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Wishful Thinking

Wishful Thinking (1999)

July. 12,1999
|
4.9
|
R
| Comedy Romance

A story told from three angles. Max meets Elizabeth; they live together, but when she talks of marriage, he balks. He becomes extremely jealous, probably without cause, and thinks she's taken up with a friend of his, Jack. Elizabeth, stung by Max's refusal to marry, catches Jack's eye, but the friendship seems innocent. Lena, who works with Max, likes him and realizes she can manipulate his jealousy and maybe engineer his split from Elizabeth. When she's sure Elizabeth is with a man, she calls Max at work, sending him home to confront the lovers. Then, Lena feels guilty and takes off for Max's apartment. What's really going on? Who's with Elizabeth?

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Reviews

Cubussoli
1999/07/12

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

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InformationRap
1999/07/13

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

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Erica Derrick
1999/07/14

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

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Philippa
1999/07/15

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

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Amy Adler
1999/07/16

Max (James Le Gros) and Elizabeth (Jennifer Beals) have been living together for some time. One day, Max offers Elizabeth a small jewelry box and she ecstatically believes he is proposing to her. However, inside the box is a glorified toothpick that Max contends will be a lucrative business idea. Elizabeth is deeply hurt and the couple begin pulling apart. Waiting to pounce on Max is a co-worker named Lena (Drew Barrymore), who lost her heart to him many moons ago at the introspective movie theater where they both toil. Elizabeth, too, finds solace with an attractive man, Henry (Jon Stewart) after meeting him late one night at a coffee shop. Yet, Max still obsesses about Elizabeth, seeing her face in all of the pot-boiling films he shows at the cinema. Is there a major breakup coming or a reconciliation? This is a wonderfully different romantic drama, with attractive players and an offbeat charm. Beals and Barrymore are both talented and very lovely in their roles, with Jennifer dressing simply but elegantly and Barrymore sporting one outrageous but arresting outfit after another. Le Gros is also fine as the mixed-up boyfriend while Stewart is a funny and handsome suitor for Beals. The scenery in and around Manhattan is nice and the production values very fine. Also interesting are the movie's technical attributes, which includes shooting scenes from different angles and substituting the faces of Beals and company in the old black and white films of long ago. Moreover, the script is quite inventive and original. In short, if your wish is for a nice romantic drama, with comedy and feeling, try this sweet but obscure film. After a viewing, you will definitely be thinking your made the right choice.

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whpratt1
1999/07/17

Enjoy most of Drew Barrymore's films and in this picture she takes a backseat in the very beginning of the film and you begin to wonder if she will appear. Drew plays (Lena) a girl who works at a movie theater and wears wild, way out clothes, but is pretty darn smart and crafty; especially when it comes to a man she wants and desires for a soul mate! Jennifer Beals, (Elizabeth),"Break a Leg",'05 shares her pad with a guy she thinks she loves and things start to change rather quickly. This guy is a movie projectionist (Years ago) who also invented a small floss device for the teeth which tastes like ginger and the people in Japan are nuts about this item. Lots of funny situations and great acting on the part of Jennifer Beals and Drew Barrymore.

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ViciousGerbil
1999/07/18

Okay, here's the deal. I recently saw this movie for the first time at 1 AM on NBC after Saturday Night Live. I was already tired and playing video games when I started listening to the start of this movie. I realized it was strange and crazy. I had to watch the whole thing, it just drew me in.Given these conditions, I thought it was the best movie I have ever seen. Seriously, it was funny and heartfelt at the same time. It was artistic and clicked perfectly into the things I had recently been thinking about. It deals with perspective in a way that lays bare the absurd self-righteousness we all carry about; showing that we are all just confused adventurers in this awkward landscape of life controlled by chance. If you like strange films and ideas and also have a soft spot for romantic comedies, I think you'll love this film. But I'm really not sure because I was really tired.

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GlenysThom
1999/07/19

I thought this movie was a comedy like "Never Been Kissed". The back of the box says something about "sexy, funny, etc.", so I took a chance. Thankfully I borrowed it from the library for free, because I'd want my money back if I rented it or paid to see it in the theatre.In all honesty, the premise is interesting - the same story told from three points of view. The problem with this movie is, it isn't funny, it isn't sexy and it takes a really a l-o-n-g time to get to the end. You just keep waiting for some kind of action, because it doesn't play as a good "chick flick".Drew Barrymore and Jennifer Beals are good, but James LeGros (as Max) is really irritating and it's unbelievable that either Drew or Jennifer would find him interesting and actually want to be with him.

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