The Wedding Dress

*Reviewed by sukting

How long
24 episodes

Foreword
Do you wish to see Kim Hee Sun in a role where she is open, frank and also trendy? This will satisfy your curiosity. Although Kim Min Zong is also in the same drama, you may be disappointed that he is not paired up with her to be a couple.

Introduction on characters/story

1. Jin He Na – Li Shen Yan
He Na is simple-minded and works in a bridal gown shop. She often dreams of marriage as she has reached the age suitable for marriage - close to 30 years old. But her boyfriend, Feng Dao has no intention to marry her. He wants to concentrate on his career.

Mrs Jin presses He Na to go for matchmaking sessions. She is adamant to marry Feng Dao. Grandfather decides to meet his two future grandson-in-laws. This makes the sisters frown. He Na manages to get Feng Dao to meet the old man but Mr Jin opposes to it. This makes He Na angry.

He Na later finds out that Feng Dao is a bankrupt. She quickly meets him and wishes to help him out. She even suggests getting married earlier. But Feng Dao refuses and hopes that she can find another man. She is so upset that she gets herself drunk. When he sends her home, she forces him to meet her parents.

She believes that love can conquer all. But Feng Dao is firm to break up with her and fix his mind on his career. In the end, she loses her temper and gives him a slap. But they still get married after his business takes a turn for the better.

This character is very irritating to nag all the time. Li’s acting is very shallow and you will not find her pitiful when she is forced to break up with Feng Dao.

2. Jin Du Na – Kim Hee Sun

Du Na is a playgirl who doesn’t believe in being faithful to one man. She has many boyfriends. She gets to know Yu Jin and they are at loggerheads with each other. Du Na is forced to go through a matchmaking session. She pretends to be demure and wins Yong Jun’s heart. However, after this, she starts to think of Yu Jin. But both are hesitant to reveal their feelings.

After spending a wonderful afternoon with Yu Jin, she gets Yong Jun’s phone call. She cooks up an excuse to make Yu Jin send her there. Upon driving out, Yu Jin has a car accident and meets Yong Jun. Both are university classmates. Du Na has wanted Yu Jin to meet her grandfather but Yong Jun happens to call her at home when she is out looking for him. Mrs Jin wants Yong Jun to come over and he has a good time with the old man.

Du Na is worried that Yu Jin’s presence later will let the cat out of the bag. She wants to stop him from coming but can’t get him. After Yu Jin’s accident, Du Na decides to face her true feelings. She leaves an sms in Yu Jin’s handphone and lets him know that she wants to be with him. She also tells Yong Jun that she loves someone else and will not marry him. Yu Jin finally forgives her in the end.

Hee Sun doesn’t appear in straight long tresses but look like a poodle which has just gone through an explosion. Her character is loud and many are shocked to see her hair permed to this extent. I think this is quite a refreshing change as I am sick of her being a sympathetic person being bullied all the time.

3. Zhang Feng Dao – Kim Min Zong
Feng Dao is arrogant, stubborn and proud. He is 3 years younger than He Na. Many oppose them being together. He is initially rich but loses everything overnight due to a wrong investment. At first, he keeps it from everyone. He Na even thinks that he is seeing another woman. But Mrs Zhang senses that something is wrong and warns He Na not to ask him. He later lies to He Na that he is marrying another woman.

The change is so drastic that he has to stay in a warehouse later. He feels ashamed and thus doesn’t dare to contact He Na. he can only watch her from far. But she knows him too well and wants to stick with him through thick and thin. He is touched and finally marries her.

Min Zong’s acting is okay here but the personality here surely makes your blood boil. He is successful in making you dislike Feng Dao, who tries to solve his problem by himself but rolls it into a big snowball.

4. Yu Jin – Shen Jun Xian
Yu Jin is a successful artist but he can be eccentric. He is also involved in commercial shooting. When Yu Jin starts dating Du Na, both are happy. However, he can’t tolerate her temperamental nature. She can be unreasonable one minute and sweet in the next. That is why both often quarrel and he needs to cool off by avoiding her.

Upon knowing that Du Na is going to marry Yong Jun, he is very upset. He has not wanted to stop them, but he can’t stop himself from missing her. Out of desperation, he gets himself drunk and drives. He is involved in an accident later. From this incident, he knows how much he needs her and before he looks for her, she has reached him through an sms. He is overjoyed and accepts her.

I think he acts better in movies. Shen and Hee Sun have starred in the movie blockbuster ‘Bichummo’ and they are better as a couple in there. His acting in here is quite expressionless and creates no sparks.

5. Lu Yong Jun
He is a businessman and is thus attractive in Mrs Jin’s eyes as a future son-in-law. He likes the demure Du Na and it is surprising that he can also accept a wild Du Na. It seems that he just accepts whoever she is. Upon knowing that Yu Jin is his love rival, he doesn’t give up, but upon knowing Du Na’s true feelings, he retreats to wish both of them happiness.

6. Mrs Zhang
She is Feng Dao’s mother and also Mr Jin’s ex-lover. This is why Mrs Jin dislikes Feng Dao to marry He Na. She wants to help Feng Dao to make a comeback. But this proud man refuses her help and still spends a bomb treating He Na to expensive restaurants.

So she returns the home and decides to work in a restaurant. She can even eat the humble pie to stay with the Jins when she is desperate. But her previous past of being his first love creates havoc in his home. Mrs Jin is jealous and the couple quarrel. She feels bad and wishes to move out, but Mr Jin disallows it. They manage to iron the differences and become a close family after the young couple’s marriage.

7. Mr Jin
He is a very strict father who wants the best for his daughters. He is angered when both don’t listen to him. He is concerned about Mrs Zhang, but he doesn’t not harbour any designs on her. He is just treating her like a friend, but his wife doesn’t understand him. So they need a long time to settle the issue.

8. Mrs Jin
The same can be said for Mrs Jin. She is a housewife who slogs for the family at home. She also has to deal with a difficult mother-in-law who has a failing memory. That is why she can be frustrated at times when other family members do not seek to understand how she feels.

9. Grandfather Jin
His granddaughters’ stubbornness comes from him. He knows that there is something wrong with his wife, but still thinks that she is normal. This gives the other members a lot of trouble.

He likes the two future grandson-in-laws that his son has chosen. So he doesn’t like the choices that the women make. But after spending time with the two, he straightens his thoughts and gives them his blessings. He even stands up for them when the need arises.

10. Grandmother Jin
She suffers from senile dementia, but her husband loves her too much to send her to the old folks’ home. There is an occasion when Du Na gets drunk and Yu Jin sends her home. The old woman can’t even recognise her own granddaughter and screams aloud that she is a thief! Grandfather finally decides to bring her to the hospital for a checkup, but she refuses. She wants to save the money.

Conclusion
This is a soap – or rather, a childish drama. I find it strikingly similar to those old Qiong Yao dramas when Chin Han and Lin Ching Hsia fight with each other. The plot is thin and also draggy with deliberate linkage. I don’t follow it closely as it is boring. Yet, I don’t find myself missing the development much. Why must they waste their film to span it into a 24 episode drama instead of the normal 16 episodes?

The acting here is only passable. The leads have nothing much to show you too. Please only watch it if you have nothing to do.
source:www.spcnet.tv