Cinderella at 2 AM review: Shin Hyun-bin’s drama is worth watching
Shin Hyun-bin and Moon Sang-min’s latest K-drama, Cinderella at 2 AM, is a light-hearted and entertaining film filled with all sorts of cliched tropes. Read our full review here.
Are you looking for an easy-going K-drama with all the possible cliched tropes? Well, Cinderella at 2 AM might be your choice. Starring Shin Hyun-bin and Moon Sang-min in the lead roles, the show revolves around a young ordinary woman, Ha Eun Seo (Hyun-bin), who doesn’t believe in fairy tales until she falls in love with Seo Joo Won (Sang-min), a third-generation chaebol (a Korean term for a person born with a silver spoon, especially one born into a business family).
Yoon Seo is not one to complicate things. She wants a simple life. Therefore, falling in love with a third-generation chaebol was never on her bingo card. Upon learning of Joo Won’s identity and pressured by her mother (who also gives her money) to break up, she decides to break up. But our Cinderella has to overcome more obstacles, including convincing Joo-Won, who is willing to do anything to protect his love.
K-drama fanatics can attest that the mother-in-law giving up her paycheck to leave the chaebol son or an ordinary girl falling in love with a rich guy is a classic trope used over and over again in dramas. The thing about cliches is that they often work. And it works here, too. Cinderella at 2 AM mixes these tropes to present a breezy watch. Writer Oh Eun-ji uses many of the tropes in this romantic universe to get you excited for their happy ending. However, it’s the second main couple, played by Yoon Park and Park So-jin as the quirky married couple, that really does the best. They’re adorable and have a lot of things to make the audience invest in them. Plus, their character arcs are a little less predictable than the main couple.
The romance part of the show is pretty balanced, but the conflicts sometimes feel like a checklist. However, the performances have the right balance of quirkiness, silliness, and vulnerability that makes you connect with the characters, even if they seem quite larger than life.
The screenplay tells their love story and why they can’t be apart, without making it too heavy. There is no attempt for shock value, thank god. Writer Eun-ji’s intention behind the show is clear – let’s have a good time. Unlike many K-dramas that are slowly moving towards using the tropes of shock and illness as a tried-and-tested formula, Cinderella at 2 AM makes for a fun watch that doesn’t complicate things for you or your emotions.
It gives you just enough attention without being overwhelming. It is perfect for weekend viewing. Cinderella is streaming on Viki for Indian viewers at 2 AM.
