A departure from my usual genre, I decided to take a turn into the dark side with the thriller Perfect Proposal. It is one of those movies that is not spectacular but it is also not a dud. It’s got enough suspenseful moments and tingling clues to make me want to continue watching. It’s less about whodunnit but more about how will it end kinda suspense.
A university graduate who fell on hard times and accepted the “perfect proposal” with a catch. The over-analytical in me questions the plausibility of Ji Yeon even considering such a proposal. She doesn’t come across as the silly, money grabbing airhead with a killer bod or pretty face. She’s rather ordinary but this is where the show departs from the usual stock character of a femme fatale. She’s smart but vulnerable. She is charming and attractive without being seductive, the exact qualities the antagonist Lee Seong Yeol sought her for; the winning combination to carry out his carefully designed plan against his father,
Overall, the story, unlike its namesake, is not a perfect movie but it is entertaining and offers sufficient twists and subplots to keep me guessing. When I thought I’d it figured out, it still manages to surprise me almost all the way to the end. I like the use of the cinderella concept in this context, but with its own interpretation and outcome.
The three big names, Yoo Yeon Seok, Im Soo Jung and Lee Kyeong Yeong’s acting is rock solid, giving us powerful emotions with their eyes and facial expressions. Soo Jung as Ji Yeon is fragile in front of Seong Yeol but controlled and restrained when she has to be in front of Seok Goo. Rising star Yeon Seok is perfect as the ambitious and confident bad boy Seong Yeol while Kyeong Yeong is more than convincing as the foul tempered, terrorizing father and boss, Seok Goo.
Sexual tension without the sex. Even the kiss is subtle. Yeon Seok and Soo Jung burn our screen with enough chemistry to spark the romantic in all of us.
The rest of the multi-ethnic cast fit right in but not too memorable except maybe for Do Hee and the adorable chihuahua.
The ending is expected and yet also unexpected. A nice mix of creepy moments, a twist of the forbidden love, and some unexpected turns. Overall a nice filler if you are looking for a thought provoking thriller but not over the top angst.
Don't recall the music and is it a re-watch? A Maybe for me.
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