Movie Review: Wish I Was Here, Zach Braff’s film has mixed results

ZACH Braff impressed Hollywood with Garden State, but his new film Wish I Was Here had 60,000 Kickstarter investors, who may be disappointed.

Wish I Was Here (M)

Director: Zach Braff (Garden State)

Starring: Zach Braff, Kate Hudson, Mandy Patinkin, Josh Gad.

Rating: **1/2

A decade ago, Zach Braff held the hottest filmmaking ticket in Hollywood, courtesy of his impeccable writing and direction of his debut feature, Garden State.

However, when the former star of TV’s Scrubs finally got around to redeeming that ticket last year, the expiry date was long since past.

Not to be thwarted, Braff got his belated follow-up financed through the online crowd-funding platform Kickstarter.

Though Braff’s new effort falls short of Garden State — both in terms of mass appeal and as a polished finished product — his 60,000 investors have not quite done their money cold.

Braff stars as Aidan, an unemployed actor who has been keeping his family afloat due to the patronage of his rich old man.

Actor and director ... Zach Braff stars as an unemployed actor in Wish I Was Here.

But now that Dad (Mandy Patinkin) has contracted a terminal disease, the cash flow has slowed to a trickle. The first luxury to go is the kids’ private-school education.

From now on, they will be homeschooled by a reluctant (and emotionally remote) Aidan. Meanwhile, Aidan’s supportive wife (Kate Hudson) is beginning to feel the pressure as the household’s sole wage earner.

In love ... Kate Hudson and Zach Braff star in Wish I Was Here.

To be honest, Wish I Was Here strains hard to get all deep, meaningful and mystical about situations that are a dime-a-dozen on any old TV drama.

Nevertheless, Braff and his very strong cast excel in the film’s quieter, less contrived moments. A faint disappointment, but hard to fault for having its heart in the right place.

Originally published as Movie Review: Wish I Was Here, Zach Braff’s film has mixed results