In the search for fuzzy, heart warming movies I stumbled upon a 2021 film that for rom-coms fans like me, is a must watch. Let’s talk about ‘A Year-End Medley’.
Drama Tropes
Set in Hotel Enros during the New Year’s week, ‘A Year-End Medley’ offers a few storylines that for sure will satisfy fans who enjoy fluffy and cute drama tropes.
We have the fated to be a couple who meet by chance, mixed with CEO – aspirant artist girl; a long-hidden crush which will never be; first loves that stamp your heart forever; second chances in life; and even bromance.
We have plenty of stories to pick, and a stellar cast that is rarely put together in one production.
– CEO meets Aspirant artist
Lee Young (Won Jin-a) works at Hotel Enros as a housekeeper. One day while she was on special duty cleaning and organizing the hotel’s CEO room, she met him while she was cleaning and dancing.
Yong-jin (Lee Dong-wook) is a rather cold but down-to-earth CEO, who cares about his business and staff. When he meets Jin-a, he is charmed by her personality and spirit. He becomes rather intrigued by her life and from there on, both start getting to meet each other in odd situations.
Can love flourish between these two opposites?
– Long-hidden crush with a lifelong friendship
So Jin (Han Ji Min) has been friends with Seung Hyo (Kim Young Kwang) for a long time. These pair are each other’s best buddies, however, So Jin has secretly had a crush on him for years but never had voiced her feelings.
Everything changes when Seung Hyo tells her he is preparing to get married with his girlfriend Young Joo (Go Sung Hee), disappointed by this she tries to sabotage his proposal, but ends up realizing that her shot with him was long gone. What will happen with these two friends?
– New Changes In Life
(TW: Suicide)
On a more serious tone we get one of the main narratives in this movie: the story of Jae-yong (Kang Ha-Neul). After failing his civil servant exam and having a very unfortunate life he decides to try and end his life.
Failing in his two first attempts, he decides to do it before New Year, but before doing so he decides to live his life to the fullest and stay in Hotel Enros.
While working, Jin-a finds one of the notes Jae-yong plans to leave. She alerts the staff of the hotel and they all try to make his stay as special as possible trying to make him reconsider his decision and give life a second shot.
During his stay he also interacts with the ‘Wake up Call’ service, and for the length of his stay he has lovely interactions with the worker Soo-yeon (Im Yoona), who becomes the light of hope in his life.
– Bromance
Because love doesn’t really have to be romance related, we also get the lovely relationship between the singer Lee Gang (Sang Kang-joon) and his manager Sang-hoon (Lee Kwang-soo).
Nearing the end of his contract with his current agency, Lee Gang is meant to move to a bigger agency as the star has become a lot popular. During the movie we see the dynamics between these two characters and how much Sang-hoon cares for his friend no matter what decision he makes.
New year, New you
Besides this well-known drama tropes, this movie also shares the story of first loves and how they can be remembered forever.
‘A Year-End Medley’ brought to the big screen familiar stories that resonated with fans. This movie is absolutely easy to watch and really took me back to early 2000s movies and dramas.
If you are looking for a production that will leave you with that warm fuzzy feeling, make sure to watch ‘A Year-End Medley’. It won’t disappoint and it will even surprise you. Check the trailer below.
