What happens when a brooding gangster with a past meets a bubbly and sweet content creator who loves kids? Peak rom-com hilarity, of course. My Sweet Mobster pushes the “opposites attract” trope to the hilt and delivers all the lovey-dovey vibes and cringe from start to finish. Loud, trope-y, and just marvelous fun, the show's gangster-meets-good girl dynamic updates the classic trope and makes it an excellent choice for an easy binge-watching weekend.
The Plot
In a remarkable feat, Seo Ji-hwan (Uhm Tae-goo, Night in Paradise), the son of a notorious gang leader, has broken away from his family's violent legacy. Now, leading a quiet life as a businessman, he strives to provide opportunities for those seeking a fresh start with the help of friends who share his troubled past. However, his world is turned upside down when he meets Go Eun-ha (Han Sun-hwa, Work Later, Drink Now), a cheerful content creator specializing in educational games for children.
As their starkly different personalities collide, a whirlwind of hilarity and romance unfolds. In accordance to classic K-drama formula, her warmth and positivity slowly chip away at his stern and stoic exterior. But soon, Ji-hwan's past returns to threaten their newfound happiness and puts everyone he loves in peril. Will their bond help them overcome the odds and secure their happily ever after?
Our Review
Sappy, sincere, and tooth-rottingly sweet, My Sweet Mobster is pure rom-com confection from start to finish, relentlessly using all the K-drama tropes but thankfully upgrading most of them to suit a modern romance.
Yet more than just an ordinary “opposites attract” tale, the show is also an appeal for second chances and learning to see beyond the blinding obvious. While the silliness and certain juvenile moments dominate the show, My Sweet Mobster also manages to weave in a number of more nuanced issues -- such as parenthood, loyalty, remorse, and redemption -- in a solid way while sustaining tremendous warmth all throughout. Though it's not always sunshine and butterflies, the show never seems to get stuck in the angsty portions and resolves them quite quickly. We believe that this is one of the key reasons why My Sweet Mobster was such a hit when it aired: the show may be a rollercoaster, but it is skillful enough to bring everyone back to firm rom-com territory and never stays in pointless angst for too long.
Uhm Tae-goo, who plays the titular "sweet" mobster Seo Ji-hwan, has incredible comedic timing, while his “Thirsty Deer Boys” – a group of five ex-cons who live with him and run the business with him – work wonderfully as an unexpected support system and a rich source of wholesomeness and humor. The way the show gives Go Eun-ha (Han Sun-hwa) a steadfast sense of maturity and emotional intelligence is a welcome update to some of the more outdated tropes (prolonged miscommunication, misplaced jealousy) that often derail female leads, and we must say, it’s refreshing. Ji-hwan’s (Uhm Tae-goo) maturity and gentleness, too, is a fine update to the tired tsundere man-child, and we are nothing but suckers for a man who knows how to take responsibility, apologize, and remain considerate and kind despite the difficulties he’s gone through.
However, some elements could have benefited from more chemistry and flavor, such as the second leads awkwardly ferrying an unexpected pregnancy. The show’s younger actors need a bit more time to nail their characters down pat. But the show truly runs on the merits of its own incredulous plot and the strength of its three main characters, so these details don’t diminish the comedic little gem My Sweet Mobster is.
This review wouldn’t be complete without praising Uhm Tae-goo and his surprising turn as a first-time rom-com lead. As a noir regular and antagonist for over twenty years, the veteran actor has always been pigeonholed in bloody, brutal, and often eccentric roles. We can’t really blame Hallyu, though—those cheekbones, that aura, and that gravelly voice (yes, the voice deserves its own fandom) just lend themselves better to hostile and unlikeable characters.
But oddly enough, his usual rough countenance is perfect for a lovestruck persona, and his musky, low voice is so unique that it makes fanfic readers finally understand the phrase, "He growled." Thanks to nearly two decades of hard work, Tae-goo manages to convince everyone of his character's easy duality: on the one hand, he's a stalwart gang leader and astute businessman with a strong sense of justice, while on the other hand, he's also a hopeless loser in love who can't help himself when Eun-ha is around. As our favorite mobster, Uhm Tae-goo joins Lovely Runner's Byeon Woo-seok in the list of unexpected romantic leads of 2024. We just know we’ll see more of him in this genre very soon.
All in all, My Sweet Mobster is garrulous, trope-y, and generally marvelous fun. The classic gangster-meets-good girl combination is so surprisingly successful and well-balanced that if you need a highly binge-able that hits all the feel-good vibes for the weekend, my friend, do I have a romcom for you.
Stream if you are looking for something light and fluffy, with minimal angst.
Skip if you can't get down to their often cringey humor.
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