Trois voeux

I read one of the comments and it wasn't favorable.. but I'll venture to disagree. the movie held my interest until 2:30 in the am.. it made me laugh and cry and it touched my heart strings.all the little boys did a real good job acting, as did the adults. it sent many positive messages on living life and being true to yourself...and the courage to do what makes you happy.also that prayer works.... I e-mailed one of my daughters and told her she too might enjoy it.. so what if it's fantasy...it was a feel good flick and I am happy I had the chance to view it..by far beats all the horror and murder movies and give hope that the world can be turned into a better place one man/woman at a time....

After reading nothing but negative reviews for Three Wishes all my expectations were crushed, but I watched it anyway. It was an excellent, perfectly acted (in most cases), well directed film with beautiful camera work. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio plays a single mother of two whose husband supposedly died in Korea (it takes place in the fifties). She invites a mysterious stranger who she hit with her car (causing a broken leg) to stay with them until his cast is taken off, with no idea on how he will change their lives forever.

In his movies, Patrick Swayze is either good or horrendous. In this one he is both. At some points it looks like he'll get an Oscar, at others, a Golden Raspberry. The underrated Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (The Abyss, Limbo) is very good in her role, but the best performance belongs to Joseph Mazzello, who plays her oldest son, Tom. Despite being third billed, Mazzello probably has the most screen time, and should've got some kind of award for his performance (though he wasn't as good her as he was in The Cure). The other two leads were good. In his first film Seth Mumy plays Mastrantonio's youngest son, and is given very few scenes with the rest of the family, spending most of his time with Swayze's dog, who I'll go to now. The dog is completely adorable and happens to be a very good actor, even though he/she is a dog.

Without revealing anything, I'll say that the ending was completely unexpected, in a bad way. It was stupid, full of holes, unnecessary and made the director look like she (I think) had run out of ideas. Michael O'Keefe plays Tom in 1995. He is so unbelievably awful, he almost bring the whole picture down with him. It would've been better if the narration had been left out. Sadly, Three Wishes was one of the box office disasters that destroyed Rysher Entertainment. (Who had my favorite logo for a production company. Bad reason)

+ (GOOD THINGS) 1.) Camera work 2.) The promising cast 3.) The adorableness (is that a real word?) of the dog 4.) Joseph Mazzello's performance 5.) Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio's performance 6.) Direction 7.) The script

• (BAD THINGS) 1.) The ending 2.) Flashback narration

Total: 8.5/10

In your Plot Outline you state that, "In an unexplained act of charity, Jeanne Holman picks up an injured, apparent tramp..." This act is thoroughly explained -- she feels responsible for his entry and is a "good person" in the context of the times (pre-1975). In spite of the PG rating, this is a fine movie for the entire family. If you've forgotten the magic of the human heart, this movie will remind you that it still exists.

for message, for performance, for Patrick Swayze and for the young Joseph Mazzello. sentimental, nice, seductive. soup for soul. one of films for romantics, useful, again and again, for remind the role of miracles. and for enjoy. sure, a film for a kind of public. no surprise. but, in same measure, one of films who, without be great or unique, is a good escape from reality and comfortable way to discover the life on a different angle. a film about a meeting. and about love. about magic. and about hope. about trust. almost a fairy tale in American spirit.interesting for a form of self definition. because, like every magic, it is more than a show.

I managed to find this movie on Amazon streaming. It is a nice movie about family values and ultimately, finding happiness in what you get in life rather than wishing your life were different. There are a few very harsh IMDb reviews, I don't understand that, this is a really well-made movie of a very nice story.

It starts in about 1985, it is Memorial Day, the start of summer vacation, and the family of four head out for a short trip. The dad, Tom, almost runs over a man and his dog, that incident flashes him back to 1955 when he was about 10 or 11 years old. His father had not returned from the Korean War and was presumed deceased. Young Tom had a lot of anger in his heart.

It was back then that Tom's mom almost ran over a man, Patrick Swayze as Jack, who also had a shaggy dog as a companion. Jack's foot was in a cast, as he heads away Tom's mom feels sorry for him and convinces him to stay with them until his cast is off. Jack has a very positive impact on young Tom.

In most appearances Jack comes across as a real man, but as he interacts with the Little League baseball team in a zen-like manner, and a few other things, we come to believe that he is more like Bagger Vance. Someone who may not be real but who comes into a life at a critical point. Young Tom needed to get his mojo back, to figure out what life is really about. When Tom as an adult encounters the same Jack and his dog in the cemetery, we know the answer.

Good movie with a message for everyone.