Wish You Were Here Review: Julia Stiles’ Directorial Debut Doesn’t Quite Land
Julia Stiles' directorial debut doesn't quite come together but still features great performances from Isabelle Fuhrman and Mena Massoud. The post Wish You Were Here Review: Julia Stiles’ Directorial Debut Doesn’t Quite Land appeared first on JoBlo.
PLOT: A woman searching for a spark finds a whirlwind night of romance with a man only to discover he is terminally ill and commits to helping him spend his last days living life to the fullest.
REVIEW: It’s always exciting when a veteran actor decides to step behind the camera to make a movie. Years of experience in front of the camera often results in a unique view behind it. I’ve always loved Julia Stiles in front of the camera so it’s great to see her make the leap to directing. Based on Renee Carlino’s book of the same name, Wish You Were Here follows Charlotte (Fuhrman) who is meandering through her young adult life. But when she meets Adam (Massoud), her life is flipped upside down in a way that she doesn’t expect, as he reveals he has a terminal illness.
Just based on that plot, it’s not hard to imagine a slew of romantic tropes being used here. In fact, if you use a “romantic trope” bingo card while watching, you’re going to have a winner before the end of the first half. And that’s because Carlino’s book lacks in originality at every turn. And it’s only when the film gets away from her writing that it seems to get interesting. Isabelle Fuhrman and Mena Massoud make for a great romantic pairing but how their relationship is presented is a bit uninspiring. Many of their scenes feel manufactured and there’s not a lot of natural progression. It’s more “these people are supposed to fall in love” versus actually showing how they did, which is sadly a common occurrence throughout the film.
That’s not to say there aren’t good performances here. Isabelle is not your typical lead and that’s a shame as she’s wonderful. She brings such a vulnerability to Charlotte and somehow manages to keep her likeable despite the questionable decision-making she puts on display. Mena Massoud‘s Adam is sweet but written in a way that makes him rather unpredictable. Gabby Kono-Abdy is chaotic as Charlotte’s roommate, Helen. Jennifer Grey is really thriving as Charlotte’s eccentric mother, who wants nothing more than for her daughter to find a man. Between this and A Real Pain, she’s finding herself a really nice niche within indie dramas. Kelsey Grammer is really great in his very small role as her dad, and he nails the distant but caring father role perfectly.
As great as these performances may be, it’s really in spite of the writing and not being of it. Dialogue feels stilted, unrealistic, and over-written. There’s an entire subplot where Charlotte’s mom creates a dating profile for her and it’s the cringiest thing imaginable. It feels like people who have never online dated, trying to act savvy at it. And as stereotypical as the film can be, they do a good job with Charlotte’s dating life after Adam. A lesser story would have made Seth (Jimmie Fails) a douchebag, but they simply show that he was just “right guy at the wrong time.” Making him needlessly mean to provide conflict would have been the easy way out, so I’ll give them credit for that.
It takes a surprising amount of time for Wish You Were Here to get to the terminal illness reveal. If anything, the film feels like it’s about Charlotte and her being stuck in a rut, not really knowing her place in life. Which is very relatable but it doesn’t give any sense of intrigue. Much like Charlotte’s life, the story can feel a bit meandering. Thankfully the film really picks up once the illness is revealed and we get more of Adam and Charlotte interacting. But because it took so long getting there, the narrative has to speedrun through any potential emotional impact. I was genuinely shocked at the stuff they decided NOT to show us.
I’m not entirely sure of Stiles directing choices, as there are plenty of moments that don’t come across as intended. Take for example when Charlotte and Helen are watching the flag football practice for her Tinder date, and she goes from wanting to leave, to being okay to stay, with the implication that she wants to watch the hot guys play. Instead, we don’t get any shot to indicate that. Charlotte just changes her mind with no reference point. But what she lacks in visual clarity, she certainly makes up for with how she handles the performances. Everyone gives their best and Stiles captures them in a very natural way. The actors are constantly at odds with the awkward dialogue though, which can make for some awkward moments.
I really wanted to like Wish You Were Here but it doesn’t quite come together. There are some really good moments but it ultimately feels sloppy. And the ending feels so abrupt that I was shocked when the credits started rolling. I think most of the issues stem from the source material and there is still plenty of potential with Stiles as a director. Here’s hoping she can focus on what worked here and try something drastically different.
WISH YOU WERE HERE IS PLAYING IN THEATERS ON JANUARY 17TH, 2025 AND RELEASES DIGITALLY ON FEBRUARY 4TH, 2025.
The post Wish You Were Here Review: Julia Stiles’ Directorial Debut Doesn’t Quite Land appeared first on JoBlo.
