‘Irish Wish’ Movie Review: Lindsay Lohan Charms In Pleasantly Mediocre Rom-Com
Photo from Netflix
From Jeremy Kibler
From her early career as a child star to her recent “Lohan-aissance,” Lindsay Lohan still seems to love starring in projects where she gets to switch places. Irish Wish is no different, and Lohan does get to showcase what made her such a lucky charm in the first place, even if she deserves to be granted fresher material. As innocuous comfort food that won’t change your life or ruin your day, Irish Wish is pleasant enough.
Lohan plays Maddy, a Manhattan book editor who’s in love with her boss, successful Irish novelist Paul Kennedy (Alexander Vlahos), who does not seem to have a clue. Never mind that Paul is an absolute drip and that Maddy is getting no credit for how much of Paul’s book is actually her work. Months after introducing her two best friends Heather (Ayesha Curry, Lohan’s real-life bestie) and Emma (Elizabeth Tan) to Paul, Maddy is traveling to Ireland for Emma and Paul’s wedding. But what if she made a wish on Saint Brigid’s bench that completely changed her path and made her engaged to Paul instead? Or, will Maddy finally realize Paul is a P.O.S. and fall for snarky but handsome photographer James (Ed Speleers) whom she had a meet-cute with at the airport baggage claim?
As long as a romantic comedy gives us leads with chemistry and makes the journey enjoyable enough, it’s sometimes okay when a film is a forgone conclusion from the word go. Irish Wish almost gets there, but not quite. Director Janeen Damian and screenwriter Kirsten Hansen resist bringing any interesting complications to this fantasy gimmick when following a nice, prefabricated romantic-comedy formula is much easier. Perhaps it’s too much to ask. On the plus side, compared to the previous Netflix-Damian-Lohan effort—2022’s blandly cozy trifle Falling for Christmas—Irish Wish looks like it has an even healthier budget. Despite some noticeable rear projection for a NYC scene, a lot of that goes to shooting on-location in picturesque Ireland.
Charming as ever, Lohan looks great and still demonstrates her knack and timing for physical comedy from the moment we meet her character in a scarf that gets caught in a taxi door. This is a fine vehicle for Lohan’s strengths, but over the course of the film, a few too many bits of slapstick and pratfalls render Maddy a complete klutz (cue the intrusively jaunty comedic score). Post-wish, she even keeps forgetting that she’s about to marry Paul when he climbs into bed with her. At least Lohan does find a good match in Ed Speleers, who’s charismatic and magically delicious, even if their banter is never as snappy as it should be.
Jane Seymour gets to play Maddy’s mother, a school principal in Des Moines, but she never once shares the same space as Lohan (or anyone really). Her inclusion is actually rather odd as this woman is only seen on the phone with her daughter, and right before she’s able to board a flight for Maddy’s wedding, a fall (or rather a fall manipulated by Saint Brigid) sends her to the hospital.
Lightweight and pleasingly scenic but still mediocre, Irish Wish delivers what you expect and nothing more. That might be enough for some. For her next project, Lohan hopefully can find one that’s worthwhile and not just cute.
Rating: 2.5/5
Irish Wish is currently on Netflix.
