LIKE FOR LIKES

(2016) Romantic comedies - at least, 98% of the ones made in the States - leave me cold.  Formulaic and sentimental as the genre is by nature, normally when I watch them all I can see/focus on are the well-known, brand-name actors in the cast; they never fully come off as their characters to me.  Ensemble casts sometimes break that mold, as in the case of a film like Love Actually, which I enjoyed thoroughly.  Maybe the bigger the cast, the more variety of stories, helps.  By contrast, when I find a really good romantic comedy from South Korea, I fall in love with the film and its characters - perhaps because I can see the characters shine through, as the actors aren't so instantly recognizable?  Or maybe - just maybe - because, for me, they're just better films.  Like for Likes is one of my favorites, telling three stories that all weave their way toward each other in very much a Love Actually kind of ending that dove right into my heart.  Sentimental, yes, and I had a few tears in my eyes and the smile on my face to prove it.  Whether an older, single flight attendant who refuses to suck up to her female boss for a promotion, and therefore ends up a beleaguered landlady to a temperamental chef whose fiancee ditches him just as he purchases the house ... to a brilliant but shy young male music composer who has never been in a relationship, who is harboring a secret from the girl he is finally falling in love with ... to a bitter and demanding lady television writer, a single mom approaching middle-age, who finds herself forced to work again with the arrogant young prick she helped turn into a star ... all the stories here have humor, heart, and characters worth falling in love with, even as you hope they fall in love with each other and make it work.  Corny?  Yes.  And really, all kinds of wonderful. (not rated)  9.5/10 stars