Philippines/Korean Film to Miss: Ultimate Oppa (2022)

 Ultimate Oppa (2022)

Viewing platform: Amazon Prime

Yana is a Filipino girl, working in a fast-food chicken shop while she dreams of one day becoming a romance writer. Yana would love to write a drama for television starring her favorite Kdrama star, Moon Shi Woo – he replies with such sincere, heartfelt support every time she sends him her fanfic online. It isn't actually Shi Woo who replies to all his fans, though – his assistant Jay does. One day the conceited actor responds to some haters online, and it immediately spins out of control. His agency then decides to hold a special contest for all his fans to help redeem his image. Yana is selected, and she gets to experience an all-expenses paid trip to a ski resort in South Korea! The other contestants try to outdo each other in the elimination round competitions, but Yana is gracious throughout, genuinely impressing Shi Woo. Meanwhile, Jay keeps coming to Yana's rescue – finding her locked out of her room in the cold, locating her misplaced passport, singing a duet with her in the karaoke competition. What happens when the two young men both start to develop feelings for the sweet, kindhearted Yana?

*This was a disappointing movie. There were at least a dozen F-words throughout, and with the mix of Korean, English, and Tagalog, the dialogue didn't come across with the same sincerity as the single-language shows I've watched. While it does have a happy ending, the charm was lost in translation, coming across as stilted and cheesy in an uncomfortable way. Wouldn't watch again or recommend.*