REVIEW: Lindsay Lohan Is Pure Gold In ‘Irish Wish’

Lindsay Lohan is back again with a new Netflix Original rom-com, Irish Wish. Directed by Janeen Damian and written by Kirsten Hansen, we have another outlandish story on our hands. Lohan plays Maddie Kelly, an editor madly infatuated with the Irish author she is all but ghostwriting for, Paul Kennedy (Alexander Vlahos). When Paul starts flirting with Maddie’s best friend, Emma (Elizabeth Tan), she gets jealous.

And less than a year later, when Maddie’s attending their wedding in Ireland, she gets so jealous that she wishes upon Saint Brigid that she was the one marrying Paul. Of course, the wish comes true, but not everything is exactly how Maddie dreamed it would be. Especially as she starts falling in love with a traveling photographer, James (Ed Speleers)

Let’s get this out of the way. Irish Wish has incredibly corny dialogue and a ridiculous premise. Netflix rom-coms aren’t exactly famous for having strong screenplays. But director Damian and her producer husband, Michael Damian, are soap opera royalty. Michael is a long-tenured member of The Young and the Restless as Danny Romalotti. The couple has been involved in soaps, Hallmark movies, and Netflix rom-coms for decades. Exaggerated emotions, ridiculous plots, and the occasional touch of magic are in their blood.

But we’re not watching Irish Wish for the plot. We’re watching it for Lindsay. She put her entire heart and soul into this movie. In a movie that doesn’t ask much of its actors, she puts in the hard work. In a movie with a few too many bad lines of dialogue, every word she says feels like she means it. And in a movie where the story is pretty silly, you can sense that she believes completely in each in every moment.

It’s so, so wonderful watching Lohan in Irish Wish. She gives 100 percent to every scene, and never once does it feel uncanny, over the top, or out of place. No, the other actors aren’t giving nearly as much body or soul to their performances. And yes, the acting is just fine as it is. But with every line reading and every display of emotion, Lohan sells me so thoroughly. It’s thrilling to watch her be so clearly invested in the role, perhaps especially because it is so hokey and because nobody else really is.

There’s something about Lohan’s performance too, though, that feels like she is channeling something from her past. The movie has a soap opera and Hallmark quality to it. It’s hard to describe, but you know it when you see it. Which makes Lohan’s Disney Channel Original Movie energy quite desperate. I actually yearn for the version of this movie whose whole energy and jokes match Freaky Friday the way that Lohan’s does. There’s a curiosity, wonder, and innocence to her performance. It truly feels like you’re watching a version of her and the characters she played from 20 or 25  years ago. And it’s utterly endearing, even if it doesn’t quite match the tone of the rest of the movie.

The rest of the movie has an imbalanced tone. The score is strong. It evokes the whimsy and magic of Ireland and its wishes. But it also delivers romance really well. The set designs are a little lifeless, even if they’re lush green and rather elegant. It all just feels like cookie-cutter Irish-sploitation mixed with run-of-the-mill excessive wealth. The Kennedy family mansion and even the expensive cars lack personality. However, the colors and scenery in the more nature-focused scenes are quite pretty. And the costuming is grand. Every one of Lohan’s outfits rocks. She gets to wear her personality as a stand-out who still blends in well. The dresses and even Kennedy’s wedding quilt are also quite nice.

Irish Wish has a whole subplot with Maddie’s mother trying to get to Ireland to attend the wedding. Saint Brigid, of course, keeps getting in her way, however. The whole movie I kept thinking that this would amount to something. I figured that her mother would somehow play a major role in Maddie realizing her mistake and having her fix it. It almost feels like maybe an earlier version of the script included something like this. But ultimately, the mom scenes are all just played for laughs and receive a limited audience. Cutting it out altogether would have no impact on the plot or the characters, and ultimately, the story is better off for not having Maddie’s problems magically solved from the outside.

I cried the whole last ten minutes of Irish Wish. I know that I’m famously somebody who will cry watching any and every movie, but Lindsay Lohan’s performance was just so special to watch. If you don’t watch Irish Wish for the just fine magical rom-com of it all, watch it for her. And let her be cast in as many movies as her heart desires, because her whole heart is so clearly in this one. Every moment spent watching Lohan is worth its weight in Irish gold.

Irish Wish is streaming now on Netflix.