Wish I Was Here – Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Chris Eberle

Synopsis

Aidan Bloom (Braff) is a hard-working Jewish father trying to make it as an actor. His wife Sarah (Kate Hudson) supports the family working at the Water Department. When Aidan’s father enters the final stage of terminal cancer, he is forced to pull their two children out of the expensive private school they’ve been attending. He tries to home-school them with mixed, and often hilarious results. Meanwhile Aidan tries to bring his brother Noah back into the family before their father Gabe (Mandy Pantinkin) passes away. In the process everyone learns some hard life lessons and is forced to choose between self-fulfillment and family.

Commentary

Zach Braff not only starred in and directed this film, he also wrote the screen play. I had not seen him in a movie before and he does a good job of pulling off dry humor with a bit of intelligent wit and a healthy dose of irreverence. Kate Hudson turns in a fine performance but I was a little confused by her casting as the matriarch of a traditional Jewish family. It is mentioned that she is half-Jewish but her character doesn’t seem to fit into the story very well. The two kids, played by Joey King and Pierce Gagnon, steal the show here with great brother/sister chemistry. They play off each other like seasoned pros and provide plenty of funny moments. Mandy Patinkin also does a superb job as the dying father desperate to let his sons know he’s proud of them after a lifetime of saying otherwise. Overall, Wish I Was Here is a poignant drama with a decent balance of comedy and plenty of thought-provoking elements; definitely recommended.

Technical

The image is sharp and well-detailed with consistent contrast, deep blacks where appropriate and rich saturated color. My only comment is the color interpretation is sometimes a bit extreme. A prime example is in Sarah’s office where the florescent lighting casts an extreme green tint over everything. It was almost like watching The Matrix for a few minutes. Most scenes are presented in deep warm hues with natural colors and vivid flesh tones.

The DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack is competently mixed with good balance and an accurate sound stage. I feel a little more attention could have been paid to ambient effects as a counterpoint to the well-centered and clear dialog. With a little more life in the background, it could easily have earned five stars.

Extras

Bonus features include deleted scenes, a short gag reel and audio commentary by Zach Braff and his production team.