''A Year-End Medley'' ( lit.: Happy New Year) is a 2021 South Korean
romantic comedy
Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...
film directed by
Kwak Jae-yong
Kwak Jae-yong (born 22 May 1959) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He studied physics at Kyung Hee University. He achieved success with his debut film '' Watercolor Painting in a Rainy Day'' in 1989, but the failure of his next ...
and features an
ensemble cast
In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that is composed of multiple principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17
Structure
In contrast to ...
led by
Han Ji-min,
Lee Dong-wook
Lee Dong-wook (; born November 6, 1981 ) is a South Korean actor, host, model and entertainer. He is best known for his leading roles in the Korean drama, television dramas ''My Girl (2005 TV series), My Girl'' (2005), ''Scent of a Woman (TV ser ...
,
Kang Ha-neul
Kang Ha-neul (born Kim Ha-neul on February 21, 1990) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in television dramas ''The Heirs'' (2013), ''Misaeng: Incomplete Life (2014)'', ''Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo'' (2016), ''When the ...
and
Im Yoon-ah
Im Yoon-ah (; born May 30, 1990), known mononymously as Yoona, is a South Korean singer and actress. After training for five years, she debuted as a member of girl group Girls' Generation (and later its subgroup Girls' Generation-Oh!GG) in Augu ...
. The film depicts the story of clients who visit the hotel 'Emross' with their own stories as they make their own relations in their own style. It was released simultaneously in theatres and via
streaming media
Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...
TVING
TVING () is a South Korean online streaming service operated by TVING Corporation, a joint venture of CJ E&M (CJ Group), Naver and JTBC. It is a platform that streams dramas, entertainment shows, exclusive television films and specials.
Histor ...
on 29 December 2021.
On January 21, 2022, it was announced that due to its popularity, the film will be released as a new six-part extended version of 30 minutes each. All six episodes will be released on TV on January 26, 2022.
Synopsis
'' Happy New Year'' is a feel-good romantic comedy of a young man and woman that is told in the background of hotel 'Emross'. It has stories of people who met each other at Hotel Emross during the New Year holidays. Each one has his own memory to relate and create relationship or just going nostalgic.
Cast
*
Han Ji-min as So Jin, Emross hotel manager who has been hesitant to confess to a 'boyfriend' for 15 years
*
Lee Dong-wook
Lee Dong-wook (; born November 6, 1981 ) is a South Korean actor, host, model and entertainer. He is best known for his leading roles in the Korean drama, television dramas ''My Girl (2005 TV series), My Girl'' (2005), ''Scent of a Woman (TV ser ...
as Yong Jin, CEO of hotel
*
Kang Ha-neul
Kang Ha-neul (born Kim Ha-neul on February 21, 1990) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in television dramas ''The Heirs'' (2013), ''Misaeng: Incomplete Life (2014)'', ''Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo'' (2016), ''When the ...
as Jae Yong, a guest
*
Im Yoon-ah
Im Yoon-ah (; born May 30, 1990), known mononymously as Yoona, is a South Korean singer and actress. After training for five years, she debuted as a member of girl group Girls' Generation (and later its subgroup Girls' Generation-Oh!GG) in Augu ...
as Soo Yeon, hotel staff
*
Won Jin-ah
Won Jin-ah (born March 29, 1991) is a South Korean actress known for her roles in ''Rain or Shine (TV series), Rain or Shine'' (2017) and ''Life (2018 TV series), Life'' (2018). She earned a Baeksang Arts Awards, Baeksang Arts Award nomination f ...
as Lee Young, a musical actress who works as a hotel room maid
*
Lee Hye-young as Catherine, a Korean businesswoman returning to Korea to attend her daughter's wedding, she meets a doorman at the hotel 'Emross', and recalls the memories of her first love 40 years ago
*
Jung Jin-young Jung Jin-young may refer to:
* Jung Jin-young (actor) (born 1964), South Korean actor
* Jung Jin-young (singer)
Jung Jin-young (; born November 18, 1991), professionally known as Jinyoung, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, record producer ...
as Sang Gyu, doorman at hotel 'Emross' and first love of Catherine
*
Kim Young-kwang as Seung Hyo, a radio producer
*
Seo Kang-joon
Seo Kang-joon (born Lee Seung-hwan on October 12, 1993) is a South Korean actor and singer who is a member of the group 5urprise. He gained recognition with his role in the television series ''Cheese in the Trap'' (2016) and has since starred i ...
as Lee Kang, a singer-songwriter and radio DJ
*
Lee Kwang-soo
Lee Kwang-soo (, born July 14, 1985) is a South Korean actor, entertainer, and model. He made his acting debut in the sitcom ''Here He Comes'' (2008) and received further recognition for his roles in medical melodrama ''It's Okay, That's Love'' ...
as Sang Hoon, manager of an unknown artist who becomes a hit as a singer and popular DJ
*
Ko Sung-hee
Ko Sung-hee (; born June 21, 1990) is a South Korean actress. She played her first leading role in the fantasy-period drama ''Diary of a Night Watchman
''Diary of a Night Watchman'' () is a 2014 South Korean television series starring Jung Il ...
as Young Joo, a jazz pianist
*
Lee Jin-wook
Lee Jin-wook (Korean: 이진욱; born September 16, 1981) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his leading role in the romance series '' Glass Castle'', the time-traveling series ''Nine'' (2013), romance series '' The Time We Were Not i ...
as Jin Ho, a plastic surgeon waiting for his true love, he comes to hotel every Saturday to find prospective marriage partner
* Cho Jun-young as Park Se-jik, a high school swimmer who has a secret crush on Lim Ah-yeong
*
Won Ji-an
Won Ji-an (; born Kim In-sun on August 17, 1999) is a South Korean actress, who made her acting debut in ''D.P.'' (2021) and best known for her role in the drama ''If You Wish Upon Me
''If You Wish Upon Me'' () is a South Korean television ...
as Lim Ah-yeong, a figure skater
*
Baek Eun-hye
Baek Eun-hye is a South Korean actress, model and singer. She is known for her roles in dramas such as '' Nokdu Flower'', ''What's Wrong with Secretary Kim'', ''No, Thank You'' and ''The Good Detective''.
Biography and career
She was born Septe ...
as manager of the hotel 'Emross' maid team
*
Lee Joong-ok
Lee Joong-ok (born 1979) is a South Korean actor. He is known for his roles in dramas such as '' Hell Is Other People'', '' Sketch'' and ''Hi Bye, Mama!
''Hi Bye, Mama!'' () is a 2020 South Korean television series starring Kim Tae-hee, Lee ...
as Executive director
*
Bae Hae-sun
Bae Hae-sun is a South Korean actress. She is known for her roles in dramas such as ''Hi Bye, Mama!'', ''Hotel del Luna'', '' All of Us Are Dead'', and ''Don't Dare to Dream''.
Biography and career
She was born on May 8, 1974 in Seoul. She comp ...
as Jung Mi-sook
*
Oh Min-ae
Oh Min-ae is a South Korean actress. She is known for her roles in dramas such as '' Mr. Sunshine'', ''My Liberation Notes'', '' The Penthouse: War in Life'' and '' Blind''. She also appeared in movies '' The Running Actress'', ''Memento Mori
...
as Sang-gyu's wife
* Kim Soo-gyeom as Lee Chul-min, a high school student full of intelligence and loyalty and close friend of Park Se-jik
*
Lee Kyu-hyung
Lee Kyu-hyung (Korean: 이규형; born November 29, 1983) is a South Korean actor. Though primarily a musical actor, Lee has also appeared in a variety of Korean films and dramas. In 2017, Lee shot to fame with his portrayal of Yoo Han-yang in ...
as a historian (special appearance)
Production
Casting
On April 22, 2021
CJ ENM
CJ ENM (, CJ Entertainment aNd Merchandising) is a South Korean entertainment and retail company founded in 2018.
CJ ENM was established as a result of the merger of two CJ Group subsidiaries, CJ E&M and CJ O Shopping respectively, in July 201 ...
and
TVING
TVING () is a South Korean online streaming service operated by TVING Corporation, a joint venture of CJ E&M (CJ Group), Naver and JTBC. It is a platform that streams dramas, entertainment shows, exclusive television films and specials.
Histor ...
announced that the film ''Happy New Year'' would be directed by
Kwak Jae-yong
Kwak Jae-yong (born 22 May 1959) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He studied physics at Kyung Hee University. He achieved success with his debut film '' Watercolor Painting in a Rainy Day'' in 1989, but the failure of his next ...
and confirmed the cast as: Han Ji-min, Lee Dong-wook, Kang Ha-neul, Im Yoon-ah, Won Jin-ah, Seo Kang-jun, Lee Kwang-soo, Kim Young-kwang, Ko Sung-hee, Lee Jin-wook, Lee Kyu-hyung, Jo Jun-young, Won Ji-an and Lee Hye-young and Jung Jin-young.
Filming
Principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...
of the film began on April 19, 2021.
Reception
Box office
The film was released on 832 screens on December 29, 2021.
As per Korean Film Council (Kofic) integrated computer network, the film ranked third on the Korean box office with 207,379 cumulative admissions in the opening week.
It ranked 3rd at the overall box office and 1st at the box office for Korean films in the opening week of its release.
it is at 3rd place in the list of Korean films released in the year 2022, with combined gross of US$1.81 million and 230,785 admissions for both years.
Critical response
Jo Yeon-kyung reviewing for
JTBC
JTBC (shortened from ''Joongang Tongyang Broadcasting Company'' (; stylized as jtbc) is a South Korean nationwide pay television network. Its primary shareholder is JoongAng Holdings, with a 25% stake. It was launched on 1 December 2011. JTBC ...
rated it with 2.5 out of 5 on popcorn index and stated that running time of the film was short as it had many stories. She appreciated the performances of ensemble and especially praised Kang Ha-neul and Lee Kwang-soo saying, "
hey
Hey or Hey! may refer to:
Music
* Hey (band), a Polish rock band
Albums
* ''Hey'' (Andreas Bourani album) or the title song (see below), 2014
* ''Hey!'' (Julio Iglesias album) or the title song, 1980
* ''Hey!'' (Jullie album) or the title s ...
showed off their outstanding abilities". Concluding review Jo opined that the it was not a superhero film and genre was not refreshing, still "the pleasant warmth is not pushed away." And Jo ended it writing, "In the cinematic ending of finding each person's relationship, the original growth that makes me fall in love is also a healing message conveyed by ''Happy New Year''." Park Jae-hwan of
KBS Entertainment wrote, "It is a spectacle love story in which the 14 main characters unfold at least 7 romances." Concluding Park stated, "This movie is a kind of film that asks you to spend the new year warmly with your family or with someone who will become your family. It is happy to see it in the theater and happy to see it on TV. Anyway, “Happy New Year~”".
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Year-End Medley, A
CJ Entertainment films
2020s Korean-language films
South Korean romantic comedy-drama films
South Korean Christmas films
Films directed by Kwak Jae-yong
Films set around New Year
Films set in 2021
Films set in 2022
Films set in hotels
Films set in Seoul
TVING original films