To write a successful piece of criticism a critic should utilize insight, evidence, and context to effectively convey their opinions. Lucy Vernasco’s article about Zach Braff’s recent summer flick “Wish I Was Here” clearly demonstrates the three elements. In addition to displaying these elements, she also makes a larger statement about the frustration between generations and an overarching sense of selfishness reflected in the main characters and current society.
Vernasco begins her essay on a personal note, while shedding some light on Braff’s previous directorial debut in the indie classic “Garden State.” The bar is set high for “Wish I Was Here,” because of her admiration for his previous film. She also gives context on how Braff’s recent pic came to fruition, stating that “Braff decided to crowdfund ‘Wish I Was Here’, raising over $3 million from individuals.” Unfortunately, Vernasco claims that the film falls flat and is lackluster. She also states the interesting use of Kickstarter, wondering why Braff didn’t fund the project himself.
Vernasco gives some description of the plot of the film, to set the story for the readers. (The Tl;dr: a 30 something year old struggles to find his identity while schooling his super quirky and stereotypical kids cue The Shins.)
“If individuals are collectively funding a film that hopes to be inspiring, the end result should be as dynamic and diverse as the people who pony up to support it. Instead, the film feels absurdly self-centered.” Vernasco writes. She backs up her claim by referencing a scene where Braff’s character Aiden learns that his father’s life been limited by cancer. All Braff can muster is the rudely inappropriate question of whether or not his ailing father can still afford his two children’s pricy private schooling. Vernasco also mentions that Aiden is a out of work actor who seems to mock his wife’s (played by Kate Hudson) own struggles with her career. Vernasco reiterates how Aiden is seemingly wrapped up in his own life, and the “search for his identity.”
Vernasco repeatedly mentions how the whole film has an these overtones of selfishness. From how the film was funded to the way Braff’s characters were written, Vernasco has a beef with “Wish I Was Here.” She is actually so outraged with the mundaneness, cliche characters, and selfish plotline that she actually gets up and leaves partway through the film.
Being convinced by some Braff loving fans, Vernasco goes back to the theatre to complete what seems like torture for her. After going in the first round with high hopes, Vernasco lowers her expectations for round two. She feels that the second half of the movie does not have any qualities that redeem itself from the earlier portion of the film, stating that the main characters are too static, and have nothing meaningful to say. She wonders to herself if these are characters we can find in the real world, and decides that it is really this “hipster wisdom” that makes audiences eat this type of film up.
A dreamy hipster soundtrack and some starry eyed “quirky” characters can fool plenty of people into loving Braff’s “Wish I Was Here,” but Vernasco begs to differ. With a self-centered production and uninspiring writing, Vernasco feels the feature misses the mark. Successfully utilizing insight, evidence, and context she is able to clearly convey her distaste for the film, while communicating a larger idea behind the morals and motives of the pic.
