Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do

Summary: While working part time at an amusement park as a dinosaur mascot girl, Yoon Jung Won gets pranked on by a group of teenage guys, the leader of which she pours cola on as a form of revenge. Shortly after that, a new family moves into the house next door, and to Jung Won's surprise, the young son of their neighbor is the same mischievous guy she met at the amusement park, Shin Eun Gyu. Through conversations exchanged over the rooftops of their houses, Jung Won and Eun Gyu become friends, and eventually, he invites her to watch his band, Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do, practice. At the practice venue, Jung Won meets Kang Hee Woo, an old friend who has drifted away from her because of a "mistake" the latter supposedly commited against the former's family. Burdened by her guilt, Jung Won is forced by Hee Woo to stay by his side always, the way she used to when they were still the best of friends. The complication is that, at this point in time, Jung Won and Eun Gyu are already dating, and caught between the two guys, Jung Won finds it very difficult to juggle her roles to the two of them - will she have to choose?

I have to admit, I was very excited to watch this movie; it's one of the few 5 star-rated KMovies at mysoju.com. (Last time I checked though, it's been demoted.) Also, a few minutes into the movie, I was very intrigued by the guy playing Shin Eun Gyu - he is the most kilig-inducing male lead I've ever seen anywhere. But anyway, he's not the only good thing about this movie.

What I like best about DRMFSLTD is that it's a music-oriented movie aimed at teens, and yet id didn't come out corny like HS Musical and Camp Rock. (Although a die-hard fan of the two bashed films would probably argue that the former's target is a higher teenage bracket while the latter two's targets are preteens.) I also particularly liked the story; except for the deus ex machina, the whole concept's relatively fresh for young adult romance. The editing was cool, and the photography was excellent - the ending credits were worth the wait. But there are two aspects of DRMFSLTD that merit further discussion: OST and cast.

Because this is, after all, a movie about music, the soundtrack is expected to be smashing - and it is. I don't mean to bash KPop or anything (in fact, I'm starting to get hooked on SNSD) but the lyrics of the more popular Korean songs that reach Philippine shores aren't exactly inspiring (e.g. SNSD's Gee's you're-so-handsome "concept" is rather eye-roll worthy). The songs featured in DRMFSLTD, however, have well-written lyrics; for pop-rock songs, anyway. My favorite ones are the song Eun Gyu sings to open the Goodbye Concert, the song he sings the first Jung Won visits the basement to hear his band practice, and the song about the kitten that ran away.

For the cast, I loved each of the actors who portrayed their respective roles; I also noticed, rather belatedly, that the guy playing Hee Woo is the same guy playing that model-antagonist in Boys Over Flowers. My issue, however, is that although all of them played their parts well, somehow, they don't look good together. I mean, Hee Woo and Jung Won do, but Eun Gyu and Jung Won don't - and I'm not saying this because I think I should end up with Eun Gyu, nuh-uh. It's just that Eun Gyu looks very young compared to Jung Won, and they just don't match - physically, at least. Admittedly, however, they have a "best pals" rapport type - just not on an eye candy level.

Overall, I give Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do 4 stars even though I have two issues with it; it's just a really well-made movie, and I belive it's far too good to be rated with just 3 stars. The deducted star I'll divide between: 1) casting mish-mash; and, 2) frenzied plot development (the story might have unfolded better if it was filmed as a TV series). The four stars I give to it because of: 1) amazing acting by everyone, esp. Jang Geun Suk whose mentally-ill characterization was very impressive; 2) OST; 3) editing; and, 4) I just like it. Not the most feel-good movie ever made, but worth watching all the same.