Netflix’s Irish Wish is a charming, if formulaic movie that reinforces the notion that we are indeed in a rom-com renaissance, and Lindsay Lohan is certainly one of the biggest names in the genre these days. It’s also a very clear reminder that, more often than not, life is not greener on the other side.
The movie has issues that are inherent to the premise, but it shines when the cinematography takes center stage and the couple at the center of the rom-com gets to banter. Ireland is a beautiful place to visit and a magical place to set a movie in. Then there’s Lohan and Speleers, who do a great job with the charming, bordering on snarky chemistry required for Maddie and James. There’s more in their first not-so-cute meet-cute (and their second one) than there is in any interaction Maddie has with Paul, whether it is in the life she is supposed to be living, or in the one she wished for.
In fact, poor Paul, it’s hard to even understand why Maddie is so desperate for a life with him as, despite Alexander Vlahos’ attempts to make him an entertaining dude, he’s got all the charisma of a piece of unbuttered toast. The best we can say about him is that we don’t wish him badly, because Emma seems to care for him and he does seem to genuinely care for her back. But that’s about where the good wishes end.
That’s part of the problem with the premise, that we don’t really care for the life wants to have, and that the movie relies on Maddie learning a lesson, and therefore, will always, by defect, need to “start over” with the characters, once the lesson is learned. And though, of course, we are meant to believe Maddie and James can recreate that spark, that means the moments we witnessed never happened. That’s kind of a bummer considering how much we actually enjoyed those interactions.
Of course, the message remains, and we hope what Maggie and James taught each other isn’t something that cannot be replicated. Irish Wish does a really good job of calling back to the golden age of rom-coms when the romance wasn’t just about what one character wanted, but where the story was about what both characters learned. In that, the movie really works.
It’s just that, after all that driving, after all those pictures, that dance …to think that the same wish that gave you something you didn’t actually want can take away the thing you didn’t realize you did need, it makes the movie feel like not all that much happened.
But the romance works, the chemistry between Lohan and Speleers certainly works, the tone of the movie works and if there’s a perfect place to fall in love, it’s certainly Ireland. All of that is more than enough to check out Irish Wish, a movie that will do more than entertain you. If you give it a chance, this movie will charm you. It will make you Google flights to Ireland. And, perhaps, it will even make you appreciate the things you do have.
Irish Wish is available to stream on Netflix.
LOVED this movie!!