A Model Family (2022) User Reviews

Starts out strong, then levels off

[paul-allaer · 6/10 · 15 August 2022]

As Episode 1 of "A Model Family" (2022 release from South Korea; 10 episodes of about 40-45 min each) opens, we are introduced to a husband and wife who have a teenage daughter and a younger daughter. The husband just lost a bunch of money in a bribery scheme to become a tenured professor. His young son needs heart surgery, and he needs to come up with money, the sooner , the better. Then one day his parked car is hit from the back by a van. Amazingly, both the driver and one passenger are dead and when the husband notices a big bag full of cash, he can't resist and takes off with the cash...

Couple of comments: this is the latest "fish out of water" look at an average guy who unbeknownst gets sucked up in the world of drug cartels and cops. The first question is of course whether he will get away with the drug money. Along the way, we get to know his complicated family, which in and of itself causes headaches for the husband. All that aside, the episodes fly by rather quickly, and I'm now 4 episodes into it. No idea how this is going to end when all is said and done.

"A Model Family" premiered in Netflix this past weekend. I've got 6 episodes left which i suspect I'll wrap up over the next 2 nights. If you are in the mood for a foreign crime drama that puts an average guy in an unexpected situation, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

Missed Opportunity

[b530 · 6/10 · 15 August 2022]

Started off pretty good, but then ruined by annoying characters. The main character is supposed to be a Professor, but makes a lot of really dumb decisions. Not to mention he's the biggest pushover ever and just a huge coward. There's no real character arch for him, he's just the same sad coward the whole time. Then there's the female characters. Every female character seems so lifeless and dreadful. It's just unbearable to watch. Other than the main gangster character, there's no one you want to really root for. Lastly, the music just seems so out of place. This show is supposed to be intense and have some suspense, but for some reason they throw in this really slow country type song that seems way out of place and takes you out of any feeling of tension. It had the potential to be great, but ended up being mediocre at best.

Good k-thriller crime

[T-xoo · 7/10 · 17 August 2022]

A lot of betrayal and reversal betrayal in this korean flic drama.

The show does an excellent job in showing two different worlds. The world of organized crimes and the world where regular people live in. Once regular people get into the organized crimes, it is almost impossible to get out of it.

This is also about family drama. No family is perfect but in face of adversity, it shows that the members will not hesitate to work together (even on their own) to keep the family together.

The actions are okay. Characters development are a bit lacking. But not everyone need to become a hero at the end.

It offers a representation of the crimes world and where regular people enter it. Decisions from the characters can be frustrating. Overall, the korean drama is good and can be enjoyed.

Wife character was unbearable

[npoc-74105 · 17 August 2022]

The Wife character, Kang Eun-Ju (played by actress Yoon Jin-Seo), who was married to the male lead character, Park Dong-Ha (played by actor Jung Woo) ruined it for me. I couldn't get past the Wife's mean, cruel, demeaning, bossy, selfish existence. She was always blaming and putting the husband down; chastising the daughter; acting disgusted towards her mother; pretending to be a concerned parent. She was so annoying with her dead-fish look, it was unbearable. As crazy as this sounds, but her drug-mule husband was way too good for her! She absolutely didn't deserve him, or her kids and mother.

I don't know if the actress has a dead-fish look in real-life, or if she was portraying the wife character that way per the writer/director's wishes, but it killed it for me.

It would be so much better w/o irrelevant sex scenes

[SMCC44 · 6/10 · 19 August 2022]

Episodes 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3 are all good and I rated them 9/10. In episode 1.4, after 5 minutes, there is an explicit sex scene that is out of place and inserted there by netflix to make the series more attractive but it does exactly the opposite.

Above average and enjoyable.

[ymetoo · 7/10 · 31 August 2022]

I liked this show. Yes, it has issues like most other shows, but it is enjoyable.

The main character is so dumb. He seemingly does the wrong thing every single time. The daughter is insufferable. Typical depiction of a "pissed at the world" teenager. The wife's expression doesn't change at all. The entire show, never changes her I am depressed face. The hatred for her simp husband is well documented throughout, but a little expression diversity would have been welcomed.

The other actors are good. I have seen many of them in other shows or movies and they maintain their excellent performances.

Overall, a show with issues but enjoyable non the less.

A thrilling K-drama

[Asterix83 · 10/10 · 15 August 2022]

Another well made K Drama! Jung Woo was simply superb as the main protagonist, the ordinary Professor who gets entangled with the Mafia. A well crafted series with superb visuals and a good storyline.

Another breathtaking korean drama.

[vasanthkumar-90 · 8/10 · 18 August 2022]

One of the best kdrama in recent times. Once you start watching, you might complete within a day or two. From start to finish this series is very entertaining, you won't get bored at any point. Gets absolute chaotic at the end. Can't wait for Season 2.

I guess common sense is not that common

[cranbery38 · 1/10 · 23 August 2022]

Was prepared to get into this , but a regular joe come as across a car filled with dead guys and a bag of 💰but decides to drive their car, bury their bodies in his own yard, after driving them through a checkpoint why?? You can't just take the money, wipe prints off and run? The logic is so absent I can't continue, the Americans have done this storyline much better. Can't do more than 15 minutes.

Great series

[puri-04486 · 9/10 · 15 August 2022]

It's really nice series I have seen every thing is good I this series reminde me of squid game because in that also it's all about money and in this also all is about money and in last the main character get phone call and in this also character get phone call I am just waiting for season 2 I wish it comes soon. Thanku for making series.

For me it started and ended in 20 minutes.

[trulex · 3/10 · 2 October 2022]

Dude, I get it, you are desperate because of your own stupidity (additional stupidity caused by the writers as well). Found the money, grab the bag, erase the fingerprints, put it in the damn trunk and vanish from that place, oh wait, moron comes back and takes the damn van with two dead bodies in it, takes them - buries them in HIS OWN yard!!!! I reapeat in his own yard, with a damn phone:))) instead of dumping them all in the lake, all at once. Nah man, what the heck is going on? Did I miss anything? Flashback incoming or something?? Nope. Not gonna talk about mobsters and bad guys cops and etc. Writers were too confused and got lost into their own ideas. Respectfully I love Korean movies & shows but aint this one. Pass.

Gem of Gems

[alexmintaekim · 9/10 · 13 August 2022]

A slow burn but definitely worth the watch. Will keep you on your toes. Just watch the first 15 minutes of Ep 1 and the rest is self explanatory.

It does have a breaking bad vibe to it. Story is incredible and flows like water. Acting is impeccable and suspenseful.

A gritty Korean crime drama

[Tweekums · 9/10 · 7 September 2022]

This Korean drama is centred on a college lecturer who has wasted his family's savings trying to bribe his way to a professorship. Now he desperately needs the money to pay for urgent medical treatment for his son. Then one day it looks as if his prayers have been answered... he comes across a car containing two dead men and a large bag packed with cash. Inevitably this is the start for greater problems rather than the end of them. That sort of money isn't going to go unmissed and soon the cartel are looking for it. Events will lead to our protagonist being forced to work as a deliveryman for the cartel, come to the notice of the police and struggle to keep his family together. The series also follows activities within the cartel and the police, in particular one policewoman, who are targeting the criminals.

I really enjoyed this series. I've seen a few Korean crime series and this is probably the grittiest; there are certainly very few laughs to be had. It can be argued that some very silly choices are made but without them we wouldn't have had much of a series... and desperate times can lead to people making the wrong choices. There is plenty of tension; we are quickly shown just how far the cartel will go to find the cash and deal with those who cross them; if you are bothered by the sight of somebody having toes removed with garden tools might want to give this a miss! The cast is solid; most obviously Jung Woo and Park Hee-soon who play our lecturer and the cartel leader who moves into the house next to his. Overall I'd definitely recommend this to fans of crime dramas.

These comments are based on watching the series in Korean with English subtitles.

Too many continuity errors in an inane story

[Valid_ID · 2/10 · 15 August 2022]

Just in the first 20 minutes, there are too many continuity errors that make it impossible to suspend disbelief. First, a detail which precedes a series of more illogical deeds: the main character bangs his head repeatedly on the steering wheel, and immediately, a close shot shows no trace on his forehead, or a single hair out of place?!

Then on a straight road that goes on for miles, the car that passes him vanishes the moment he turns his head!

Thirdly, the man drives 2 (TWO!) cars home (and through a checkpoint) without seemingly any time in between, how?!

He then buries 2 corpses in his backyard, when just a short while earlier, a neighbor was in his driveway! He cleans the dead men's car in his garage, and drives it to some remote lake, where he leaves it nicely parked on the shore, instead of dumping it in the lake.

All this and more inane details in just the first 20 minutes! Can't imagine 10 episodes on this silliness!

I hold Korean movies in high regard, but this series is too over the top silly.

PARK HEE SON

[kobasreign · 10/10 · 29 June 2023]

Whatever you say, Park Hee Son was born to play the gangster and you can't argue with me. I wouldn't watch the show if he wasn't there. He's the most charismatic character of the show. I hope that he will achieve all his goals. And despite all this, we need to see more gangsters portrayed by Park Hee Son! I don't know if I was I was impressed by any other kdrama actors like that. He has everything: talent, charisma, aura and so on. Probably there will be season 2 and we need to see more Kwang-Chul! And please don't let him die or arrested by police. He's the one who makes the show worth to watch.

Atrocious and Derivative

[Zenith_Kom · 3/10 · 14 August 2022]

It's a shame that Netflix keeps financing these writers who keep rehashing other beloved shows. The nods to Breaking Bad are too heavy handed and cringey. But even worse is the typical Korean lead characters that are made too pathetic, whiny and pawns to the suave criminals. The lead guy is just too pitiful and useless to root for, and they expect us to believe he's a professor.

As usual there are the incompetent cops as is the case with most of these korean dramas. Even worse is the weak attempts to dangle Metamorphosis and Jekyll and Hyde to make you think the lead will transform. Then they end with a ridiculous cliffhanger to try and force more seasons of this dullness.

A modern tale about mankind's main theme: Money

[kiessecker · 10/10 · 25 August 2022]

Money kills Humanity. This is an important mirror of our turbo-capitalism world. Everybody talks about chances but in reality far not everyone has and few realize the lie whithin. Fantasic series about our degenerated life purpose.

That was actually good !!

[anansoliman · 8/10 · 5 September 2022]

Actors did really good work doing this series ,, like all of them were good , characters are written good also they are developed in a good speed, it had some vibes of the show "Ozark".

The series was in a fluctuating performance, some episodes were really good ! And some were ok and so it didn't have consistency.

Maybe the show was missing a little more tense scenes and more violence in the sake of more gothic atmosphere , just to make your emotions envolved more , but expecting a good come back in a the second season, so definitely i will be waiting for it.

Overall, i think it was one of the best crime and korean drama i have watched so far... And Hope you can do more in the second season.

Bad story

[AD-76451 · 5/10 · 15 August 2022]

Stopped after watching initial 15/20 mins as the premise on which the story is built looks ridiculous. I mean, why will someone implicate oneself more and more in someone else's crime leaving common sense out of the window. Take the money, wipe your finger prints and run. That's it. But no, there is a series to be made so, create a illogical premise and then I am sure more illogical stuff to follow.

YEEEEPP!

[rayanfh · 8/10 · 29 August 2022]

The last scene of the detective!!!! That scene was enough to make me fall in love with her literally the last episode didn't make me regret that I watched this show The karisma of the actresses ohhhh yeah!!!!!!

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Off the Rails into the Illogical within the first 20 minutes

[dnw-98479 · 1/10 · 22 January 2023]

As the title of this review states this went bad pretty quickly. So the premise of this show sounded interesting. And to start I could see why the ML would make some bad choices being that he was desperate for money.

That said, it made absolutely no sense that when the dirty money practically landed in his lap, he instead of just stealing it from the criminals car and getting the hell out of there, he takes their car and buries their bodies, in his backyard no less! Dumb. Even dumber he leaves the phone on of one of the criminals whom he buried. Which means the signal can be tracked and is how the Korean mafia found him. He then proceeds to search online with his home computer about large bank deposits and how to launder money. Stoopid.

This guy is supposed to be a professor at a University. You'd think he'd have been smart enough to do his internet searches on how to conduct criminal activity at a public library. SMH.

I stopped watching about halfway through the 2nd episode as I could no longer suspend disbelief due to the lack of logic in the ML's actions.

Breaking Awful

[dharmathug · 3/10 · 17 August 2022]

Starting off I thought this would be a good Breaking Bad ripoff with a mix of Ozark, with potential, but rapidly realized after the first few episodes that it wouldn't even be in the ballpark.

The "hero" professor is a pathetic sniveling spineless idiot, too dumb to ever take advantage of his original windfall, too stupid to realize that hiding the evidence is rule #1 in a crime, too spineless to be anything other than a tool to be used by others.

The criminals are depicted as typical violent sociopaths, torturing and killing others for no apparent reason other than for gratuitous violence and brutality. The lead "bad guy" goes from a seeming smart conniver to becoming a tool as well, in a few short episodes.

The police and their mole are so formulaic as to elicit yawns.

The model family title is obviously a joke but to hammer it in we have the typical kids, one an angel, one rebellious, because she sees the hell of her parents' relationship and wants nothing of it.

I would have liked to see more of the wife because she seems to have potential and could hopefully do some real damage as she seems way smarter and capable than her dolt of a husband, but frankly the show is so unrealistic and full of potholes I could care less.

Shlock explotation formulaic trash.

Too confusing...

[shabbirk-43965 · 4/10 · 6 September 2022]

It was a simple story but the dubbed version was too confusing... everyone's voices sounded the same and had no emotions. Couldn't figure who is who with the names. It was really slow after the first episode. Give it a try if you can keep up to the characters than it's good.

Women all looked the same, couldn't distinguish between the wife and police officer till late in the season. Wife was way too grumpy. Was she upset because of the son's illness and husband was never there or because husband waited too long to become a professor? Don't know what her deal was!

Only character that I enjoyed was the little kid.

Would not recommend! Try watching something else.

Escalates into clichéd drivel after great first 20 min

[Roma73 · 3/10 · 15 August 2022]

For the first half hour I was reminded of Breaking Bad, and immediately enthusiastic. The story sped off and there was an air of mystery. But then in came the bad guys, the so called "mafia", typical dumb dudes with lots of talk but little interesting to say. Gone was the mystery, very disappointing. And while the main character had my full attention in the beginning (an underdog with a powerful incentive to do something questionable) I lost sympathy for him as over time he became two-dimensional like the criminals, and certainly no Walter White. I have no problem per se with a main character being an idiot, but I still need to have some reasons to vouch for him to stay engaged. I disengaged. The actors themselves weren't bad though, including the MC.

The main cast too stupid.

[nulinuxi · 3/10 · 21 August 2022]

The main cast too stupid. How can they write a story like this. Cant watch untill the end. Such a cringe movie. Skip !! What a waste of time watch 3 episodes..........................,......,.........,......................,........,.,.,..............,.,................................................,.....