Lindsay Lohan elevates pleasantly mediocre "Irish Wish"

Irish Wish (2024)

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) with whom she had a meet-cute 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. Read the full review at GuyAtTheMovies.com

Grade: C +

Netflix released "Irish Wish" (93 min.) on March 15, 2024.