Cinderella At 2 AM (2024)

Not a very likable female lead character. Has some unique aspects so worth the watch for that.

7.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2024 South Korean romance drama with 10, 60 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review

Synopsis

This is a story told after the initial romance occurs with the main couple and we, as the viewer, start the story when our Cinderella decides to break up with the man of her dreams.  Ha Yoon-seo (Shin Hyun-been) is practical to a fault. When she rescued her brother and herself from a physically and emotionally abusive environment, she had to grow up and take responsibility at a very young age. She worked long hard hours to put herself and her brother through school and then worked her way up in her career to be a Team Leader/Manager at a major company.  While romance has never been her primary goal in life, she falls in love with a young man on her team, Seo Joo-won (Moon Sang-min), who she at first believes is simply an office worker.  When she finds out her boyfriend of a year and a half is actually the chaebol son of the chairwoman of her company, she decides the best course of action is just to end it.  So when she receives an offer of money from Joo-won's mother Kim Sun-joo (Jin Hee-kyung) to break up with and stay away from her son, Yoon-seo takes it.  The hard knocks of a difficult life have led Yoon-seo to believe there are no fairy tale endings.  Cinderella may be happy up to midnight but what happens later, say 2 AM, when the harsh reality that she was not raised to be a Princess will set in.  But, Joo-won believes in their love and isn't giving up easily. 

Review

I am not a fan of stories told in reverse and their romance was mostly told in flashbacks.  We start with the main part of their romance having already occured.  I could get past that if the story was compelling enough for me to overcome my dislike of stories told in that manner but, for me, this one did not.  A lot of reviewers have the criticism that this drags in spots and I had that experience as well.  Still it is not horrible and I think if you are a fan of the romance genre you would want to watch it.  But, for many, I don't think it would be one to watch again and again.

Spoilers

It ends happy with all the major plot points wrapped up. 

I found Yoon-seo an unlikable character for the majority of the show.  Breaking up with someone in the height of your relationship when everything seems to be going well is very hurtful.  And her "easing out" actually made it worse.  She says later, and I thought it all along, the way she did it had little to do with him and was more so she did not get hurt.  It was odd to have such a tragic character, that had gone through so much emotional hurt, be so cold to everyone around her.  Her push pull behavior was so frustrating.  I don't know how many times I was like just knock it off already.  You are just torturing him and yourself at this point.  Quit being a coward.  It's a relatively short series but I spent a significant portion of it so frustrated with the main character.  It almost made me stop watching it, but I was interested in the second couple enough to continue or I would not have stuck around for the final episodes where it became more interesting again.  My thinking on who she was and what she did completely changed in finding out the details of her childhood.  Knowing the full details of her past explained so much about why she acted as she did.  I would not want a mean mother-in-law if I escaped abuse as a child. I understood her a little more but it wasn't until almost the end of the series. I hoped I would like her more and I did a little but felt frustrated with her to the end when she didn't find any time to help him with the wedding preparations and it hurt his feelings.  She is with someone who is sweet and sensitive and her cold personality would likely continually hurt him.  So it was disappointing that basically she is still doing it. 

While the first half of the series nearly ruined it for me, the last half saved it.  I loved the second couple that had an arranged marriage, initially thought of themselves as business partners but fell in love anyway.  Seo Si-Won (Yoon Park) perfectly played the doting older brother.  His "freedom" in his boxer shorts provided a lot of comedic moments.  It was also amusing that he could be so spot on with his younger brother in terms of how to win Yoon-seo but so clueless in his own life.  There was a point in the series where I looked forward to the parts with Siwon and his wife, Lee Min-Jin (Sojin) far more than I did the main couple. 

I thought the 2nd guy, Leo Seong-Min (Lee Hyun-woo) was the perfect foil for the icy Yoon-seo.  And I loved that they all became friends in the end and that he loved her enough to let go of his chance and help her find her way back to Juwon. 

The character growth that allowed the three Ju-won, Si-won and their mother Sun-joo to come together with the two new family additions, Min-jin and Yun-seo was heart-warming.  And the fact that it turned out to be "Cinderella" who had a hand in weaving them all together was a full circle feel good scenario.

This is a highly flawed series with a weak start and middle but that ends strong enough to save the series a bit.  The late portion of the series is really what makes it worth the watch. 

#CinderellaAt2AM  #ShinHyunBeen  #MoonSangMin  #JinHeeKyung #YoonPark  #Sojin

Leggi di Più

good writing, smart & funny telling of the usual age gap/wage gap office romance

Ha Yoonseo is a well respected department manager at a credit card company who left an abusive home at a young age with her younger brother. She fought to put herself through school and rise up in her career while taking care of her little brother. Seo Joowon is the youngest scion of the chaebol famiy that owns the company, but begins his destiny by entering anonymously into a lower level position, under the direct supervision of Yoonseo. Not until a year and a half of them dating does she discover his true identity & this is where the story begins.

At 10 episodes, Cinderella at 2 AM is a shorter series but it's just right. C2AM is an age gap/wage gap romance that turns out to be a more refreshingly honest look at the relationship & the forces, both internal & external, working against it. In the process, however, the age gap never becomes an issue, either in the story or the acting. After seeing a lot of disastrous chemistry between jie/di casting in other shows, the 2 leads of C2AM, separated by 14 yrs, do the best job I've seen of making their interactions seem more natural, not only in supervisor/subordinate roles which they alternate, but also as lovers.

The cast delivers with good comic timing and the 2nd leads provide a good contrasting relationship of an arranged business marriage between 2 people who agree to live their separate lives as soon as they leave the altar. In spite of the usual tropes of love triangles & jealously set ups, there were no cringe moments. Instead there were a lot of very funny moments, as well as heart felt drama, which is a strength of the writing for this show. Infused is the Cinderella fairy tale, as Yoonseo struggles with the effort to build up what she believes is her fantasy of being strong, capable, & deserving of happiness, while fearing that it will all disappear after midnight if Joowon & his family discover her difficult past.

So while I was expecting another silly w/age gap romance with awkward leads, I was suprised to find myself really enjoying this show. The dialogue was mature, with each character reflecting on their behaviors, on how their desires/beliefs conflicted & affected others. Even the evil mother-in-law comes around. As all relationships involve push & pull, gains & loss; how you view something as a sacrifice vs a benefit depends on how you see. Straight up emotions transcend socio-economic status.

All in all, C2AM was a great little show, and easily bingeable.

Leggi di Più

a realistic cinderella story with a bit of fairytale

honestly this drama is so up my alley i will eat it up every time. i always like it when the male lead is a bit more clingier than the female lead. and they did it so well here. moon sang-min is made for roles like this.
they made the rich guy poor girl trope as realistic as possible, with a unique twist of the girl actually taking the money. it was refreshing to see something different. there isn't much plot after that, just fluff.
the female lead was a good character with a great backstory. her journey with her struggles from her childhood and how it shaped her to be the logical and caring adult she is. the plot line with her brother was also done well.
i did not like the mother but they truly did give her a good character arc with it being as realistic as possible while also having a fairytale ending.
i did not like the brother and his wife's relationship. it felt a bit forced for me. the brother was supposed to the comedic relief so that affected the romance for me. still they were cute.
THE OSTS OF THE DRAMA???? so good!! it fit the vibes so well and are generally good songs, they are on repeat in my playlists.
definitely enjoyed this one, so if u are someone who wants a quick series to swoon over, this is it.

Leggi di Più

Nice one

I didn't like the first episode because it had a kind of dull start. However, as the story progressed, it kept me captivated. I liked the relationship between the siblings on both sides, the male and female protagonists. There were a few light moments too, though the drama was a kind of melodrama. By light moments, I mean a kind of funniness in them. I liked the elder brother's role and the way he supported his younger brother. It was a good, cute, and light love story. The acting was good. Both the first and second leads were fantastic.

All the songs were good. Especially, I am your boyfriend.

Leggi di Più

Modern K-inderella story.

Modern Kinderella
This was a bit bumpy to start, in establishing the FL and ML and controlling mom / chairwoman charater / plots in the first 2 episodes. But our established team of sibbling supports continued to grow and enrich the show with every episode. I truly found myself replaying many scenes through out the series for both laughs and cries. Especially the antics of the Cheibol brothers. *Love the older brother & Sister-In_Law.

I love that our Cheibol (ML) stayed true to his charater, love and dream for her & him.
I found it enjoyable to see our Cinderella (FL) discovers her self-value and pushes ahead towards her Love... (eventualy).
She does have a lot of past trauma to heal from... but thankful to how the director & Screen writer delt with that part for her charater. Not as much PTSD to destroy the key charaters.

Definietly worth a watch or binge if you have time for 10 episodes.
Love the supporting siblings and sibling rivalry mixed in too! <3

Leggi di Più

A pure rom-com

As a romantic comedy this drama does the job; it's funny and light-hearted overall, but touching when it counts, and it manages to use common kdrama tropes without making them feel tired or too dramatic.

The first few episodes are done extremely well, setting up the story and giving the characters a good starting point. The leads are very convincing as exes, and I loved seeing how cute they were in the flashbacks of their relationship. The second lead couple has a slower start, but it's promising and it's fun once it gets started. Individually the ML and especially the FL are given really touching backstories, and I love that the drama paid just as much attention to the family theme as it did the romance.

As the drama goes on, however, it feels like it doesn't go much deeper than the initial set up. The push and pull between the leads continues in the same way without revealing much more depth to their relationship beyond them enjoying spending time together in their vacuum. The second ship is still fun though, which is all I really asked of them.

Ultimately, it's a fun drama, but even though it's just 12 episodes it still feels longer than necessary.

Leggi di Più

Good Enough

Korean Drama '' Cinderella at 2 AM '' tries to reverse the trope of the evil mother in law who gives money to the girl in order to prevent an upcoming marriage. However, the drama fails to utilize it. Instead, it ends up being a classic melodrama.

The drama starts off nicely and it does a good job blending a fun and light love story with a cute male lead with darker themes, like domestic abuse. Also, the second couple was adorable as well and they kept things fresh when the main love story got stale.

In addition, there were some episodes that had too many fillers and it was obvious that the drama needed to be shorter. Yet, it was enjoyable.

Finally, every actor and actress in the cast did a good job with their performance.

So, overall, six out of ten.

Leggi di Più

SO MUCH BETTER THAN the sh!t show that was Wedding Impossible!!!

The writing and his fellow actors allow Moon Sang Min to shine! Acting is somewhat like Tennis; you need a good opponent to play and enjoy it. I had lost hope for him after Wedding Impossible. Jeon Jeong Seo, with her RBF, probably made it hard for him to reciprocate the right emotions, and his acting came off worse. The second lead was no better in that drama. And lets not forget how badly it was written, especially his character. I am glad he get a chance to redeem himself.

Overall, I find the story quite refreshing. I also liked how the SML and his shenanigans have less screen time. he can also act more sensibly than most SMLs, especially when he called ML when the FL was drunk and missing him.

I also liked that the FL and her brother did not forgive their parents. I also liked that when FL cried outside the funeral home, she was honest and raw about why she was sad.

The second lead couple is also cute and refreshing. The SFL is caring and kind, unlike how they show most chaebols as super b!tchy.

The relationships between both pairs of siblings are also warming, and the brothers' are especially refreshing.

Leggi di Più