immaturity he was still pretty mature lol His character brings life to this drama with all his charm, cuteness, emotions, temper, awkwardness & that "fake laughter" of his that was so similar to his dads^^ Seol Woo the country bumpkin as I call her is my second favorite. Kang Shim & Tae Joo were the hilarious couple - man that guy can make lots of weird, crazy, strange ugly funny faces lol - but he was quite charming when he was serious <3 & KS can sure make a person cry :'( The Dad is my next favorite - his only fault - being a little too self-less. Then we have the cousin Young Sul - always looking for trouble might I say lol The rest are all on equal boats for me - I never really liked Kang Jae (the older brother) he was way too emotion-less and distant but there were a couple scenes where he made me cry. He's arrogant and I've never liked arrogant people - they rub me the wrong way... oh and Dal Bong's "friend" Eun Ho was a great part of the cast too, he really riles Dal Bong's feathers up and it was entertaining most of the time, a few times I got mad at him but that quickly dissipated every time :P
Music: On the Road by Choi Baek Ho, I Told You by Yozoh, Father's Youth by ? (I really like this song but I don't know the artist)
Re-watch Value: 9/10 I really enjoyed it and will re-watch it again someday.
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Story
We all get distracted with school, work, romance, dramas...it's so easy to do. We lose sight of the good things life gives us in favor of the stresses, and WHTMF captured the story of a broken family too preoccupied with those stresses to realize how broken they are. Kang Shim and Kang Jae dedicated their lives to their careers and Dal Bong searched in vain for acceptance yet wasn't willing to put in the effort to focus. Soon Bong believed coddling his children in their selfish desires was better than confronting them about their mistakes and neglect. Sul Hee was more concerned with media image than giving her son what he needed, not to mention the supporting cast and their own list of troubles. They all pushed aside the idea of family in one way or another, some much more stubbornly than others.
The only reason I wasn't able to give this section full marks is because there was a significant focus on comedy, and I have a hard time enjoying korean comedies these days. Other than that, I enjoyed every bit of seeing the characters evolve. The writer blended in the shorter side stories with the overarching plot well, and it all revolved around one message: Life is unpredictable, and we must take each moment to appreciate each other and what we’ve been given. WHTMF had quite a few heavy moments, but it balanced them with comedy and a focus on the positive.
Acting/Cast
The standout in this drama was the cast. The story only struck home the way it did because of the acting. Park Hyung Sik especially proved himself as a versatile actor with the delicate emotional scenes as well as that signature Korean comedy. The seasoned actors also had strong performances, especially Yoo Dong Geun. I will have a hard time seeing him as anyone besides the genuine, bespectacled Cha Soon Bong that danced to the radio in his tofu shop each day.
Some of the characters in the drama will test you, and it was surprising how vicious they got. One character especially was so heartless that I swore during the drama that I would never forgive the things they did. How could they be so mean?! But the weight of regret they carried when the day of reckoning eventually came was enough for me by the end, and I embraced the cast as a whole. It was a journey, sometimes arduous and frustrating, but worth it. I encourage you to watch this if you are in the mood for a heartwarming story about an imperfect family needing a push in the right direction to find togetherness and healing.
Music
It isn’t very often that you hear a drama ost from an aged voice such as Choi Baek Ho, and I loved it! I also loved Yozoh’s lighter counterbalance. The choices the music director made were perfect for the drama plot and characters equally, and they heightened my emotions at the right times.
Rewatch Value
Parts of this are very rewatchable, though I don’t know if I would commit to rewatching the entire thing any time soon. It was light, but it was also extremely heavy.
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I really enjoy the second half because reality of life began to sit in and there were definitely more positive that took place. What I like most about the series was that it displayed love in his various forms whether it be by supporting someone, loving someone, providing for them or merely encouraging them. It was portrayed well. And the acting of Yang Hee Kyung (the aunt) was top notch. I honestly cried while watching this star. Literally.
The series was good. It had some happy, infuriating and sad moments.
What I did not like about the series was that the reason for the level of disrespect from the oldest son was never explained or at least I never got a clear understanding of it. He was rude to such a degree that I don’t even know if I’ll be able to watch him in any other shows. He was just that shameful. His behavior was the worst and it was just overlooked. For me he wasn’t redeemed in this series. It was just blown away. In addition to that it was a little long and the amount of happy was very very minimal.
I rated it a rated it a seven because the series had an amazing lesson in it and the cast members did an amazing job with their acting. And I really mean they did an amazing job. The plot was really good and in truth it was somewhat relatable. I took off three stars simply because it seemed to lack clarity as to why or how the children became how they were. Someone showed up and disappeared without us knowing the truth to their claim, leaving mr wandering. I also felt it some of the logic was missing (although not too much).
Would I recommend it? Yes if you’re looking for a lengthy family drama.
Would I watch it again? Probably not it was a little too drawn out and at times uneventful.
What is it a romantic vibe to it? Some but not that much.
Did I get a warm and fuzzy watching it? I did not.
Was it a good ending? The ending was redeeming
Did I cry? Like a waterfall.
Were there crazy in-laws? Yep
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The drama wasn't perfect and there were many loopholes, gaps and unexplained/unfinished situations, many of the characters needed to be bitch slapped and some of the couples had no chemistry at all. BUT it's one of the few family dramas which actually make justice to the theme and that's what I loved about it.
I liked that while maybe it was extended a bit too much, the changes that came to the characters and the unity wasn't sudden. You could actually see the bridges being mended and the relationship between father and children grow in a genuine way. Once I decided to focus on that, everything else became padding.
Note: I don't rewatch long dramas, except for Empress Ki and King's Daughter.
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it will make you laugh and cry and laugh again. I'd love to watch it again soon, even if it's 53 ep long I think it would be worth it. I miss the cast already.
this drama will make you realize how important family is.
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Question? Why do we love dramas soooo much? Is it to escape into some fantasy world where the rich guy gets the poor girl or you fall in love with a alien. hmmmm or something more serious and melodramatic where a main character seems doomed from the beginning.
I ask only because this drama twisted my emotions but not out of fantasy, time travel, or outrageous plots. This drama gave me an escape into LIFE, Living life as we do day to day, what is important to you???? This drama tells of one family's up's and down so there starts the journey. I honestly did not know what to expect because the synopsis was too revealing and the first half of the drama I wasn't seeing anything but I just kept an open mind and watched all the characters develop and that was the point. You got to know and understand each character, granted you may love some more than others and some did annoy me more than others, but isn't that life. We are ALL only human..
Lastly, its amazing how this drama made me want to shout with glee to my parents and siblings and tell them how much they mean to me.....now isnt that a good enough recommendation to watch this!
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Unpopular opinion
Simply, this drama is not good. The comedy is silly, the characters are weird and the acting is off except for tragedy scenes. My favorite character that felt like a real human being is the aunt. The drama is not consistent and the comedy is forced and pushed in wrong places. The drama have a lot of important messages regarding family but it doesn't make it a good drama. Before watching this drama you have to know that it is a sad drama and you will cry a lot (may be this is the reason why it has a high rating 😅) and it is very looooooooooooong , unnecessarily long.Was this review helpful to you?
What does happen when a father raises his 3 kids after the loss of their mother, allowing them to do what they like and then at a turning point in his own life, rebels against them?
The problem for me at times was the ridiculous dialogue between characters, seemingly written just to move the story into evermore convoluted realms.
It veered sharply between farcical sitcom and melodrama.
I loathed the middle son; a cold, ungrateful, arrogant, self pitying, snob. The actor (Yoon Park) did well to make me dislike him to much. I couldn't warm to him even when the story tried to redeem his character later on. Just unforgiveable.
The massive slice of Korean large family life portrayed in this series, would have me running away. Never before have I seen such nosy, intrusive, manipulative, selfish, immature and thoughtless characters wrapped up in 3 main families, in one drama!
It just went on too long, for me, as well.
Not one I would watch again.
Was lovely seeing a young Seo Kang-joon and Park Hyung-sik though.
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This review may contain spoilers
Was recently doing yet another rewatch of this drama after almost one and half year so might as well write a review. If you're looking for a family drama which is wholesome while also having a bit of chaos in it yet not too exagerated—then this drama is perfect for you.The first time I watched this drama I was drawn to how relatable the Cha Family story was, especially when it comes to the youngest son, Cha Dalbong's story. Well, to be fair... most of the drama characters do feel relatable since they do reflect the struggles of people just trying to make do for themselves—and to people who watches this drama can find their own comfort and consolation while watching this drama. For me, personally, the more I rewatch the drama the more I relate to the life and challenges of the Cha family, considering like Dalbong—I'm also a third child and also felt the same insecurity about myself and the future that I would have. And I have to say, that the drama also helped me cope with my father's death last year. To which, while it wasn't exactly similar... helped me to come to terms about stuff regarding my own father.
That aside, Park Hyungsik as Cha Dalbong was very adorable and lovable and I couldn't help to want to root for him from the beginning to end. Yoo Donggeun as the Cha Sunbong was really the best kdrama father you'd ever see and I love how throughout the drama you can just see how much love Cha Sunbong had for his family, especially for his three children. And yes, these two father-son combo was the main reason that kept me to wanting to rewatch this drama over and over.
Words of warning though, if you're the type to cry easily over things... do prepare lots of tissue before watching this drama.
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For acting, Yoon Park (as Kang Jae) and Son Dam Bi (as Hyo Jin) in particular could have been better. Yoon Park was a bit stiff. Kim Sang Kyung (as Tae Joo) was good, but sometimes a little overacted - mostly when he was supposed to be funny. He nailed the more serious parts. Kang Shim was probably my favorite character, and Kim Hyun Joo did a good job acting her role. I also enjoyed Park Hyung Shik as Dal Bong as another favorite - it was really cute when you could see how similar he was to his father. I enjoyed all the characters, though - even the ones that could be annoying sometimes.
There was a nice balance between the comedy and the drama, and I laughed a lot and shed a few tears. There were definitely some emotional scenes. This drama really makes you want to show your family appreciation and love while they are still here with you.
I rated low on the re-watch just because I doubt I will ever re-watch a 53 episode drama.
The music was nice, especially the Father's Youth song - very touching.
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