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Wish I Was Here

Play trailer Poster for Wish I Was Here R 2014 1h 47m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
45% Tomatometer 132 Reviews 59% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Aidan Bloom (Zach Braff), a struggling actor, lives in Los Angeles with his wife (Kate Hudson) and two children, Grace and Tucker. Up until now, Aidan's father, Gabe (Mandy Patinkin), has been paying for the children's schooling, but he is now gravely ill. Thus, Aidan attempts to home-school his offspring. As his chaotic curriculum leads to some surprising self-discoveries for his family, Aidan must reassess his career, his relationships and his faith.
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Wish I Was Here

Wish I Was Here

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Critics Consensus

There's no denying Wish I Was Here is heartfelt, but it covers narrative ground that's already been well trod -- particularly by director Zach Braff's previous features.

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Critics Reviews

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Inkoo Kang TheWrap 03/14/2023
Those Big Moments can represent catharsis, however, only to a viewer already on Braff’s wavelength. Otherwise, they merely strike audience members (including myself) as self-indulgent, even silly. And that’s probably all right with Braff. Go to Full Review
Lucy Vernasco Bitch Media 01/22/2021
By the end of the film, I felt like Wish I Was Here was trying to spoonfeed the audience hipster wisdom. Go to Full Review
Jason Bailey Flavorwire 06/18/2016
Just about all of the "compromises" that Braff says he'd have been forced to make (and I'm slightly perturbed to say this, being a fairly consistent support-the-artist type) would have made 'Wish I Was Here' a better film. Go to Full Review
JD Duran InSession Film 08/19/2024
B+
Wish I Was Here is definitely a flawed film, but it’s themes are relevant and it’s emotional beats are still heartfelt. Go to Full Review
Alex Denney NME (New Musical Express) 04/22/2021
2/5
Zach Braff's Kickstarter-funded dramedy is a self indulgent therapy session. Go to Full Review
Richard Crouse Richard Crouse 02/01/2021
2.5/5
For every scene that rings emotionally true-and there are quite a few of them-there is another that feels forced. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Dani G Jun 30 A simple, intrascendent but entertaining film. Braff is good at blending drama with some humor, much in the way of 'Garden State' See more isla s 09/02/2022 I found this quite a touching film - its got sentimentality in it, as should be expected given its mainly about the impending death of a relative but its not overly, excessively cheesy in a predictably bad way. I was surprised given this is categorised as a comedy film but it does have some amusing moments - its more a pretty amusing film with some nice touches than a big laugh out loud sort of a film but I thought that overall it was really quite good as Zach Braff does a good job playing the main character, the father Aidan Bloom. I liked the kids, how they challenged their father at times and how the 3 of them got on together, while Kate Hudson plays their mother. The performances are decent and its both amusing and touching, with a nice amount of quirkiness, so I felt it was well made overall and on that basis I'd recommend it. See more 04/25/2021 Commedia a forti tinte drammatiche, intima e delicata in quasi tutti i suoi aspetti. Zach Braff tiene bene lo schermo da protagonista in un ruolo che si costruisce bene attorno. I dialoghi sono scorrevoli, divertenti e quasi sempre naturali. Non si riesce a creare una particolare empatia con i personaggi e si finisce per godersi la storia senza mai entrarne veramente in contatto. Manca qualche cambio di ritmo, ogni tanto ci si adagia troppo sullo stesso mood. See more 02/20/2021 Heartfelt film that has provided me with a captivating message of the importance of family and how family can make one mature and influence in continuing their passion. Zach Braff made a good initiative in incorporating this story into a film. I was shocked at the mixed reviews, but this film is worth watching with a family. See more 01/31/2021 Esta película retrata perfectamente a personajes reales. Puedes identificarte con cualquier personaje. Me gustan los filmes como este que te dejan la cabeza dando vueltas. Te hacen pensar, reflexionar y revalorar tu vida. Necesitamos más cine como este. Esta película te moverá el piso al entender cómo pequeñas decisiones definen tu vida sin darte cuenta. See more 10/28/2020 Ok movie overall but could have done without the F bombs.... ruins an otherwise fairly decent story line. Main actress is overrated. See more Read all reviews
Wish I Was Here

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Movie Info

Synopsis Aidan Bloom (Zach Braff), a struggling actor, lives in Los Angeles with his wife (Kate Hudson) and two children, Grace and Tucker. Up until now, Aidan's father, Gabe (Mandy Patinkin), has been paying for the children's schooling, but he is now gravely ill. Thus, Aidan attempts to home-school his offspring. As his chaotic curriculum leads to some surprising self-discoveries for his family, Aidan must reassess his career, his relationships and his faith.
Director
Zach Braff
Producer
Stacey Sher, Michael Shamberg, Zach Braff, Adam Braff
Screenwriter
Zach Braff, Adam Braff
Distributor
Focus Features
Production Co
Double Feature Films, Second Stix Films
Rating
R (Some Sexual Content|Language)
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 1, 2014, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 4, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$3.6M
Runtime
1h 47m
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