“New Year Blues” is a winter romantic comedy with a great cast you’ll recognize. It follows four couples from Christmas until New Year. Each one has an interesting dynamic, and challenges they must overcome. The cinematography is pretty and the movie put me in a cozy mood. If you’re interested in a nice winter-themed movie, keep reading to see if this one’s for you.
The Couples
Ji Ho (Kim Kang Woo) and Hyo Young (Yoo In Na)
Hyo Young is a physical therapist who is waiting for a restraining order against her husband to go through. Well, her soon-to-be ex. But since it’s the holidays, the police are short on resources. She threatens to file a complaint online, and a senior police officer panics and assigns Ji Ho to protect her until the restraining order goes through. Ji Ho isn’t happy about this since Hyo Young tripped him a few days earlier when he was chasing a female suspect. Hyo Young didn’t know he was an officer. She thought he was harassing the woman, so she tripped him.
Ji Ho and Hyo Young start off on the wrong foot, but they start to bond after rock climbing. Ji Ho’s been divorced for four years, so Hyo Young asks him what it’s like since she’s in the process of getting one. They make cute pottery together too.
One day, Hyo Young’s husband breaks into her apartment. She panics and calls Ji Ho, who races there to save her. I won’t go into what happens next in case you want to watch the movie.
Ji Ho and Hyo Young were my second favorite relationship. They got over their misunderstandings quickly, and became friends. It was cute seeing him get protective, and the scene where they stepped on clay to mold it was funny. I just wish they’d had more time to develop. I wish the climax of their story was handled in a more straight-forward manner as well.
Jae Hun (Yoo Yeon Suk) and Jin Ah (Lee Yeon Hee)
Jin Ah goes to Argentina after breaking up with her long-time boyfriend. She bumps into Jae Hun, another Korean, by the front desk of her hotel. At first, he’s cold to her, but when he sees her crying on a bench at a nearby park, he warms up. It turns out he lives in Argentina and works for a vineyard selling wine. He moved there after nearly being worked to death at his old job in Korea.
Jae Hun ends up taking Jin Ah sight-seeing, and they get to know each other. She tells him about her horrible ex-boyfriend as they contemplate life and happiness. The night before Jin Ah leaves, they do the tango on a rooftop against the beautiful night sky. They almost kiss, but decide not to. Jin ah goes back to Korea with a renewed zest for life. She’s ready to start over thanks to Jae Hun and her time in Argentina.
Despite this story having the best cinematography, it was my least favorite. I love a good “find yourself” narrative, but I don’t think Jin Ah did enough of that. I thought the dialogue between her and Jae Hun was a bit cliche too.
Yong Chan (Lee Dong Hwi) and Yaolin (Chen Duling)
Yong Chan speaks fluent Chinese, and runs a company called Dragon Tours. The company does tours for Chinese people visiting Seoul. He’s engaged to a Chinese woman named Yaolin as well. His older sister Yong Mi is happy for him, but soon starts to get overwhelmed by the language barrier and Chinese marriage customs such as giving the bride’s family a dowry. She starts to wonder if her brother marrying a foreigner is wise.
Meanwhile, Yong Chan’s employee at Dragon Tours runs away with a huge amount of money. He goes to the police, but he doesn’t tell Yaolin about it. This soon strains their relationship. Yaolin sense that he’s hiding something from her, and Yong Chan keeps trying to downsize the wedding as well as take out a loan.
Things escalate when Yaolin accidentally takes Yong Chan’s phone to work. The police call it to alert Yong Chan that his shady employee has been found, and Yaolin learns that he’s been hiding something big from her. They meet at the police station and she asks him how he can marry her when they don’t have any trust?
Yong Chan and Yaolin were a cute couple, but the real highlight of their story was Yaolin’s relationship with Yong Mi. The misunderstandings were hilarious, and when they finally had their heart to heart, it was oddly heart-warming. It showed that certain feelings can transcend language.
Rae Hwan (Yoo Teo) and Oh Wol (Sooyoung)
Rae Hwan is a Paralympic snowboarder and Oh Wol works in a green house. He proposes to her after winning a competition. They’re happy, but Rae Hwan thinks they could be happier. Especially now that they’re engaged. He wants to get sponsored, and win gold so Oh Wol doesn’t have to work so hard. He gets an agent, but the agent wants to market him as “the one-legged athlete who was healed by his two-legged girlfriend’s love”. Oh Wol finds it insulting, and it makes Rae Hwan feel bad, but he really wants to provide for her.
Rae Hwan and Oh Wol end up getting into a fight over it. Rae Hwan says he’s guilty for receiving so much from her (she’s the one who got him into snowboarding). Oh Wol doesn’t understand why he views it that way and says she loves what she does. They go a few days without seeing each other, and Rae Hwan hurts his leg. Eventually, he realizes that Oh Wol doesn’t care if he wins gold, and that he started snowboarding just to see Oh Wol smile.
This was my favorite couple! They were so supportive and sweet, and stood up for their relationship at the end of the day. I just wish we’d gotten to see them talk more. Their problems were resolved without them even having a conversation.
Final Thoughts
This movie has a lot going for it: talented actors, beautiful cinematography, and interesting relationship dynamics. The problem is it doesn’t fully utilize any of those things. It could’ve given us more emotionally rich scenes and a better climax for all the couples. Certain interesting moments took place off screen and a few of the resolutions just happened without a serious conversation.
Stream or Skip?
So, should you stream or skip “New Year Blues“? I would say stream it. Even though it’s not perfect, I really enjoyed most of the couples. It’s a good winter movie, so grab a blanket and some eggnog!
