[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Drama Special - Why I'm Getting Married"

By William Schwartz on 2014/12/21 at 17:21 PST

Ji-won (played by Park Hee-von) is faced with a frequent conundrum- why is she getting married anyway? Her relationship with Seung-wook (played by Song Jong-ho) is hard to place. They're already living together, and they actually kind of already act like a cranky married couple, too. In early scenes we seem them having petty fights with the kind of self-confidence you only really get from a long-term relationship. Anybody else would to be too scared of running into a break-up. But is that a real relationship? Ji-won doesn't really know.

Don't confuse "Drama Special - Why I'm Getting Married" for an overly serious drama. The soundtrack features Mocca. And like Mocca, the story has this constant quality of kind of feeling like a fairy tale story even though fairy tale stories are obviously impossible. When Ji-won gooes to the wedding hall, it never really feels like all that much fun. Sure it's a nice looking dress but what is Ji-won looking for anyway? Spectacle? Is marriage, and by consequence relationships, just spectacle in the end? Ji-won doesn't really know.

"Ji-won doesn't really know" probably shouldn't qualify as a funny joke but there's really no other way to qualify the humor in "Drama Special - Why I'm Getting Married". Ji-won's total ambivalence about the romantic situation her life is the main joke. Park Hee-von excellently channels the persona of a woman who's just very confused for no good reason. The fact that Ji-won doesn't know what's going on also works wonders toward keeping the story engaging. If Ji-won doesn't know what a happy ending is supposed to be here, how are we supposed to be able to guess?

Well, I'll give you a hint. It's the magic snowglobe. Yes that's a bit of a goofy plot device when spelled out in print but that's a lot of where the joy in "Drama Special - Why I'm Getting Married" comes from. It makes marriage and relationships feel like these gaudy baubles. Ji-won's adventures frequently feel absurd, yet at the same time, she has to grow up. Ji-won has to learn, one way or another, what real adult emotional compassion is. 

And it's not a gaudy bauble. There's one constant sticking point, one serious regret Ji-won has about getting married- and that's where the magic snowglobe comes in. It makes Ji-won realize what's really important. It makes her see that she's ruining love mostly by overthinking. The emotional heart as we hit the climax is palpable- the moment where Ji-won is finally able to verbalize why she's getting married is one of genuine, heartfelt emotional sincerity. "Drama Special - Why I'm Getting Married" simultaneously captures the ambivalence of modern relationships while also successfully grasping what marriage really should be about in the end. This makes for a beautiful, funny drama well worth watching.

Review by William Schwartz

"Drama Special - Why I'm Getting Married" is directed by Kim Seong-yoon, written by Kim Eun-ji and features Park Hee-von, Song Jong-ho, Hong Jong-hyun, Yoon Joo-sang, Sung Byung-sook, Kim Ji-won, Lee Tae-young-I and Lee Dong-ha.