Wish I Was Here

In my opinion, the critics have it all wrong with this film.

"Wish I Was Here" from director and writer Zach Braff ("Garden State") is another terrific film that deals with real life issues that most can relate to. Not only does Braff's direction capture Southern California and human emotion quite well, his screenplay is witty, smart and deep.

To top it off, Zach Braff's performance as a 35-year-old father, husband and struggling actor is terrific. He works well with his supporting cast including Kate Hudson, in her best performance in a long time, Mandy Patinkin, Joey King and Josh Gad.

If you are looking for a film about self discovery topped with comedy and deep human emotions, then give "Wish I Was Here" a try and ignore the critics. This may be one of my favorite films of the year.

Admittedly, this is the first Zach Braff film I have seen. I only saw one trailer for the film, and it immediately intrigued me. I did not hate this film, but I also did not love and found myself in a lukewarm middle ground. For everything I liked, there was something I did not like.

First off, the story. The story as a whole deals with living life and dealing with death which was pulled off fairly well. However, there were several things in the script that I feel like took away from the film and the story Braff was telling. One of the those things were the laughs or lack thereof.

The script thinks its wittier and funnier than it actually is with most jokes missing that hitting. The movie also thinks it's deeper than it actually is. Maybe that's just Braff's style, but to me it seemed like it was more style over substance.

I did really enjoy the soundtrack for the film and Braff gave a good performance as a 30-something-year-old treading the water in his life.

I will definitely give Braff's future movies another shot and will see Garden State soon, but Wish I was Here was just not as good as I hoped it would be.

At the Guild 45th in Wallingford, I went to a matinée of Zach Braff's just released film Wish I Was Here. The making of this film was somewhat controversial because Braff used Kickstarter to raise funds for the film he co-wrote with his brother Adam Braff, so that he could make it exactly how he wanted to. While I enjoyed the film and found it to be touching and moving at times and very funny at other times, there was nothing about it that was brilliant. The cast includes Braff as Aidan Bloom, Kate Hudson as his supportive wife Sarah, Mandy Patinkin as his father, Josh Gad as his brother Noah, and Joey King and Pierce Gagnon as his daughter and son. I thought King was quite good in her role as an almost teen-aged girl.

I certainly don't regret seeing this film, but there really isn't much to recommend it either. But if you happen to be somewhere where it is playing and are just a bit curious, go ahead and see it. I don't think you will regret it.

Viewed at Kickstarter pre-screening in Toronto:

Although sometimes dragged down by the sheer weight of it all, Zach Braff's "Wish I Was Here" is a massively heartwarming, enjoyable, and refreshing tale of love and loss which is sure to tug at your heart at one point or another.

Even though it's been criticized for being "indie" or "hipster," the film features less of those "genres" clichés as Braff's previous film, "Garden State," or even some other films such as "(500) Days of Summer" and "Away We Go" - it feels much more "mainstream." It relies a bit more heavily on comedy than it does drama which makes it an easier film to just throw in and enjoy, but when the tense parts do come, they'll be sure to move you.

Including all of Braff's usual suspects such as Jim Parsons, Michael Weston, and Donald Faison, the film boasts incredible performances by both youngster Joey King and veteran Mandy Patinkin.

Don't listen to the critics. Zach Braff's new movie is actually very good with a lot of heart and emotion to it. In some ways, it surpasses Braff's other movie Garden State. You can tell this is a movie that he wanted to make for a long time. Whilst Garden state was a more autobiographical movie, this is more of Braff making you go on an experience . It somewhat reminds me of Lost in translation. There's not really a plot of kinds but is like going on some sort of experience. It's really about the relationship between the character of Aidan Bloom (Braff) and his family and not much else. Also, like Lost in Translation it has many comic moments due to the comedic talent of its two main stars. Throw in some entertaining cameos from Braff's Scrubs co star Donald Faison and Jim Parsons and you have a well rounded movie. If there's one "indie" film you have to see this year, go see Wish I was here. By the end of it, you'll be glad you were there.