Wish I Was Here

Wish I Was Here, Zach Braff’s belated follow up to his 2004 feature debut Garden State, plays like an unofficial sequel to that surprisingly winning picture. Wish I Was Here also stars Braff, this time not as a mid-twenties, single, moderately successful TV actor struggling with family and identity issues, but as a mid-thirties, married, unemployed actor and father of two, struggling with family and identity issues. The film features some strong scenes and a few solid laughs, but too much of it feels contrived, maudlin, and self-indulgent. Written by Braff and his brother Adam, the film seems autobiographical, yet it lacks the specificity required to make personal material feel universally relevant. With the exception of the relationship the film’s various characters have to their Judaism, most other issues wrestled with in the picture come off as generic. Especially problematic is the character of Braff’s overweight, loner brother played by Josh Gad (Frozen, Thanks for Sharing, Love & Other Drugs). Gad should provide plenty of comedy and pathos, but we’ve seen this character too often and neither the actor nor the script find anything fresh to do with him. On the other hand, the radiant Kate Hudson turns her two-dimensional role of Braff’s supportive wife into the best part she’s had since her break-out in Almost Famous (2000), and young Joey Lynn King (White House Down, Oz the Great and Powerful, Crazy, Stupid, Love) shines as Braff’s daughter--the best written character in the movie.