Maybe I just wasn't in the right mindset for watching this show, but many things fell short for me. The male lead was very unlikable at the start and it wasn't the regular "cold guy melts when in love" (that I often enjoy) he was really mean and nothing that came after could make that up to me. It felt like the writers weren't sure what to do with either of the two leads' personalities, they were all over the place.
I stayed around for the kid (played by Shin Rin-a) who is one of the best acted child characters I've ever seen! She was incredible!! But are you like me who really want to know what happened to her after "everything"? Don't hold your breath because you won't find out.
Bittersweet! The very definition of a tear-jerker. I am still haunted by this series years after watching. A confirmation that life is not always a bed of roses.
Review by chillikunBlockedParent2020-10-04T09:35:09Z
This drama is a pure love. From the first second to the last one. I'll be honest with you and tell you that I didn't have high expectations for this drama, but oh boy I was wrong. Romance, in kdramaland, is usually cheesy, deficient at times and often highly corny. I think it is safe to say that when you’ve watched a-few-too-many romance kdramas they tend to become repetitive as they all follow certain rules by the book. And when you think you’re done with the genre, Marriage Contract happens, and makes you completely revise all your thoughts and beliefs. It is not that MC broke any rules or reinvented the genre. MC actually followed all the clichés and yet managed to come out so refreshing and stimulating against all odds, and that is why Marriage Contract is a must watch.
STORY
Marriage contract is your average, predictable and cliché kdrama. We get our over-used closed and shut-down, borderline rude and arrogant rich, chaebol male lead; the younger, naïve, kind-hearted and poor girl and we see their love story develop through a very foreseeable melo plot-story. However, even if you feel you can predict everything from the first episode, MC manages to pull you in with its incredible and unique feel of raw-ness.
The drama is packed with small, simple moments of everyday life that superficially are skippable, but they ultimately make the drama what it really is. Small moments, like hugging a friend, trimming your hair, talking to your kid, playing with pets; moments that are insignificant in dramas, but mean so much for a person in real life, because they express happiness and sadness; life’s core traits. THIS is what this show is, and this is where it is unique, this is where it is extraordinary and this is where it exceeds expectations and becomes an amazing show.
Basically, what exactly is Marriage Contract? MC Is a story about how family can completely destroy you as a person, destroy your life, destroy your dreams, destroy your hopes, destroy everything you love. It depicts perfectly the bittersweet/love-hate feelings someone can have towards their family, and how these problems can be confronted. Opening up to a special someone is the key to being happy. Letting go, forgiving yourself and others, and ultimately loving and sharing your life with someone else; and when you've found that someone, live in the moment, don't spend your time restlessly thinking about the future. Be happy, in the moment!
The background of the drama is the very dysfunctional family of the male lead who desperately tries to find an organ donor for his sick and troubled mother. This is where the female lead comes into the picture, hence the marriage contract. See? Super simple, super predictable almost enough for someone to skip/drop this. And yet…. the drama is exquisite, in many ways it reminded me of It’s Ok, That’s Love.
CAST
I was very impressed with the acting in Marriage Contract. This is the first time I've seen Lee Seo Jin in a drama ; Where did Lee Seo Jin come from? I have never seen him in anything and I am wondering why; but I thought he did a wonderful job. While he was a very rough and typical male lead at the beginning, I never truly hated his character. I loved seeing his growth throughout the drama. And while Uee undoubtedly played the main character, the show focused on Lee Seo Jin's character just as much. Together, Uee and Lee Seo Jin had surprisingly good chemistry. I questioned the pairing at first since we don't usually see such a large age gap between actors; except My.Mister and Goblin both of them has great chemistry , but I think that somehow they really worked well together. The chemistry was very good and I really loved the progression of their relationship.
Shin Rin Ah was a very nice surprise as well. I think this is the first drama I've watched that has focused so much on a child character, but she played a crucial role. I was very impressed with Shin Rin Ah and was even more impressed to find out that she is only 6 years old (about the same age as her character in the drama). I could see her having a promising future in the industry if she chooses to pursue acting.
Uee is amazing ; to be able to capture the quiet moments of suffering (from cancer) is not an easy thing to achieve. To be able to cut off your hair and take of your make-up (both which required NO dialogue) but show such complexity of brevity - wow. Secondly because of Shin Rin Ah and Lee Seo Jin in equal measure. They literally propped up Uee, with stellar acting of their own. These three's characters in particular were well-developed, and made up for the fact that some secondary cast members (Na Yeon and Jung Hoon - also that rent-a-loan-shark he hired for example) were not written very well - they just provided cheap antagonism to "prevent" the couple from getting together and were slight irritants. Luckily, their screenplay was diminished as time went on, and Jung Hoon was packed off to America. (I also have to do a quick mention to his mom - that girl power moment when she told Ji Hoon's father he was going to die alone - give this woman a medal!)
OST
I really enjoyed the music and think it added to the classic feeling of the drama; it really added to all the moments in this drama.. The OST really set the mood and I thoroughly enjoyed it as it was reminiscent of an instrumental version of "My heart Will Go On" from the Titanic .
REWATCH
This is one of the heart-breaking melodramas that have perfect ending like Money Flower but that just make me not watch again because I'm afraid going through that pain again. I will remember this show forever in the heart and i dont need to rewatch ; this is nothing something you enjoy this is something you need to experience and i especially recommend this show to people or family of those suffering from an form of terminal diseases
VERDICT
Overall Marriage Contract was a very nice surprise. I went in expecting to watch a typical drama, but ended up with something that was somehow new and refreshing despite all of the cliches. I really enjoyed the ending as well. While it could have ended very differently, I don't really have any complaints about how it did end. They did a nice job of making a somewhat ambiguous ending feel final. While normally I would have maybe would have liked to see some ending for other characters in the show, I truly don't think it was needed. The focus was the main couple and I think trying to catch up with other characters would have thrown things off. Overall this was a very enjoyable show. It was solid and consistent and left me feeling more calm and happy than depressed.