What You Wish For

I was sucked into this film by the preview ('trailer' as the US calls it). It hooked me.

But, previews are easy to make, and often - far, far too often, these days - make the usual junk look good.

To my amazement, this isn't junk. What You Wish For is a competently written, well organised, pacey little thriller.

Actually, the start seems a little slow, but there's a reason. It's actually setting up the knockdown.

Rather than just showing you the rest of the film is going to be slow close-ups on people's faces and droning fake orchestra music over nothing actually happening.

No, this is NOT one of those films. This is a proper film, written and directed by someone who can write and direct.

Is it a masterpiece? What does that even mean anymore? It's not going to change anyone's life.

Does it stand OUT, like RIGHT OUT, in the sea of boredom we now live in? Yes, yes it does!

Good film. Recommended!

I've been debating on whether to give this movie a seven or an eight. As far as thrillers go, this is a solid eight. When it comes to movies, in general, I'd give it a seven. Sci-fi exists, after all.

Sci-fi is my favorite genre, and this isn't sci-fi.

For some reason, people keep trying to call this a "B" movie. It isn't. I wouldn't even call it a low-budget movie. It's a movie that doesn't require a big budget. Nothing feels cheap, and it doesn't seem as if the producers were cutting corners to make it. So, I don't understand this criticism.

The movie's strength is, certainly, the story --which is exactly what should drive any good movie. It's an interesting story, with competent actors, writers, cinematography, etc.

I've read some of the other reviews, and some have called it "slow". It isn't. If a person thinks this movie is slow, I'd call that person an impatient viewer. The pace is perfect. It takes the time to make the characters relatable, and to establish an atmosphere that feels authentic. This isn't wasted time. It's just good writing.

Also, as others have pointed out, there doesn't seem to be a lot of buzz, surrounding this movie. My guess is that it just slipped under the radar. I can, definitely, imagine it being one of those movies that people would talk about. However, the lack of attention, works well, for the movie, since, you really do want to watch it without knowing anything about it. The unfolding of the story, provides all of the fun.

If you're into well-written thrillers, and are a patient viewer, then there's no real reason why you wouldn't enjoy this movie.

My greatest suggestion is to watch it, before reading any more reviews. Like I've said, the less you know, the better. The more reviews that you read, the more likely it is that you'll run into spoilers; whether they be small, or otherwise.

I don't think I've ever watched a movie this good that I haven't heard buzz for beforehand. I watched this as a complete fluke because the poster image was cool and 6.8 is a decent score on IMDb. The acting besides the friend at the beginning, is excellent. The story is tightly paced and ultimately very logical which is always a surprise in this type of movie.

I watch a lot of movies in particular a lot of horror, and I haven't felt this tense in a movie and quite a while. This movie was evocative to me of The Gift, so if you enjoyed that I believe you will also like this movie. Highly recommend overall!

(Hunter Hunter is the last movie I've seen starring Nick Stahl and it is also very tense and memorable. I would recommend watching that if you enjoyed his performance here.)

Sort of like a B movie version of The Menu, What You Wish For follows Ryan (Stahl) a chef with gambling problems who flees to a Latin America villa that his friend is staying in. Ryan wishes he had his friend, Jack's life because it seems so much better than this. Well he gets his wish... but soon finds out that Jack's life wasn't as great as it initially seemed. This is a very weird and solid indie that I would say mostly works and is definitely worth watching. The plot of this isn't really anything new but if you like dark comedies you will probably like this. Although in my opinion this movie sort of flounders in the third act and the ending to me was kinda ultimately unsatisfying, but I would still say this is worth a watch.

Stahl who was a promising actor in the early 2000's sort of disappeared for a while and fell off the radar due to his substance abuse issues. Although if you look at his IMDB page for the past few years he's been trying to work his way back by doing smaller indie movies like this. What You Wish For is likely the best of the bunch. Also if you want the best experience when watching this movie go in blind and don't watch the trailer (it spoils basically everything). Nick Stahl definitely deserves to have a comeback.

"What You Wish For" had the potential to be a binge-worthy limited series. The premise of a down-on-his-luck chef impersonating a colleague for a wealthy family with dark secrets is packed with tension and ripe for exploration over multiple episodes.

A TV show format would have allowed for a deeper dive into the characters' motivations and the bizarre world they inhabit. We could have seen the chef navigate the opulent estate and its eccentric inhabitants over time, building suspense and gradually unraveling the family's mysteries.

The film felt rushed, cramming a story with rich potential into a short runtime. A series could have fleshed out the plot, creating a more satisfying and suspenseful viewing experience.