wish you were here – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

MOVIE OF THE WEEK January 17, 2025: WISH YOU WERE HERE

January 13, 2025January 13, 2025 Jennifer Merin betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, gabby kono, isabelle fuhrman, jennifer grey, jennifer merin, jimmy fails, julia stiles, Kelsey Grammer, leslie combemale, lionsgate, loren king, Mena Massoud, nell minow, Phiphen Studios, sandie angulo chen, sherin nicole, wish you were here

Star-crossed lovers have been fighting for moments of happiness on the silver screen — and giving audiences an excuse for a good cry — ever since movies were invented, from Romeo & Juliet to An Affair to Remember to The Fault in Our Stars. Actor Julia Stiles’ feature directorial debut, Wish You Were Here, proudly joins the three-hanky club as it tells the story of Charlotte (Isablle Fuhrman) and Adam (Mena Massoud), whose one-night stand leads to something much more profound.

Reviews

WISH YOU WERE HERE – Review by Leslie Combemale

January 7, 2025January 13, 2025 Leslie Combemale Isabelle Furhman, jimmy fails, julia stiles, Melody London, Mena Massoud, renee carlino, wish you were here

You’ve seen this traditional story before, offered up in the great tradition of Dark Victory, Love Story, and, more recently, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. Boy meets girl, love happens, but oops, one of them is dying. This feature directorial debut from Julia Stiles, who co-wrote the screenplay with Renée Carlino based on Carlino’s novel, is in that mold. There’s a reason tearjerkers are a viable sub-genre. They’re love stories with a side of schadenfreude. Stiles mines the genre well, allowing for a bittersweet love story good enough to question its death trap January release.

News

WEEK IN WOMEN: Julia Stiles to helm WISH YOU WERE HERE Brandy McDonnell reports

June 16, 2021June 19, 2021 Brandy McDonnell directorial debut, julia stiles, phiphen pictures, renee carlino, twiw, week in women, wish you were here

Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated actor Julia Stiles is partnering with Phiphen Pictures for Wish You Were Here, which will mark Stiles’ feature film directorial debut. “I’ve been looking for the right story to direct as a feature for a while and have finally found it with Renée Carlino’s Wish You Were Here,” states Stiles.