Movie Review: What You Wish For

I saw What You Wish For at the Chicago Critics and to be honest, it was not one of my most anticipated movies of the festival. The film was barely on my radar as a movie coming out this year. The only reason I went to see it was because following the film was a screening of Martin Scorsese’s Bringing Out the Dead on 35 mm (which was amazing) so I thought I’d give the movie a whirl since I needed to be at the theater anyways and I could not be happier with my decision. What You Wish For is a spectacular film and one of the biggest surprises of 2024 so far.

Nick Stahl stars as Ryan, a chef with a gambling addiction who is down on his luck. Owing a lot of money with no way of paying it, Ryan flees to a Latin American villa where, following some unfortunate events, he takes on the identity of another man. Ryan’s life soon takes a dark turn when he finds out what the man did for work.

Writer/director Nicholas Tomnay has crafted a slick Hitchcockian thriller that is endlessly captivating and surprising. I never knew where this movie was going and felt like every few scenes would conjure a gasp or “whoa” or “holy shit” from either myself or someone else in the crowd. It’s one of those movies where the big twist is revealed in the second act, but it makes the third act of the film even more intriguing because you become more invested in the characters, and it makes the events that take place that much more interesting and thrilling. I have seen movies before like What You Wish For that completely biff the landing for several reasons. That isn’t the care here. The entire third act had my heart racing and my palms sweating. It’s shocking, devilishly fun, and intense as hell.

Stahl is excellent as a man who is constantly in over his head. His gambling problem has gotten him in such hot water that his mother’s life is being threatened as he hangs out in Latin America seemingly away from his troubles. But taking the identity of another man turns his life upside down, despite the financial freedom it allows. While we are never exactly rooting for Ryan, Stahl is compelling as the audience surrogate and plays a lying scumbag well.

What You Wish For shows us how lies, addiction, and greed can take you to the darkest places your mind couldn’t think of and does so in smart, shocking, intense ways. Tomnay has crafted one of the best thrillers of the year.

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