Saturday, July 26, 2014

Film: Wish I Was Here








GENRE: Comedy / Drama
RATING: R for language and some sexual content
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 46 minutes
STARRING: Zach Braff (Scrubs, Garden State, Oz Great & Powerful)
Kate Hudson (Almost Famous), Josh Gad (Frozen, 21)
DIRECTOR: Zach Braff  (Garden State, some Scrubs episodes)
WRITERS: Zach Braff (Garden State) & Adam Braff (crew of Chaplin)
PLOT: A middle aged man is at a crossroads in his life, career and family when he finds out his disapproving father is dying.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:
1 I have always enjoyed Zach Braff’s work. I find him extremely relatable for some reason. I loved Garden State. This is not as good but I still enjoyed it. There are great moments throughout but also some parts drag and are a little too schmaltzy. But my man-crush on Braff forgives the slowness.
2 I like all the actors Braff brought aboard. It was awesome seeing him with Turk again (Donald Faison) even though it was a small moment. Jim Parson (Big Bang Theory) practically got his start in Garden State, so it was fun to see him in another Braff film. I haven’t seen Alexander Chaplin (Spin City) in ages, so that was fun. And of course, Mandy Patinkin as Braff’s father was outstanding even though at times he seemed more beard than man.
3 There’s a spaceman thread that runs throughout the film. I understand the meaning but it didn’t really work for me.
4 I love the use of the swear jar. What a great prop.
5 The soundtrack is not as tight as Garden State but there are still some gems in there. I loved the use of Paul Simon’s ‘Obvious Child’.

RECOMMENDATION: Wait for the rental
UPCOMING REVIEWS: Lucy; Guardians of the Galaxy

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