Netflix’s “Irish Wish” (2024) is another forgettable romantic comedy on the streaming platform. The plot revolves around Maddie (played by Lindsay Lohan), who finds herself grappling with her emotions when her best friend and the ‘supposed’ love of her life announce their engagement.
Despite her inner turmoil, Maddie puts on a brave face to support them as a bridesmaid in their Irish wedding. However, everything changes when Maddie impulsively makes a wish for true love, only to wake up the next day as the bride-to-be herself. As Maddie navigates the surreal situation of her wish seemingly coming true, she gradually realizes that her true soulmate maybe someone unexpected.
The article contains spoilers; reader’s discretion is needed.
Irish Wish (2024) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
“Irish Wish” is about Maddie (Lindsay Lohan), a writer who currently works as an editor for a renowned Irish writer, Paul Kennedy (Alexander Vlahos). The film opens at the launch of Paul’s new book, which Maddie has essentially written for him. It’s evident that she is deeply in love with him, even though she only receives credit as an editor. At the launch, Maddie is ready to confess her love for Paul, but she waits for him to take the lead. However, her wish to marry Paul is shattered when he shows interest in her childhood friend Emma (Elizabeth Tan) instead of her.
Fast forward to the present, where Emma and Paul are preparing to marry at Paul’s Irish home, with Maddie merely attending as a guest. Upon arrival at the airport, Maddie’s luggage is lost, and she meets James (Ed Speleers) for the first time. During the journey back to Paul’s place on a local bus, Maddie discovers that James is a wildlife photographer planning to cover the sheep-shearing Irish festivities. They also clash over his dislike for Paul’s book.
Eventually, Maddie arrives at Paul’s mansion and feels uncomfortable witnessing his marriage to Emma actually happening. During a picnic near the lake mentioned in Paul’s book, Maddie is once again left out as others go boating.
Does Maddie’s wish come true?
While the others enjoy the picnic, Maddie goes and sits on a platform beneath a beautiful tree, talking to her mother. As she tells her mother how she wishes it were her marrying Paul instead of Emma, Saint Brigid appears and tells her to repeat her wish.
When Maddie wakes up next, she finds Paul in her room taking a bath. Initially bewildered, she soon learns that her wish has come true: her luggage is not lost, and she is the one marrying Paul, not Emma. However, in this new reality, Maddie’s insecurities surface when she can’t tag along with Paul on an early morning bicycle ride, and he goes with Emma instead.
Next, we see Paul’s mother taking over all the wedding arrangements, giving Maddie no agency whatsoever. At the bridal store, Maddie briefly notices Saint Brigid, who granted her wish and runs after her, only to stumble upon James. We also see Saint Brigid trying to mend the dynamics between James and Maddie. Maddie’s little mishap leads James to become the official photographer of her wedding.
Later that night, Maddie mistakenly hits Paul in the groin, causing him to cancel plans for location scouting. This leads to Maddie spending the day with James while Paul and Emma connect with each other once again. While Maddie and James are at a picturesque location, their chemistry is evident. James also helps Maddie realize that she has her own voice and shouldn’t just accept everything because Paul and his mother want it that way.
On their way back, Maddie and James get stuck at a local pub because a tree fell on the road. They have a great time together, and Maddie feels tempted to kiss him but refrains because she’s “getting married to Paul Kennedy.” Since they spend the night at the pub, they are late for the wedding rehearsal.
Additionally, at the rehearsal dinner, a game reveals how little the couple-to-be knows about each other. James witnesses this and confronts Maddie. However, she remains adamant about seeing her dream of marrying Paul come true and avoids temptation.
There’s also a subplot of Maddie’s mother trying to get to Ireland after Saint Brigid granted Maddie’s wish. However, at the airport, Saint Brigid conveniently resolves the plot.
Maddie realizes she’s making a mistake by letting her wish ruin things for Emma and Paul, who were deeply in love in the previous version. Talking to James, she realizes that marrying Paul isn’t what she truly wants; it’s a long-lost fixation. Maddie decides to cancel her wedding, hoping Paul will understand.
However, things turn ugly, and Paul gets into a fight with James. Maddie hadn’t realized that canceling the wedding wouldn’t bring James closer to her. Consequently, James feels guilty for destroying someone’s relationship and walks away after Maddie tries to persuade him with a kiss.
Irish Wish (2024) Movie Ending Explained:
What does Maddie do to make things right again?
Realizing that she has made everything go to shit, she decides to visit the magical spot again, begging Saint Brigid to un-wish her wish. She confesses that no matter what she does, Paul is not supposed to be a part of her story. After a little persuasion and luck, her wish is granted (again), and she is transported back to her old reality. She returns to the day of Emma and Paul’s wedding and wishes them well.
Will there be a happily ever after for James and Maddie?
Upon returning to her original reality, Maddie keeps looking for James at the wedding, but he is nowhere to be found. After the wedding is done, Maddie seems to have a hold on her life and not wait for her wishes to come true. So, before leaving the wedding venue, she confronts Paul about not being credited as a co-writer and tells him that she won’t work with him on a sequel until he decides to give her the credit she deserves. She tells him that she will rather put her time and energy in her own book now.
Next, she tries to reach out to James by going to the pub where he was staying. However, the owner informs her that James left just a while ago.
The ending of Irish Wish sees Maddie and James reuniting on a nearby bench, with James completely unaware of the new reality that Maddie has been a part of. He mentions a woman who told him to stay back in the town (assuming that it was Saint Brigid) and has decided to let go of the gig in Bolivia. Maddie tells him that she has also decided to stay back in Ireland to work on her book. Knowing that she would instantly click with James, she mentions the cliffs of Moher, and the final sequence leads us back to the pub that started their whirlwind romance. Is there a happily-ever-after? Of course! Only this time, she didn’t wish for it.
Irish Wish (2024) Movie Review:
Directed by Janeen Damian, who was also responsible for Lindsay Lohan’s previous Netflix vehicle, “Falling for Christmas,” this film presents another extremely uncomfortable romance that feels like a Hallmark movie that somehow found its place on the streaming service. The characters in Damian’s story are so thorny and unfunny that it feels like these actors had no other choice than to read their lines directly from the teleprompter.
Quite like its heroine, Maddie Kelly, the film is unsure of what it wants and more unsure about how to get it. Except for Ed Speleers, who plays James Thomas, barely managing to make his character have a semblance of authenticity, there is nothing here that is worth recommending. It feels like the film is so happy with its clichés that it never tries to have a personality of its own.
