Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
Aidan Bloom, a struggling actor, father and husband, is 35 years old and still trying to find a purpose for his life. He and his wife are barely getting by financially and Aidan passes his time by fantasizing about being the great futuristic Space-Knight he'd always dreamed he'd be as a little kid. When his ailing father can no longer afford to pay for private school for his two kids and the only available public school is on its last legs, Aidan reluctantly agrees to attempt to home-school them. Through teaching them about life his way, Aidan gradually discovers some of the parts of himself he couldn't find.
Wish I Was Here is a heartfelt but uneven indie drama-comedy from Zach Braff that revisits the introspective, quirky aesthetic of Garden State. The plot has genuine emotional beats around fatherhood, faith, and purpose but struggles with tonal inconsistency and underdeveloped subplots. The ensemble cast — including Josh Gad, Kate Hudson, and Mandy Patinkin — delivers solid if unremarkable performances. Visually it has some warmth and style but nothing particularly distinctive. The film's core conceit and fantasy sequences feel derivative of Braff's earlier work, making it feel more like a retreading than a fresh vision. The ending is sentimental but somewhat unearned, wrapping up loose threads too neatly.