A gentle romantic fantasy comedy.
According to IMDb's trivia, Wished was optioned by producers to be remade as a Hollywood film (2019) and it's easy to see why: it's a really charming romantic fantasy that has appeal for both sexes, the men lapping up the wish fulfilment, and the ladies loving the gooey lovey-dovey side of things (OK, I admit it... I enjoyed the romantic stuff too). The humour is gentle (not too much of that wacky Asian comedy that I tend to struggle with), meaning that it will translate well for Western audiences.Yu Xia plays insurance salesman Ma Fendou, who really hasn't got his act together: he isn't successful at his job, he is lousy at basketball, and he very stupidly breaks up with his hot girlfriend Ren Shanshan (K-pop babe Victoria Song), who goes to model for an advertising campaign and returns engaged to be married.
Seeing an opportunity for some mischievous fun, Earth Goddess Shangguan Furong (Ni Yan) tells Ma Fendou that she is granting 19 of his old wishes in chronological order, starting with those from his preteen years and working forwards. Of course, he doesn't believe a word of it, at least until they start to come true. Fantasy fun ensues, as Ma Fendou grows hair like a childhood idol of his, gets his teenage dream bedroom, becomes the object of desire for his hot high-school teacher, become a wiz at basketball, and much much more (to tell any more would be spoiling the fun).
But even though Ma gets a lifetime's worth of wishes granted, he realises that he doesn't have the one thing he really wants: Shanshan; he's the guy who didn't appreciate what he had until it was gone. In a predictably mushy but still satisfying ending, he trades all of his wishes for one more chance at happiness with the girl of his dream. Corny it might be, but it still does the trick, bringing the film to a heartwarming conclusion - just the kind of thing that Hollywood likes to turn out (although a remake probably won't be as good).
score 7/10
BA_Harrison 10 January 2021
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw6462723/35927
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