Irish Wish Movie Review: Wholesome and Light-Hearted Entertainment
Cast: Lindsay Lohan, Ed Speleers, Alexander Vlahos, Elizabeth Tan, Ayesha Curry
Director: Janeen Damian
Streaming Platform: Netflix
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 3/5 (three stars)
Irish Wish is available for streaming on Netflix, a romantic film directed by Janeen Damian and written by Kirsten Hansen which marks the second collaboration between the actress and the platform after Falling for Christmas. Motion Picture Corporation of America, Riviera Films, and Wild Atlantic Pictures produce the production. What we want is not always what we need. It’s not just a saying but a great lesson – as well as a reminder – given to us by the new Netflix romantic film with Lindsay Lohan, Irish Wish. The streaming platform has launched a new romantic comedy starring the very famous red-haired American actress who plays the role of a young editor who doesn’t dare to tell the man she likes that she’s in love with him. So she loses the opportunity to have the life she has always dreamed of until, one day, she is given the chance to live that much-desired life that she was convinced would make her happy. But will it be like this?
Be careful what you wish for because you might get it! This is what Madeline aka Lindsay Lohan will learn (at her own expense) in this second romantic comedy which confirms the partnership between the actress and the streaming giant and officially marks her return to the screen after many years of hiding. Irish Wish lands today on Netflix – Just a Wish, a fun rom-com set in Ireland that will surely touch the right chords in the hearts of lovers of the genre. The protagonist of the film is an editor madly in love with a writer and client of hers, Paul who, however, is about to marry her best friend. But a wish expressed in Ireland will mess up all the cards on the table, magically changing the woman’s destiny. As we will see in our review of Irish Wish, the one directed by Janeen Damian is an all-round romantic comedy, an hour and a half of healthy and lighthearted entertainment as predictable as it is comforting. But, in its simplicity, it also manages to find space for interesting food for thought: is what we think we desperately want really what we need?
Irish Wish Movie Review: The Story Plot
Madeline “Maddie” Kelly (Lindsay Lohan) is a New York editor madly in love with one of her clients, the successful writer Paul Kennedy (Alexander Vlahos), to whom, however, she has not yet been able to confess her feelings. But during the party for the release of Paul’s new book, the latter meets Maddie’s best friend, Emma (Elizabeth Tan), and the spark immediately strikes between the two: after only a couple of months of engagement, the two organize their wedding in the splendid Irish estate of the groom’s family, inviting Maddie as a bridesmaid. Once they arrive in Ireland, while the happy couple is engaged in a romantic boat trip, our protagonist comes across a magical stone chair, known as the “wishing chair”; here, encouraged by a mysterious woman who suddenly appears, the woman expresses her desire to marry Paul Kennedy. The following morning, to her total disbelief, Maddie wakes up in the bridal chamber with Paul, as her betrothed. Perhaps, however, she wasn’t the best choice and an English photographer (played by Ed Speleers) she met at the airport could soon make her retrace her steps.
Irish Wish Movie Review and Analysis
Irish Wish fits wonderfully into the rom-com genre which, as we well know, is often born and dies within its tropes, so predictable but also so comforting. The one directed by Janeen Damian is the perfect comedy for those looking for an hour and a half of healthy and carefree entertainment without great pretensions which, despite the (comic) misadventures of its protagonist, has good humor and positivity. In this case, however, lack of originality does not mean superficiality, and, between a series of amusing misunderstandings and a wild dance in an Irish pub, there is also interesting food for thought, which then represents the key to understanding the entire film: Is what we think we desperately want really what we need, what is right for us? Irish Wish wants to remind us that true happiness is often not hidden behind a simple ideal to which we believe we aspire but in the reality of the choices we make every day. For this reason, just like our protagonist throughout the film, before understanding what we desire, we should become aware of who we really are.
2022 has allowed Lindsay Lohan – after almost a decade of hiding – to put a foot back in the magical world of romantic comedies, thanks to the Christmas rom-com Falling for Christmas (of which you can find our review ); but it is with Irish Wish – directed again by the emerging director Janeen Damian – that the actress officially marks her return to the genre, with a role that, in a certain sense, recalls those that made her famous at the beginning of her career her. Yes, because, just like in The Parent Trap, Freaky Friday, and Mean Girls, here Lohan becomes the protagonist of exchange, taking on the role of someone else, roles which, inevitably, end up being too tight for her. The role of her, however, fits her perfectly, representing an opportunity (well exploited) for the actress to demonstrate to her loyal audience that she still possesses that light-heartedness and comic streak that has always characterized her work, Di Lei.
Lohan also has a nice advantage in this film: as executive producer, she had the opportunity to surround herself with the people closest to her to shine at her best. Her real-life best friend, Ayesha Curry, plays one of her on-screen besties, Heather, while her brother Dakota Lohan makes an appearance as her groomsman. Finally, sister Ali Lohan sings two songs on the soundtrack. However, does what we think we want to correspond to what we need and want? Life often teaches us that the correspondence between what we desire and what we want is not so obvious and it is precisely this that Netflix wants to remind us with this film which, in a very pleasant hour and a half of viewing, entertains us but reminds us also that happiness is not hidden behind a dream or an idea but behind the reality of facts and the awareness of who we really are.
Lindsay Lohan, with Irish Wish, returns to Netflix in the film genre that best belongs to her and which has made her known throughout the world: the rom-com, the love film par excellence where two people meet, fall in love, they face obstacles, understand their mistakes and then, in the end, love (the real one) triumphs. Irish Wish fully fits into this genre of story from which she takes inspiration in her classic version to enrich it with modern references and a fresh and current point of view. Thus, Irish Wish, from which we initially didn’t expect much, becomes a nice surprise from Netflix which is once again ready to make us reflect on several important themes related to love but not only. Irish Wish can focus on themes that everyone can identify with desire, regret, love for oneself and for others, addiction, and the habit of thinking that happiness is behind an imaginary and perfect life and not behind the imperfections of reality.
Irish Wish, with a simple story, not too original but successful both thanks to the actors and a good screenplay, becomes a way to rethink one’s life, to stop regretting that choice not made or that love not experienced, and to understand that only by following one’s nature, putting oneself first and keeping one’s feet on the ground can the much-desired serenity arrive. After all, possible and unrealized futures, however tempting, are never better than the life we already have, even if only for the fact that this is the only one that is real and modifiable with our choices. Fresh, light, engaging, and with some very interesting food for thought, Irish Wish is the perfect romantic comedy for those looking for entertainment but also a bit of depth. It is the ideal title for those who love romantic films but also for those who are in crisis with their life and are looking, in an art form, for help in making choices, changing something, or revolutionizing their way of living from the approach to love, to a career.
Irish Wish Movie Review: The Last Words
Irish Wish is an all-round romantic comedy, an hour and a half of wholesome and light-hearted entertainment that is as predictable as it is comforting. But, in its simplicity, it also manages to find space for interesting food for thought: is what we think we desperately want really what we need? Let yourself be inspired by Lindsay Lohan in Irish Wish, be enchanted by the majestic Irish landscapes that frame this romantic and dreamy story, and give a chance to a film that doesn’t inspire you because often it’s precisely what we don’t want to see or do that we draw the greatest lessons.
Irish Wish Movie Review: Wholesome and Light-Hearted Entertainment - Filmyhype
Director: Janeen Damian
Date Created: 2024-03-15 17:21
3
Pros
- Lohan's Back: Lindsay Lohan delivers a winning performance as Maddie, the protagonist. Reviewers appreciate her charisma and ability to make you root for her character
- Picture Perfect Ireland: The movie boasts stunning visuals of the Irish countryside, complete with dramatic cliffs and rolling green hills
- Easy-Watching Fun: It's a predictable story, but that's part of the appeal. If you're looking for a feel-good escape with a touch of magic, Irish Wish fits the bill
- Good Chemistry: The lead actors, Lindsay Lohan and Ed Speleers, have a believable connection that keeps the romance engaging
Cons
- Clichéd Plot: The movie doesn't stray far from familiar rom-com tropes, so expect a few eye rolls
- Forgettable: While enjoyable, it's not a movie that will leave a lasting impression
