Wish I Was Here

The title is baffling, the film self indulgent, the message confusing and the raison d'etre dubious. It has to be personal. Nothing else makes sense.

Zach Braff honed his comedic skills as Dr Dorian in Scrubs. Now that he's bankable he has written (with brother Adam) and directed a movie about death, being Jewish and keeping a family together. He brings in Goldie Hawn's daughter (Kate Hudson) to be his screen wife and Mandy Patinkin from Homeland to be his dying father. It's like the pilot for a new TV series.

Aidan Bloom (Braff) is an actor who "hasn't worked since that dandruff commercial". Sarah Bloom (Hudson) has a job and yet they struggle to bring up two children in Hollywood, although it's fun when Aidan does his Jim Carrey impersonation. Their six-year-old son is the mature one.

Aidan's brother (Josh Gad) is a loser who stays in a mobile home by the beach and fiddles about with computers, living the artificial life of a knackered hacker. When Daddy's cancer flares up and it's edge-of-the-abyss time, Aidan visits the hospital and they discuss life, disappointment, regret and the usual confessional detritus that spews forth when The Grim Reaper comes knocking at the door.

You wonder, why am I listening to this old guy banging on about forgiveness? And why does Aidan's hangup about the Jewish thing matter?

"Nurse, how do I get out of here?"