Wish I Was Here

Wish I wasn't.

Like a bad parody of contemporary indie dramedy flicks. Predictable, corny, and overwrought, with an overbearingly twee soundtrack guiding the depiction of a twee manchild and his twee children. Braff attempts to reach thespian heights in one of the most smugly self-righteous performances I have seen in ages. Awful music cues. Embarrassing editing gaffes. A solid candidate for the worst film of 2014. No wonder this was forced to be crowdfunded. The hubris is strong in Braff nowadays, isn't it?

Never have i been so embarrassed to be white, middle class, and Jewish. It's not just the heartstring-tugging, maudlin sentimentality, or the banal platitudes, but above all the fact that Braff ruins any potential moment of emotional resonance with his trademark cutesy, quirky bullshit, which in 2014 feels less like try-hard "indieness" than some bizarre compulsion (he would be advised to watch Mike Mills' Beginners for a lesson on how this stuff can actually work when done correctly).

Fun fact: Did you know that Garden State, now the most despised non-Star Wars-prequel movie on all the internet, was very warmly received at the time? Well, it's true! This incredibly tonally similar follow-up has some of that film's annoying quirks but also some of its likability, and even a couple moments of borderline quality cinematography and filmmaking. The character study on hand feels mature at one moment and juvenile the next. Joey King and Mandy Patinkin are good. Braff is ok.

Braff doesn't write characters, he creates puppets and then makes them repeat his own world view.

lmaoooo

Zach Braff's voice is very much present here, albeit more grown up and reflective than Garden State. I got more laughs out of it than I was expecting. Good performances throughout, especially Kate Hudson & Mandy Patinkin.

Wish I Was Here wants you to feel. And it wants you to feel a specific way. But Braff doesn't know how to make the audience feel it, so instead he just tells them to. He wants us to believe in a better tomorrow, in a search for understanding, in forgiveness, in finding closure, in pursuing your dreams. How do you get there? Wish I Was Here isn't really sure. I guess just open a Kickstarter.

Wish I Was Here is ambitious, quirky, weird, overlong, tonally inconsistent, and overlong. Is it worth seeing? Maybe, if you're a fan of Zach Braff or thing the premise of a thirtysomething man finding himself is intriguing. I wouldn't say not to watch it, I suppose. It has problems, some of which come from Braff having full creative control (I assume), but it's not bad and there are some truly great moments hidden within it. If you're up for it, I suggest giving Wish I Was Here a chance.

I'm not sure I believed in Zach Braff's character, a sometimes zany father to two kids who have gone to a conservative Jewish school and are more religious than himself. But this movie had many funny lines and scenes, as well as some undeniably touching ones - with one particularly moving scene between Kate Hudson and Mandy Patinkin as her terminally ill father-in-law. I liked the audition scenes where ZB's character keeps running into the some of the same fellow actors auditioning.

Those individuals who supported the crowdfunding for this so-called film should have their money returned. The worst type of indie film; self-indulgent nonsense.

I was really looking forward to this movie, but it really disappointed me. Not a very likeable protagonist, all the best moments were in the trailers. His daughter is kind of awesome, though.

A little too many clichés (for an indie) but honest and not overdone... *Recommendable

crap. pretty much

This movie really wasn't that good.

Die Leute waren sauer über Zach Braff. Zuerst gabs eine Gegenreaktion zu seinem viel umjubeltem Debüt. Zehn Jahre später machte Braff durch eine Crowdfunding Kampagne von sich aufmerksam. Niemand wollte die Fortsetzung seines Debüts bezahlen also wandte er sich an die Fans... die ganze Rezension plus weitere Indie Komödien gibts auf cinegeek.de

bonitinho

Sells itself as a comedy but very much a serious drama with a few light hearted moments. If you go into the movie with that view, then you'll be fine and will enjoy it. It's a sweet family and real life problems. Just wish there was more lighthearted moments

Good thing Braff crowdfunded this so he could have creative control and make the exact movie he wanted, this way he has no excuses for how utterly mediocre this is. Next time pay for it yourself you fucking millionaire.

I am not fond of Zach Braff as a leading man. Kate Hudson was good but had limited opportunities. Several tender moments among the otherwise unremarkable script. Some odd dream sequences and a total overload of Jewish culture. I kind of liked Patinkin's grouchy father character. More drama than comedy. Ultimately not very funny, remarkable or memorable.

Wish I Was Here isn't a bad film, it's just a disappointing one. Genre-wise, it's about 10% comedy to 90% drama. Braff jumps from emotionally loaded moment to moment; only a few find their mark and by the end I found I wasn't that invested in his characters. Braff also, pedicatbly, weaves a mildly depressing tale, finishing it off with a bow of enthusiasm which feels contrived. Lastly, and most unforgivably, are the Scrubs alumni cameos which just feel embarrassing. Beyond that, it's not bad.

Not very original but it did connect with me and I enjoyed it very much. Maybe it's because of the current period I'm going through in my life but it was a good 100 minutes or so.

Braff excels at creating moods and running the story along. My only problem with this movie is the complete lack of originality.

I'm a fan of Garden State & I do wish this film had been better. It doesn't seem like Braff's sensibilities have matured at all. It's quite similar to Garden State, as well as a lot of other indie films. The characters & story, & themes, & ideas, & everything just feel so familiar. He attempts to have the same kind of quirky humour that was present in his first film, but it doesn't work, and neither do the fantasy elements. The performances are mostly okay, but Hudson feels miscast.

Second film I've seen Joey King in this week, very impressed with her work in both. Everyone turns in a good show here and it's a strong effort from Braff

Exceptionally average at best.

Inigo Montoya...you are my father....prepare to die!

Story of an awful father / wanna-be actor as an inspiring teacher... A parade of undercooked ideas... You've really got it wrong Zach Braff.

Same old indie dramedy with a Jewish twist.

Zach Braff is a great writer/director, and a charismatic, charming, and affable actor. Joey King is unexpectedly good as Grace, and Josh Gad works well as Braff's brother. The music is superb, and surprisingly enough the humor is consistently good throughout. The one thing that holds this movie back is the miscasting of Kate Hudson. She has almost no chemistry with Braff and after years of doing terrible Rom Coms lacks the talent/believability to pull off the more emotional and dramatic scenes.

corny and predictable; contrived.. tried to do too much;

Sort of rambling slice of life.

Quirky, interesting, just misses what it is trying to do. Enough scrubs references, Zach braff and Star Trek references that if it were on tv I wouldn't necessarily change the channel.