The First Ride

Nam Dae-joong's 2025 Korean film follows four friends who planned a trip abroad in their youth and put it off for years. They finally set out; but all of them are in their forties and the holiday plan soon turns into a string of disasters. The film follows the familiar template of Korean mainstream comedy: high-tempo jokes and then an emotional turn. Kang Ha-neul and Kim Young-kwang work well together. What makes it interesting is presenting the time they lost as a fact rather than a regret. Its weakness is jokes falling into repetition and the emotional steering rising in the final section. Who it's for: viewers who like Korean comedy and road films built on friendship. Who it's not for: anyone wanting measured humour, or put off by emotional endings.