We were told that Lindsay Lohan was decidedly “back” when she starred in “Falling for Christmas” at the end of 2022. That film was a run-of-the-mill festive movie which saw Lohan shrugging off her bad girl image for something a little more wholesome. Though the film was categorically average, it did seem that the Dubai-based actress was, at least a little bit, “back” after years out of the spotlight.
It’s a trend Lohan is seeking to continue with “Irish Wish,” a fantasy rom-com on Netflix which sees her star as Maddie, a book editor for handsome Irish author Paul Kennedy – who is also the subject of her unrequited love. When Paul (Alexander Vlahos) invites her to Ireland to celebrate his wedding, a heartbroken Maddie stumbles upon a magical stone chair (yes, really) presided over by a whimsical, mischievous Irish woman (yes, really) with the power to grant your heart’s desires. Maddie wishes she was the one marrying Paul and, lo and behold, she wakes up the next morning transformed into his bride-to-be.
Which would be great if she hadn’t already had a contrived and clumsy meet-cute with handsome photographer James (Ed Speleers, slumming it here in sharp contrast to some of his excellent recent work). Having set up the requisite rom-com ingredients, director Janeen Damian then lets her leading lady at it — cue a series of bumbling set pieces, longing glances and awkward conversations which lead to a climactic showdown when Maddie must decide whether to stick with her new life or try to get back the one she wished away.
To be fair, there are few actors better than Lohan at pulling off this kind of by-the-numbers romantic fluff. But this is far from her best work and far from her best film — even by rom-com standards, “Irish Wish” is pretty dire. Every set piece feels dated and derivative, every exchange between the stars lacks any sense of natural conversation or connection.
Rom-coms often get a bit of a pass because they give audiences exactly what they expect. Sadly, in this case, what viewers should expect is some awkward faux-romance and precious little comedy.