I initially thought "Wish You Were Here" seemed fairly mid and wouldn't have gone out of my way to watch it. However, with its three screens, my local small-town theater surprised me by getting it weeks after it left most theaters. I generally try to support indie movies whenever they make it to our area since it doesn’t happen often. In this case, I felt bad for them for booking a movie that most people around here won't even know exists. So, I figured the least I could do was go see it.

Unfortunately, it couldn’t even meet my already low expectations. I’m sorry to say, but it was actually quite terrible. The whole thing felt rushed, and I never believed in the couple or felt any real connection. It’s pretty bad when one of these contrived romantic tearjerkers doesn’t get me to shed even the smallest tear. I’m a fairly easy target for these kinds of films, yet this one was so surface-level. It was just going through the motions, and the characters were all one-dimensional. I will say that if two actors have great chemistry and make me really root for their characters to be together, even a shallow script can be forgiven. That just wasn’t the case here.

Maybe my expectations were just too high. This isn’t some awards-caliber film, after all. But I’ve seen plenty of these kinds of films that do work. Not too long ago, there was a Netflix romance movie called "Love at First Sight." I’m not sure how many people agree, but from the start, I was captivated by the chemistry of the leads. Their connection felt so genuine that I didn’t need much backstory to believe in their romance. While it might not be a great film, I really enjoyed it, mainly because of the central romance.

That was missing in "Wish You Were Here." The characters meet early on, and after one brief, seemingly unspectacular night, we’re supposed to believe the main character is head over heels for this guy. And I thought I got attached to people quickly! Yet, in "Love at First Sight," I was entirely captivated by the romance after they spent just one night on a plane together. I promise this will be the last time I mention that film, but it serves as a recent example of a fluffy, romantic dramedy adapted from a book that had me swooning from the very first encounter.

I am a fan of Julia Stiles, but her initial venture into writing and directing a feature-length film is, regrettably, a disappointing one. I refuse to place all the blame on her shoulders. The direction is not terrible, but from what I understand, the source material from which it is adapted is not particularly strong. Therefore, she may have faced an uphill battle in creating a successful adaptation. Hell, maybe the book is just so bad that this actually was a successful adaptation of it. Should she undertake another film project, I hope it is something less generic.

Isabelle Fuhrman, who reunites with Julia Stiles after acting together in "Orphan: First Kill," is capable of delivering strong performances. She was excellent in the little-seen film "The Novice." Unfortunately, I do not think she had much opportunity to shine with this screenplay. While her performance is not bad by any means, like all her co-stars, she does not have much to work with. It is a pity because she is clearly talented, but even the best actors can only do so much with a weak script.

Although I do not have much to say about the performances, I feel I should mention the other half of the couple, Mena Massoud. I found his performance to be fine. I have only seen him in the film "Strange But True," but I do not recall much from that film, so I cannot really compare his performances.

On the bright side, at least it was mercifully short, as I was definitely ready for it to end. But I do feel good about supporting a lesser-known film, especially one playing near my small town. Even if this one was bad, if it helps keep more independent movies coming to our area, then I’ve done my part. For this reason alone, "Wish You Were Here" didn’t quite make me wish I hadn’t been there watching it.

I do feel a bit guilty rating this film so low, as I understand the immense effort that goes into making a movie. Honestly, I doubt I could create something of this caliber myself. However, as a discerning moviegoer, it just didn't work for me. Despite this, I remain a fan of Stiles and Fuhrman, and I look forward to their future projects.

D+