Film

Wish I Was Here

A mid-life comedy-drama about a struggling actor who becomes an unorthodox homeschool teacher when his father's health fails. It's tender and funny without being precious, full of genuine mess and half-baked ideas. For anyone who's felt stuck between the person they meant to be and the one they've become.

TMDb rating3.3

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Captain Fantastic2016

Viggo Mortensen as an idealistic father teaching his kids unconventional wisdom in the woods. Warm, messy, funny—it finds beauty in parental struggle without sentimentality or easy answers.

But The indie dramedy earnestness might feel heavy-handed. Some plot threads resolve too neatly for a story about real family complexity.

Captain Fantastic poster

The Fundamentals of Caring2016

A road movie about unlikely connection between a broke caregiver and his teenage charge. Funny and genuine, with Paul Rudd at his most human and least smugly charming.

But The mismatched-buddy formula is well-worn. If you're tired of indie films discovering that people need each other, you'll see it coming.

The Fundamentals of Caring poster

Hunt for the Wilderpeople2016

A grumpy old man and a foster kid in the New Zealand bush. It's witty without winking, warm without being sentimental, and genuinely moves you without asking permission.

But The quirky tone takes a while to settle. Very much a Taika Waititi film, which some find mannered rather than charming.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Wish I Was Here

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Parenthood1989

Both use parenting—especially the unprepared kind—as a way to explore identity and purpose. Both find humor and dignity in people trying to be better than they have permission to be.

Ron Howard's episodic look at four generations navigating the same fundamental question: what are we for, as parents? Sweeping in scope but intimate in moments, warm without being sappy.

But It's an ensemble cast piece from the late 80s with a very broad emotional range. Some storylines feel dated, and the film sometimes reaches for the heartstring rather than letting things breathe.

Parenthood poster
More like this (8)

Manchester by the Sea2016

Casey Affleck as a man forced to become guardian to his nephew, navigating grief and inadequacy. Achingly real, with silences that say more than dialogue ever could.

But It's relentlessly bleak and slow. The film refuses catharsis or emotional shortcuts, which can feel punishing rather than cathartic.

Manchester by the Sea poster

The Pursuit of Happyness2006

Will Smith and his real son as a father and child facing homelessness while chasing opportunity. Genuinely moving without exploiting its subjects, rooted in real struggle and stubborn hope.

But It's fundamentally an inspirational story, which can feel manipulative if you're resistant to the form. Some melodrama lurks beneath the surface.

The Pursuit of Happyness poster

About a Boy2002

A cynical bachelor (Hugh Grant) becomes entangled with a struggling single mother and her son. Funny and knowing, but with real tenderness underneath the snark about stunted adulthood.

But It's very 2000s in its sensibility about masculinity and relationships. The tonal shifts between comedy and drama can feel jarring.

About a Boy poster

Maggie's Plan2016

Greta Gerwig as a woman plotting to fix her friends' marriage by inserting herself as a romantic catalyst. Clever and deadpan, with genuine affection for its characters beneath the scheme.

But The premise is contrived and the indie aesthetic might feel tired. It banks on chemistry you may not feel between its leads.

Maggie's Plan poster

Christine2016

Saoirse Ronan as an ambitious TV reporter in 1970s Florida pursuing ambitions that destroy her. Heartbreaking and precise, about the cost of wanting more than your world permits.

But It's slow and relentlessly sad, with no redemptive arc. If you need your narratives to go somewhere, this will feel static and punishing.

Christine poster

The Skeleton Twins2014

Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig as estranged siblings reuniting after one attempts suicide. Surprisingly tender and honest about family damage, funny because that's how real people survive pain.

But It's a trauma narrative that hinges on a suicide attempt. Some scenes are uneasy to watch, and the tonal shifts between absurdist comedy and genuine crisis can feel destabilizing.

The Skeleton Twins poster

BoJack Horseman2014

Both feature men stuck in fantasy versions of their own lives, slowly realizing that real connection with their kids is the only thing that matters. Both balance biting comedy with genuine paternal tenderness.

A talking horse actor in LA struggles with fame, depression, and his role as a stepfather. Animated comedy that's viciously funny about mediocrity while remaining tender about the people trapped inside it.

But It's brutal about its characters, especially early on. The animation style is deliberately flat and ugly, and the first season takes time before the emotional weight becomes clear.

BoJack Horseman poster

The Edge of Seventeen2016

Both examine the teaching moment—whether explicit or implicit—where an adult tries to pass something real to a younger person, and both surprise by suggesting that honesty about failure might be the most valuable lesson.

Hailee Steinfeld as a smart girl navigating the wreckage of adolescence and family collapse. Painfully funny and unexpectedly generous about its characters' capacities for harm and forgiveness.

But It's acidic and sometimes cynical about teenage years. Some may find it too dark in tone or too focused on the alienation of youth to be comforting.

The Edge of Seventeen poster

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