Wish You Were Here Reviews

Living on the British seaside during the mid-1950s, teenage Lynda (Emily Lloyd) attracts the attention of her puritanical neighbors by openly displaying her sexuality. Her mother has been dead for some time, and her father (Geoffrey Hutchings) cannot cope with raising a daughter, especially one who consistently embarrasses him. WISH YOU WERE HERE is a slice-of-life comedy-drama about average folks. Unfortunately, the result is a rather ordinary coming-of-age picture that throws in some standard traumas. What sets WISH YOU WERE HERE apart is Emily Lloyd. She sparkles on-screen and carries the weight of the entire picture with her lovely smile. Although first-time director David Leland has a gold mine in Lloyd, he clutters the film with grotesque characters who give this small British town a surrealistic circus quality.