Familiar Wife 아는 와이프 - Review

Title: Familiar Wife 아는 와이프

Genre: Romantic Comedy, Life, Fantasy

Release: 2018

Starring (Main Cast): 

Ji Sung as Cha Joo Hyuk

Han Ji Min as Seo Woo Jin

Kang Han Na as Lee Hee Won

Jang Seung Jo as Yoon Jong Hoo

Director: Lee Sang Yeob

Writer: Yang Hee Seung

Rakuten Viki Rating: 9.4/10

IMDb Rating: 7.6/10

Audience Rating: 4.8/5

MyDramaList Rating: 8.1/10

Rakuten Viki Synopsis: Click Here

Watch FREE on Rakuten VIKI: Familiar Wife 

Episodes: 16 (abt. 1 hour and 10 min each)

Content Rating: PG-13

Violence: Mild - Yelling, hitting

Sexual Content: Mild - kissing, hugging, verbal references

Language: Mild to none (may depend on where you watch)

Ending: Happy, satisfying

My Synopsis

Cha Joo Hyuk and his wife, Seo Woo Jin, are in some serious marital trouble. As he struggles to maintain a chaotic life, work and an angry wife he runs into a woman from his past and starts to dream of what it would be like to have had a different life. One day he is mysteriously given that opportunity. The opportunity to go back in time and change his choices. And he does. Waking up in his new life he believes he has finally hit the jackpot. But things aren’t as they seem. As he uncovers the pieces of his new life he realizes all he sacrificed to get it. And, to make things worse, the new girl at work turns out to be his wife from the past. As they work together he is slowly reminded of all the reasons he fell in love with her in the first place, and realizes how his treatment of her was what led them to where they had been. Can he find a way to change things back to the way they were? Or is too late?

Trailer

My Review: 10/10

This drama probably spent the least amount of time on my watch list than any other. Pretty much as soon as I read the synopsis I started it. It intrigued me. I was kind of reminded of one of the Shrek movies and thought it would be neat to see a human version of this plotline. How many times do we wish we could go back in history and change the choices we made? But, if we did... would we really be happier? Or would we only then realize what we had before. 

We start out with a family in chaos. Our main couple has become distant from each other with the stress of life taking its toll. It is set up to really make Seo Woo Jin (Han Ji Min) out to be the bad guy, as we are seeing it a little more from the point of view of Cha Joo Hyuk (Ji Sung). After a lot of stress, being yelled at, things thrown at him, etc... he ends up running into his first love from school whose destiny with him had been interrupted by the entrance of Seo Woo Jin into his life. He then longs to go back and change his life. Fate would have it that he runs into a crazy homeless man that gives him a 500 won coin dating back to that year. Mysteriously running across a toll booth when returning home late that night it sends him back to that year, and the opportunity to change his life. When he wakes up back in the present he is now married to his first love and what appears at first to be the perfect life. But, he quickly learns that is not the case when he finds all he gave up to be with her. When Seo Woo Jin shows up as the new girl at work, his problems get worse. As he is forced to work closely with her, he begins to remember why he fell in love with her in the first place. And, how his failure to support her caused her to become the woman she had. Can he fix the past and their future? Or is it too late?

Cha Joo Hyuk

Cha Joo Hyuk is played by Ji Sung. This is the first time I have seen him in a drama, but I thought he was great. Funny, and definitely can play those more serious and romantic moments. His character was the dis-satisfied Joo Hyuk who dreamed of a perfect life... a wife who didn't complain, took care of the children, made him all his meals, and let him play his computer games. But, life is very different from that and after meeting a girl he loved in the past, he longs to go back and change his destiny. Which he does. And, things seem perfect. But, he realizes that he gave up everything to get this "perfect" life. When he meets his wife from the past he begins to fall in love with her all over again. The problem is... she is no longer his. And, he is married. Ji Sung does an excellent job portraying this character. He made me laugh and made my heartbreak as well. Really excited to see him in other dramas!

Seo Woo Jin

Seo Woo Jin is played by the actress, Han Ji Min. There is something I really like about this actress. Something that just makes her really enjoyable to watch in a film. She does a great job with humor, and anger and everything in between. I saw her first in the short movie Two Lights: Relumino where she played a woman with severe vision problems. I was impressed with her ability to cross one eye for as long as she did... and act on top of it. Her character here is first a very angry person, but when the past changes we find she is fun-loving and full of energy. She is an extremely lovable person and everyone is drawn to her... including Joo Hyuk who had changed the present to get away from her. You learn a lot about her during this and we slowly piece together what had made her the angry person she was. She, of course, is naturally drawn to Joo Hyuk, but things are difficult as she realizes that because he is married there is nothing they can do about their feelings. Han Ji Min did an amazing job with this character. I really like her as an actress. Probably one of my favorites.

Joo Hyuk and Ji Min - Couple Chemistry

These two truly had some amazing chemistry. I wanted them to be together so bad. The moments they had together were sweet and heartbreaking as they both felt so much for each other but there was nothing they could do. All Joo Hyuk could do was regret the decision he had made, and the things he had done in the past that had made Woo Jin who she had been. As he cried over his loss and searched for a way to change things back, I felt like crying with him. It is a beautiful love story of a man who comes to truly appreciate the woman he loves.

Lee Hee Won and Yoon Jong Hoo

I thought I would pair these two together in my review. Lee Hee Won (Kang Han Na) is the other love interest of Joo Hyuk. She was his first love and the woman he changes his destiny too. It doesn't take long for him to learn that the only reason she likes him so much is that he does everything she says. When he starts to stand up for his family, and for himself, she quickly wants to dump him. While they are married she meets the young and handsome Yoon Jong Hoo (Jang Seung Jo) and starts to fall for him a bit. We find later that he probably was her originally intended destiny. Though she isn't ever physically unfaithful to Joo Hyuk, it seems that her heart may have been. Both of these actors did a great job with their roles. I felt they played them well and I don't have anything negative to say about their portrayal.

Would I recommend this drama? Absolutely! Currently it is one of my top 10 favorites. I feel it is probably a little under appreciated and not as well know as I feel it should be. It had an excellent message, and the love story of Joo Hyuk and Woo Jin was really beautiful. I felt the actors had such a natural chemistry that it felt as if it were real. I enjoyed it thoroughly and highly recommend this be on your watch list.

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