IRISH WISH - Mark Reviews Movies

Irish Wish, Netflix

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Review by Mark Dujsik | March 15, 2024

Be careful what you wish for and all that, because you might find yourself in a gimmicky romantic comedy that doesn't have a clue what to do with its premise. That's certainly the case with Irish Wish, which might serve as a fine boon for tourism in Ireland and shows there's still a decent amount of star power remaining in Lindsay Lohan. Otherwise, the movie is in such a rush to hit every imaginable cliché that it downplays the potentially thorny and funny idea at its center.

Lohan plays Maddie Kelly, who isn't Irish, despite having that name and living in a New York City that looks suspiciously unlike the city in physical form but is convincing enough whenever the actors are in front of a green screen. Well, the city looks better, but the green-screen effect is as cheap as some throwaway prologue fodder can be. The title makes it abundantly clear that we're not here for any American sights, after all.

Anyway, Maddie's a successful book editor, with her most recent editorial coup being working on a novel by Irish import Paul Kennedy (Alexander Vlahos). The book's a big hit, and Maddie is too smitten by her author to say too much about the fact that she essentially co-wrote the novel and hasn't received any public or private credit for it. She's certain Paul has similar feelings for her, but despite the insistence of her mother (played by Jane Seymour) that Maddie should tell Paul how she feels about him before it's too late, it quickly becomes too late for Maddie.

Paul meets Emma (Elizabeth Tan), one of Maddie's best friends, at an event for his book's release. They lock eyes, keep talking through the night, and don't take Maddie's hints that it's getting kind of late. Several months later, Maddie and her other friend Heather (Ayesha Curry) have arrived in Ireland for a destination wedding. The bride and groom, of course, are Emma and Paul.

Has it mentioned yet that, in addition to being tragically indecisive, Maddie is also quite the klutz? Does such a thing even need to be mentioned once one realizes what kind of movie this is? Well, she is, and that leads to a couple examples of screenwriter Kirsten Hansen's more generic humor, which usually doesn't even give us much of or any payoff to the setups (Maddie almost knocks down an expensive vase, and that's the end of that joke).

It is, though, how Maddie meets the other guy in this story, because of course there's one. A character who lets a man on whom she has a crush basically steal her hard work isn't going to be content at the end without at least the potential for a suitor. Is this charming in its traditionalism or just insipid and generally belittling? Opinions will vary, obviously, but for as much charm as Lohan brings to the role, it is a shame her character is such a stereotypically love-hungry bore.

The other guy is James (Ed Speleers), a photographer who happens to have the exact same style and color of suitcase as Maddie, leading her to wrestle over it with him, despite his common-sense advice that she should probably look at the tag before making such an unnecessary scene. Forget common sense, though, when such an avoidable conflict is entirely necessary to the movie's plot. The suitcase spills out all his clothes, and she somehow mistakes a pair of boxer shirts for one of her skirts (What are the odds that the two would have two very different things that apparently look exactly alike?).

Focusing on these details is becoming too much, but they are, essentially, the entire point of the movie. That's too bad, because the hook here shows some potential. Maddie makes a wish in an ancient wishing chair that she and Paul will get married instead, and the embodiment of Saint Brigid (Dawn Bradfield) grants her that wish. There are couple of funny gags here, such as when Paul appears quite comfortable in front of Maddie in the shower or when he wraps his arm around his bride-to-be, but since Maddie doesn't know or isn't used to the idea of being intimate with this man, she reacts exactly as one would expect to seeing a friend naked or having an arm grab you in the middle of the night.

Otherwise, the story is a just a slew of typical complications and conflicts, set against some lovely Irish locations and unfortunately finished before the filmmakers can take advantage of the couple clever bits they've devised. On the other hand, Irish Wish is graciously over before it becomes too irritating in its contrived predictability, as well.

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