‘Wishful Thinking’ Review: Lewis Pullman and Maya Hawke Lead a Kooky, Enthralling Romantic Fantasy
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The tale of a young couple of whose collective mood manifests in the world around them, “Wishful Thinking” sounds quirky and cutesy on paper. However, the feature debut by Graham Parkes is something else entirely, merging a magical premise with a starkly realistic, anxiety-inducing relationship comedy-drama, buoyed by stellar lead performances and immensely impressive audio-visual […]
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Mar 17, 2026 12:32pm PT ‘Wishful Thinking’ Review: Lewis Pullman and Maya Hawke Lead a Kooky, Enthralling Romantic Fantasy Graham Parkes’ gonzo debut is an emotionally volatile send-up of 'The Secret' By Siddhant Adlakha Plus Icon Siddhant Adlakha Latest ‘DreamQuil’ Review: A Satirical Sci-Fi Soap Opera That Doesn’t Fully Connect 21 hours ago ‘The Saviors’ Review: A Passable But Timely Genre Mystery Rooted In Islamophobic Fears 2 days ago ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’ Review: A Gentle, Rigorous Queer Coming-of-Age Story 2 days ago See All The tale of a young couple of whose collective mood manifests in the world around them, “ Wishful Thinking ” sounds quirky and cutesy on paper. However, the feature debut by Graham Parkes is something else entirely, merging a magical premise with a starkly realistic, anxiety-inducing relationship comedy-drama, buoyed by stellar lead performances and immensely impressive audio-visual control. It’s a blast of misery and euphoria bouncing off a filthy funhouse mirror, announcing the arrival of a director to watch. Struggling musician Charlie (Lewis Pullman) and indie video game designer Julia (Maya Hawke) are out of sorts, and out of sync. Parkes symbolizes this through occasional split-screen shots of skylines slightly misaligned in color and angle; the film has all the subtlety of a sledgehammer, and all the forceful momentum too. The couple has been together long enough that their alternating fracas and flirtations have become a familiar rhythm. We first meet them in the cramped house they share in Portland, Oregon, as a supportive check-in about Julia’s latest character designs dovetails quickly into a manic plan from Charlie to whisk her away to Italy, which in turn sparks an argument about her busy work schedule that feels like their umpteenth disagreement about the subject. Popular on Variety During this and similar scenes, Parkes and cinematographer Christopher Ripley maintain an unpredictable, handheld intensity for lengthy takes, as...
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