A tropey, whimsical romance
Irish Wish is a very simple romcom chock full of tropes and archetypal characters. However, for those after a cosy, simple romance to watch this weekend, you’re bound to be in your element with this one.
Lindsay Lohan channels her inner hopeless romantic in a film that asks one very simple question – if you could wish for the perfect guy and the perfect marriage… is it really a perfect happily ever after or just a fleeting fantasy?
The story centers on Maddie, who is in love with writer Paul, whom she helps edit (see: write) his novels for him. The pair have good chemistry but Maddie is too scared to tell him how she feels. She laments her chance and misses out to her friend, Emma, who makes the move.
Fast forward several months and Emma is preparing to marry Paul, and the pair are ready for their happily-ever-after. Maddie meanwhile, begrudgingly shows up and laments her missed opportunity. On the way, she finds a Wishing Chair where a strange, magical lady shows and encourages her to make a wish. And that changes her fate forever.
What follows hits all the usual checkboxes you’d expect from a film like this. Maddie realizes that her heart is being swayed by another guy, James. James and Maddie have great chemistry and props to the actors for that, as they really help to elevate the material they’re given. As for the rest of the cast… well they’re just kinda here as the archetypal players to move the story from point A to point B.
The real draw of the film though is Ireland itself. The sets are beautiful and with the use of drones and long, sweeping establishing shots, this really does feel like an advert for the country sometimes! It’s strange then because to be honest, Irish Wish feels rather cheap and the wardrobe leaves a lot to be desired, which lacks the pizzazz or style some of the other films in this field adopt to paper over the wafer-thin script.
Ultimately, Irish Wish is a very simple, very easy watch. It doesn’t even clock in at 90 minutes and during that time the movie happily embraces all the usual tropes of the genre. If that sounds like your cup of tea (or pint of Guinness) then you’re bound to enjoy this little guilty pleasure. For everyone else though, there are too many flaws to really recommend it.
Read More: Irish Wish Ending Explained
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Verdict - 5/10
5/10