Silly title aside, Shut Up Flower Boy Band boasts a surprisingly strong script. While it hits many of the expected plot points (the boys from the wrong side of the tracks vs. the entitled rich kids, the battle-of-the-bands face off, the hit single) it moves beyond them to weigh the joys and costs of a life in music with remarkable honesty. Unfortunately, the young cast often lacks the skills to fully realize the moments the writer provides. Lee Min Ki makes the most of his limited screen time and Sung Joon does a fine job smoldering with inarticulate passion, but the rest of the band members default to bland, fresh-faced niceness. While relatively inoffensive, this undermines their credibility as ruffians and turns what should have been meaty, differentiated characters into cardboard-cut-out clones. Much of the subtext gets lost in flat line delivery and awkward timing, and scenes that should crackle with tension fizzle out. Sweet is better than grating, though, and if you can overlook the missed acting opportunities, the show has a scruffy, heart-felt appeal that manages to be endearing without ever becoming saccharine. Like a catchy garage band rock song, the show makes up in enthusiasm what it sometimes lacks in craft.