Irish Wish parents guide: Lindsay Lohan delivers a cute rom-com
Lindsay Lohan is back on Netflix in Irish Wish, a movie that reminds us we need to be careful what we wish for. This is no horror movie, though. Instead, it’s a cute and thoughtful rom-com that will make the teens in your house wish there was a sequel.
In the flick, Lohan plays a book editor named Maddie who is in love with Paul, played by Versailles’s Alexander Vlahos. She thinks that he is the man of her dreams, and gets to experience that when she makes a wish in the leadup to his wedding to her best friend in Ireland. Well, it turns out that Paul isn’t the man she’s supposed to be with.
The movie is officially rated TV-PG, and there are a lot of reasons for this. While younger audiences will miss the sentimentality, this is a great movie to watch with the tweens and teens in the house.
Irish Wish gives us lessons of the heart
There is a lot of Irish culture and mythology in this movie. For example: St. Bridget, a faithful Catholic known for starting monasteries and convents in Ireland is the one to grant Maddie her wish.
Sure, Maddie gets the wish, but that doesn’t mean Bridget is done messing with Maddie's fate. You see, while she gives Maddie what she thinks she wants, she also makes sure Maddie sees who her true soulmate is. That’s a photographer, James Thomas, played by Outlander’s Ed Speleers.
If you’ve seen any of Lindsay Lohan’s comeback movies, you’ll get an idea of what to expect. This really is a TV-PG movie. There isn’t any nudity on display. At one point, Vlahos’s character comes out of the shower, but nothing is shown. There aren't any sexual scenes and there is also no harsh language. Yes, there is a fight scene toward the end, but no gore is shown and it’s more of adults getting into old-school fisticuffs when things don’t quite work out as planned than a knock-down, drag-out fight.
The part that may go over the heads of younger children is the meaning behind the movie. There aren’t many fun moments for younger audiences. This is all in the storytelling: who your heart wants and who your heart deserves are sometimes two different people. It’s great for tweens and teens who are starting to date or realize their attraction to people, so they’ll gain a deeper understanding of love. For younger kids? Not so much.
Part of Maddie’s journey is about learning to stand up for herself. Tweens and teens can certainly benefit from this part of the story. We make ourselves smaller thinking that it’s better for others, but we all deserve happiness and that can mean having the courage to speak up.
So, if you’re looking for something for the whole family, Irish Wish isn’t it. If you’re looking for a rom-com to introduce the older kids to, Lindsay Lohan’s comeback movies are definitely worth watching, including this one. Now that's some luck!
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