Review: "Because I Love You," Starring Cha Tae Hyun And Kim Yoo Jung

Valentine’s Day may be long gone, but love is timeless — and this delightful gem of a movie will definitely remind you of that. It pulls your heart strings in just the right ways, and I guarantee that as much as there are giggles, there will also be some tears.

Happy tears I swear

This movie is a tribute to Yoo Jae Ha, a famous Korean songwriter and singer in the late 80s. The title of this movie comes from his hit song, “Because I Love You.” Three months after his first and only album came out, he tragically died in a car accident. He was only 25.

But his music continues to inspire many people, and he is a legend in the K-pop world.  This movie also semi-mirrors the short life of Yoo Jae Ha (save the body-switching). Cha Tae Hyun plays a famous song producer named Lee Hyung, who, after getting into a car accident, becomes a spirit and goes into the bodies of several different people. It seems any body is fair game to occupy, and he experiences love at all ages, from youthful passion, to middle-aged disillusionment, to an older couple with years of strong loving behind them.

Lee Hyung acts a sort of cupid in the lives of the bodies he possesses, and he also helps to remind each person (and himself) of what it means to love.

This sweet tale was a delightful movie, but body-swapping roles are pretty tough to pull off. However, this on-point cast took on this challenge, and absolutely nailed it. I loved how each of the different characters that Lee Hyung occupied was able to capture his (Cha Tae Hyun’s) mannerisms perfectly. Rounding out the cast is Kim Yoo Jung as the spunky, but oddly insightful Scully, whose friendship with Lee Hyung was adorable. I hope we can see these two actors working together again in the future!

The heart of the movie was, of course, exploring the lives of the people Lee Hyung entered. We have Mal Hee, a teenager who is dealing with teenage pregnancy; Detective Park, whose long hours of work have strained his marriage; An Yeo Don, a high school teacher who seems to prefer food over women; and Kim Gap Soon, an elderly woman who is suffering from dementia. Each person has their own quirks and heartaches, and I just wish we had more time to explore it a tad more in-depth.

Out of all the lives Lee Hyung went into, I think the elderly couple’s story was the one that touched me the most. There is something about a love that’s endured through many years that always gets me right in the feels. And yes, I totally cried during the scenes this couple was on screen.

*sob*

Final Thoughts

There’s a quote by Lee Hyun Kang (played by Seo Hyun Jin) that echoes throughout the movie: “I don’t think Yoo Jae Ha has truly died. Rather, I think he’s still here, connecting people through love.” And that’s certainly true — Yoo Jae Ha’s song “Because I Love You” is still considered a classic love song, no matter the generation. He died so tragically and so young, but even so, he’s still here in spirit, connecting everyone, young and old, through his timeless music.

mayme22’s favorite Bible verses at the moment are 2 Corinthians 4:16-18