‘What You Wish For’ Review – A Decadent, Deadly And Devilish Thriller

The following review contains some minor plot spoilers.

We’ve all imagined a different life than the one we have now. There are flashes of envy, even wishes to trade places with someone else. As is often the case, be careful what you wish for because it might come true. This is the premise of What You Wish For—a high-octane thriller of deliciously evil proportions. Set against the decadent backdrop of a hillside mansion, a chef grimly switches places with a friend at a high-priced job cooking for the world’s elite. However, the menu is unlike any on earth, and the main course is life and death. This slow burn takes its time, but the film is genuinely cooking once the tension ignites. The fear and adrenaline are so palpable you can cut with a butter knife. Brilliantly written and well-acted, What You Wish For is a chef’s kiss.

The film begins at a calm. We meet Ryan (Nick Stahl), a chef down on his luck and on the run from some gambling debtors. Fleeing town, he arrives in a Latin American country. He stays with his friend Jack (Brian Groh), a master chef who cooks for the elite. Jack’s decadent lifestyle and carefree life, catering to the rich and famous, makes Ryan envious. However, Jack also hides his own secrets, and it is those secrets that bring about a twist in Ryan’s life. 

Next, as the plot thickens, a dark turn of events forces Ryan to assume Jack’s identity. Now, as a master chef, he must prepare a meal for an elite dinner party. The film takes its time, building suspense like a predator toying with its prey. The biggest shock comes when the organizers casually reveal that the meal will be human flesh!

 First, Second, Third, and Fourth course, all procured from an unsuspecting local. The moment we learn the meal will be a cooked body, it is played with causal coolness, and it evokes a wicked dark humor. Imogene (Tamsin Topolski) is devilishly calculating yet ironically funny in her delivery. The audience rides with Ryan through this twisted culinary tale that draws inspiration from Twilight Zone episodes and even a dash of The Menu. There is a feeling of the walls closing in as Ryan cannot escape and must cook this meal for his wealthy patrons. 

Through its inner workings, the film reveals why the real Jack suffered a conscience crisis. For all the envy Ryan had for his friend’s job and lifestyle, he now finds himself trapped in a world that is likely to devour him in one bite should he attempt to flee. He even asks Maurice (Juan Carlos Messier) how he is reconciling this kind of job. His justification arrives in an exquisite dialogue that captures this script’s brilliance. “Do you feel sorry for the pig when you eat the bacon?” Chills!

 The stakes are raised tenfold in the second act. After procuring the meal of a local man in town, a detective (Randy Vasquez) crashes the dinner. He is looking for the missing person, who happens to be his nephew. A white-knuckle dinner follows in which Ryan must keep cooking, even as the body count rises—the film crescendos with a grizzly finish sure to be jarring as it is frustrating. 

What You Wish For is a brilliant and darkly funny story about envy. The ending is a palette cleanser that seals Ryan’s fate but instills in the audience a foreboding sense of being careful about what you wish for. The film is unbelievable on its premise but deeply real in its execution as a study of greed and human nature. The twists are cleverly concocted, and the whole meal is like the perfect dish. It is indescribable but rewarding in its fulfillment. 

What You Wish For will debut in select theaters and on VOD on May 31, 2024, courtesy of Magnet Releasing.