Wish I Was Here, 2014.
Directed by Zach Braff.
Starring Zach Braff, Kate Hudson, Mandy Patinkin, Joey King, Pierce Gagnon, Josh Gad, Ashley Greene, Donald Faison, Michael Weston, James Avery, and Jim Parsons.
Synopsis
When 35 year old Aidan Bloom finds out his Father is dying of cancer it sets him on a journey of self-discovery.
It was never going to be an easy feat to follow up the superb debut that was Garden State, but with Wish I Was Here Zach Braff proves that he’s not a one hit wonder. Braff plays Aidan Bloom, a 35 year old out of work actor who relies on his wife to pay the bills and his father to pay for his children’s tuition. On the surface he’s woefully unlikeable in his selfishness, but he has a charm about him that makes him endearing despite his flaws. Upon finding out that his father Gabe (Mandy Patinkin) is dying from cancer, Aidan sets out on a journey to home school his children and put right all the mistakes he’s made.
As with Garden State, Wish I Was Here is a deeply personal film and the themes that run through them are deeply effecting and relatable. There are moments of pretention, but this is juxtaposed with great humour and genuine feelings as we watch a group of actors at the top of their game delve into some heavy subject matter. Mandy Patinkin is on top form as the patriarchal father Gabe and delivers a multi-layered performance that displays the raw emotion of the relationship between father and son. It’s the relationship between Aidan and Gabe that drives the film and their interactions start as frosty but begin to soften as Gabe’s condition deteriorates and the reality of death starts to hit home. It feels as if the two actors have a genuine connection and their interactions never feel too overly dramatic or sentimental.
Aidan’s journey with his children – played fantastically by Joey King and Pierce Gagnon – is a joy to watch and adds some of the lighter moments of the film. The chemistry between the actors is electrifying and Braff is careful to balance the heart breaking moments with his trademark style of humour. Joey King continues to demonstrate that she’s a talent to be watched and her performance as the reserved schoolgirl Grace is hugely entertaining and her journey is just as interesting as her Father’s. Josh Gad as Aidan’s brother Noah is slightly underused, but he comes into his own in the third act and delivers an emotional performance that displays his range as an actor. Kate Hudson is also on top form as Aidan’s long suffering wife Sarah, although her storyline does feel slightly shoehorned into the film and does break the flow of the film at times.
Wish I Was Here is all about journeys and how we get there. Braff uses the fantasy of being a hero spaceman to outlay the message throughout the film and it’s visually effective and the so odd that it works. Wish I Was Here is a beautifully shot film and Braff takes us around the highlights of LA with his exceptional visual flair. As with Garden State, the music fits perfectly throughout the whole film. With songs from Badly Drawn Boy, The Shins, Bon Iver, Hozier and so on, each song has been picked to perfectly coincide with the character’s journey and the film flows by the beat of each song.
After spending years in development hell and funded by Kickstarter, Wish I Was Here delivers on its core themes of love, loss, humanity and faith. It may not feel as instantly likeable as his debut, but Braff proves that he has a wonderful storyteller and one that has a unique visual style. Wish I Was Here is packed with emotion, great music and solid performances.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie ★ ★ ★ ★
Helen Murdoch
Originally published September 22, 2014. Updated April 13, 2018.
