Plot Summary: After breaking the mysterious "One Wish Willow" to win his crush's heart, a hopeless romantic finds himself getting exactly what he asked for but soon discovers that some desires come at a dark, sinister price.

Director: Curry Barker

Writer: Curry Barker

Runtime: 1 hour 48 mins

• Michael Johnston as Bear
• Inde Navarrette as Nikki
• Cooper Tomlinson as Ian
• Megan Lawless as Sarah
• Andy Richter as Carter

Review by: Samuel

What I Liked:

It’s unfortunate that I cannot give away too much here without spoiling. But, if you’ve read the synopsis or seen the trailer, you know the movie is about the repercussions of a wish. Specifically, the wish one friend Bear (Michael Johnston) makes, which is that his longtime friend and crush Nikki (Inde Navarrette) falls in love with him. 

Every great thing this movie offers involves the actions of Nikki after the wish is made. The comedy, comedy, and cringe all stem from her. Inde Navarrette is EXCELLENT. I know a movie like this won’t get much Oscar consideration, but she gave my favorite performance of the year. Unhinged, crazy, or even obsessed aren’t the correct adjectives to describe her character because she is so much more. Again, I need you to see exactly what she gets up to, so I won’t even give examples of her behavior, but there is shock, amusement, and general horror associated with her. 

Speaking of the horror, this is what I like. Like Weapons or Barbarian (also from a YouTuber turned director), this film doesn’t rely on traditional scares. It’s not jump scares or a boogey man or religious imagery that it relies on. Instead, the film makes you uncomfortable while the thing that is supposed to scare you remains in full sight- so there are no surprises; you just KNOW that you don’t like what you are seeing because there is something wrong with it (even if you don’t know what exactly it is) and it’s making you tense up. 

I also like that the movie knows what it is and doesn’t try to be too grandiose. We have 4 characters we deal with, and the film takes place in very few locations around town, so it feels grounded. Add in the fact that it’s less than 2 hours, and you have the perfect film for this reviewer. 

What I Didn’t Like:

As much as I love Nikki’s character, I felt the opposite for her co-lead, Bear. It has nothing to do with the actor and everything to do with the character. He is more than just unlikeable (which I wouldn’t mind). He is borderline evil in the way he feigns ignorance. At first, when the wish is made, you aren’t sure if anything is wrong or if Nikki is just being eccentric; however, that uncertainty fades quickly. Now, as obvious as it is, Bear chooses not to acknowledge it, even when it’s clear that this could escalate to something dangerous. So, we see someone we know has intelligence acting like an idiot in the face of OBVIOUS trouble. It happens often in films, and I never like it, though for what it’s worth, at least they try to explain Bear’s lapse in judgment….I just didn’t buy it. 

Images Courtesy of IMDB