THREE WISHES
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1995 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 6.2
United States, 1995 U.S. Availability: wide release 10/27/95 Running Length: 1:55 MPAA Classification: PG (Mature themes, brief nudity) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Cast: Patrick Swayze, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Joseph Mazzello, Seth Mumy, David Marshall Grant, Diane Venora, David O. Sanders, Michael O'Keefe Director: Martha Coolidge Producers: Clifford Green, Ellen Green, and Gary Lucchesi Screenplay: Elizabeth Anderson based on a story by Clifford and Ellen Green Cinematography: Johnny E. Jensen Music: Cynthia Miller U.S. Distributor: Savoy Pictures
Frankly, I'm not entirely sure at what audience THREE WISHES is aimed. With its wholesome, politically-correct story, it seems focused at the under-15 crowd. Yet, considering the slow pace and relative dearth of action, adults might be the only ones with the patience to sit through these two hours. The result is a film that doesn't have a strong appeal for any age group. Some viewers will undoubtedly be charmed by this mystical, whimsical motion picture, but it's doubtful there will be enough fans to save it from a quick box office death.
In recent years, Patrick Swayze has been attempting to broaden his image, branching away from the hunky, action-oriented roles he gravitated towards in his early Hollywood days. (Has it really been that long since DIRTY DANCING?) After starting down this less-traveled road in 1992 with CITY OF JOY, Swayze has continued along the path with the likes of TOO WONG FOO and now THREE WISHES. Here, he plays a drifter without a penny to his name, and there's not a fist fight to be found. Hardly a traditional heroic image.
As the soundtrack, which includes such tunes as "Do You Believe in Magic?" and "Earth Angel", indicates, THREE WISHES is about dreams and magic. Its message, which is all-but-shouted from the rooftops (subtlety is not the film's strong suit), is that we should all stop yearning for what we can't have and "find happiness in whatever [we've] got." Just because there's a piece missing from the puzzle of the American Dream doesn't mean that life can't be wonderful. This is a very traditional theme, and one that's probably a little too obvious for a sophisticated movie-going audience.
Of course, for those not impressed by the message, there's a heavy element of nostalgia to inhale. Set in 1955, THREE WISHES is full of pastel reminders of $13,500 dream houses, old TV shows like OZZIE AND HARRIET, and two-parent families where the mother tends home and the father provides. The story opens on Memorial Day at a cemetery for veterans of the Korean War, where Jeanne (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) and her two sons, Tom (Joseph Mazzello) and Gunther (Seth Mumy), have come to remember their father, whose plane was shot down several years ago. On the way home, an accident occurs which changes the direction of the fatherless family's life. A dog runs in front of Jeanne's car and, when she swerves to avoid running it over, she instead hits a man--a vagrant named Jack (Patrick Swayze) who is just passing through town. Feeling guilty about what has happened, Jeanne invites Jack to spend time at her house until his broken leg has healed. As it turns out, however, the man and his dog are more than they seem.
As relatively pleasant and undemanding as this film is, it runs a little too long, primarily because the setup takes the first half of the movie. THREE WISHES appears to have undergone some fairly heavy editing to get it below the two hour mark, however, since several minor subplots are left dangling. The film opens and closes with brief contemporary (1995) scenes that might have better underscored the primary theme had they been given a greater portion of the running time.
Character development is also on the weak side. While the primary four (Jack, Jeanne, Tom, and Gunther) are likable, none of them possesses amazing depth. Basically, they're just well-acted stereotypes with a few interesting lines of dialogue. The supporting characters fare far worse--there isn't an interesting one in the whole lot. From uptight parents to bullying kids, everyone is lifted directly from stock, with little attempt made at fleshing them out.
Darker than Capra, yet somewhat reminiscent of (albeit inferior to) classics like IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, THREE WISHES has a good heart, effective direction by Martha Coolidge (RAMBLING ROSE), and solid acting -- yet the occasional meandering of the script doesn't allow the movie to be as engaging or enchanting as it ought to be. THREE WISHES is all about the supernatural, and, considering the nearly impossible-to-market nature of the subject matter, it's going to take a major miracle for more than a handful of people to see this film in theaters before its quick transfer to video.
- James Berardinelli (jberardinell@delphi.com)
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