Saturday, July 26, 2014

Wish I Was Here (2014)

Wish I Was Here
Director: Zach Braff
Starring: Zach Braff, Josh Gad, Ashley Greene, Kate Hudson, Joey King
My Rating: Liked It
Budget: $6 Million
Box Office: $5 Million (according to wikipedia)

Zach Braff's new film treads similar territory as Garden State, but I still see Wish I Was Here as a unique, funny, and moving film. The problems consuming the characters are problems that every single human being has to face, and I think it's cool that Braff is wearing his heart on his sleeve, spewing out his thoughts for the world to see.

The film is about an immature, mid-thirties father of two during the most difficult time of his life. His father is passing away; his kids have to drop out of their private jewish grade school because of lack of money; he is a struggling actor who has never had much success except for a dandruff commercial years ago; his wife is being harassed by a co-worker; and his lazy, genius brother hasn't spoken to thier father in over a year. Through these trials and tribulations, Braff explores religion, family, and growing up, often in a hilarious manner.

The only thing I wasn't fond of was the sci-fi dreamlike sequences about his imagination as a child. I liked the idea, but I don't think it jived with the rest of the movie very well. Other than that, Wish I Was Here is a fun, quirky, and sad film about the tough times in life.