After a brief teaser for Zach Braff‘s next directorial effort, Focus Features have dropped a new look of the dramedy following a 35-year-old struggling actor, father, and husband trying to find purpose in his life. If you enjoyed his last feature Garden State, then there’s bound to be something here for you. For others, there’s a good deal of cloying music and phrases you would find on a Hallmark greeting card.
We weren’t exactly fans of the drama out of its premiere, saying in our full review, “There’s big questions about faith and meaning in Wish I Was Here, and Braff is clearly passionate about digging into the complexities that come with even breaching these impossibles subjects. Unfortunately, the film spends so much time trying to define itself, we’re never allowed to immerse ourselves into the experience. There are real-world problems at hand in Wish I Was Here that deserve a bit more care and balance from the filmmaker.” Check out the new trailer below, also featuring Kate Hudson, Mandy Patinkin, Josh Gad, Ashley Greene, and Joey King.
Wish I Was Here is the story of Aidan Bloom, a struggling actor, father and husband, who at 35 is still trying to find his identity; a purpose for his life. He winds up trying to home school his two children when his father can no longer afford to pay for private education and the only available public school is on its last legs. Through teaching them about life his way, Aidan gradually discovers some of the parts of himself he couldn’t find.
Wish I Was Here opens on July 18th.