Wish I Was Here: Blu-ray Review
The Movie:
Aidan Bloom (Zach Braff), a husband and father of two, is set on pursuing his dream as an actor when his father (Mandy Patinkin) reveals he’s battling a serious illness. As the announcement disrupts Aidan’s day-to-day existence, his decision to homeschool his children will lead him on an unexpected journey of discovery about fulfillment and family.
Garden State was a film that left such an impression on me (and everyone else I’m sure) and became such a cult hit that I was certain it would’ve launched Braff into a full on career as a director. It didn’t entirely happen that way and in a sense I’m glad it didn’t. It took about ten years for us to get another thought provoking and emotional piece of work from Braff again and I’m not mad at all. He took the time out to make sure that what he was going to bring to the table was a story with depth and meaning and it shows so much in this film. Braff gives such a funny and heartwarming performance that it just makes you have the same feelings had when you initially saw Garden State. Kate Hudson is great as always and her character is basically the glue of the family which makes for some really sweet moments but also some that make you just want to hug her and tell her “It’s going to be okay”. I’ve said it many times before that Joey King was going to have a really bright career ahead of her and she shows so much maturity even as a teen actress. She really is one to keep an eye on. The main focus of the story is basically Aiden dealing with being a husband, a father and a son all while still trying to keep his dream of being an actor alive. It’s pretty much a balancing act the entire film with him also realizing more about life and prioritizing certain things. It truly is a film about self discovery which are always great to me because most of the times they send out some really positive messages. If you loved Garden State then there’s no doubt that you’ll dig this film too and if you’re a Braff newbie then this just might surprise you. This is hands down a definite buy.
Special Features:
Deleted Scenes – LOTS of really good scenes here that in some cases would’ve added to the film.
Directing While Acting – An interesting feature that shows the challenges in wearing two hats while making a film.
Aston Martin Dealership Outtakes – These are short but really good seeing as it features Donald Faison and Braff going back and forth.
