You Wish! (2003 TV Movie) User Reviews (27)

Corny but enjoyable movie

[bumble472 · 6/10 · 15 January 2003]

This is one of those Disney Channel movies that is enjoyable to watch, but makes you want to smack the TV and has a sappy message at the end. Alex is a kid who wishes on a magic coin that he didn't have a brother and suddenly his life turns around: he has the "hot cheerleader girlfriend" and he's great at football. But he realizes that he'd rather have his old life back.

It makes you want to smack the TV because the whole time you want him to just go back to the coin shop and buy another magic coin. But, it's enjoyable and I'd recommend it to most people who don't mind watching Disney Channel Originals.

Not The Best Disney Movie

[Darkest_Rose · 6/10 · 6 March 2003]

Alex(A.J. Trauth) cannot stand his little brother Stevie(Spencer Breslin) and one day he finds a magic coin and wishes that he didn't have a little brother anymore. The next morning he wakes up, he finds his whole life turned upside down. His parents are rich, he is the school best football player, he is popular and he is dating the most popular girl in school Fiona(Emma Lahana). And of course, Alex doesn't have a little brother anymore and he has a new haircut! But of course, after a while, Alex is sick of his new life and misses his little brother to death. Let me just say that i thought A.J.Trauth did an excellent job, he is a very good actor and he's quite good looking, i hope to see more of him. The actress i was disappointed with was Lalaine(she played Alex's best friend), she cannot act, she stutters all the time and can't say any of her lines right, she sounds exactly the same as her character in Lizzie Mcguire. Other then that, the movie was alright, not the best disney movie but if you have nothing to do, it's a good way to cure your boredom. I would give You Wish 6/10

A Bad Wish In A Moment Of Weakness

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 14 February 2010]

Four American players and an all Kiwi supporting cast populate the credits of You Wish. Disney Studios filmed this pleasant and easy to take story in New Zealand.

I kind of, sort of identified with poor A.J. Trauth in this film. My brother and I are separated by about as many years as Trauth and Spencer Breslin. There were times he could be a real pain, but I would have been just as horrified as Trauth was when a bad wish in a moment of weakness was granted.

Trauth is your average high school kid who even though he's on the football team isn't quite total jock material. He has some oddball friends, at least some the cool kids would consider oddball and Trauth has some oddball hobbies like collecting coins.

Anyway Trauth comes across an old Roman coin from dealer Tim Reid and buys it. And then he's granted a George Bailey like wish for Breslin. He wishes he never was born and the next day wakes up in an alternative universe where he's the only child of Peter Feeney and Sally Stockwell.

No one will ever confuse You Wish with the Capra classic It's A Wonderful Life, but it's a nice feature, one of the Magic Kingdom's better made for television films.

I really loved it!!!!!!

[Maria100 · 24 June 2003]

You Wish was a really fun movie! I had a lot of fun watching it. I was already a big fan of AJ Trauth from Even Stevens, Lalaine from Lizzie McGuire, and Spencer Breslin from The Santa Clause 2, but now I like them much more. This movie is about a teenage boy, Alex who is incredibly annoyed at his younger brother, Stevie, makes a wish that he was an only child. The wish comes true and now he is very wealthy and the most popular boy in school. But he discovers that he is miserable because he misses Stevie and his best friends no longer want to have anything to do with him. So Alex and Abby (one of his old best friends) along with Terrence Russell McCormick (the movie star form of Stevie) try to figure out how to get Alex and Stevie’s old life back. Obviously, they succeed. I have already seen it a lot of times. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a funny film about brotherly love.

Not bad enjoyable

[rimagage · 7/10 · 13 July 2021]

Alex is a football player. Just not a very good one. He has 2 good friends and admires the other football players that he thinks are really cool. He's also crushing on the head cheerleader who, like the other football players, mocks him. He also has a little brother who is the golden child. Why do I say this? Parents: Let's go pick out a family pet. Alex wants a dog and Stevie wants a rabbit. But in the end instead if saying NO to Stevie and punishing him as he always threatens to scream. No can't risk that or punish him. Nope they cave because Golden Child wants a turkey. Yes, Turkey and the parents just look at Alex like sorry your brother wants this turkey so no dog. YOU also have to take care of your 10 year old brother's pet turkey. Dad doesn't seem happy but doesn't do anything. Honestly the parents suck. Alex yells at Stevie for being in his room and messing with his stuff Stevie screams that Alex hurt him. Instead of asking what was going on Dad yells at Alex. He does like the brother some as they watch horror movies together and even plays games with Alex's friends. Throughout the first half of the movie it's almost like Alex could leave home and the parents wouldn't care. It's all about Stevie. Alex told the brat not to touch his rollerblades. Not only was he caught wearing them but got jam all over it. Alex told mom she just rolled her eyes and didn't say one word to her golden child. Later Alex was forced to watch him and took him to the mall. Instead of parking him in the arcade he packed him with snacks and left him on a bench while he looked through a coin shop. Stevie snuck away and after getting bored wandering he finds a security guard and calls home. Then Alex is grounded for a month and Stevie gets 1 night of no tv.

As for the wish, his new life is almost perfect. Except for a few things and honestly very little of that is Stevie. Upside being an only child he geta all the attention. He now owns a dog. His parents are rich. He's now the quarterback and star athlete with lots of awards. The downsides are the jocks he admired; he realized they had a toddler's maturity level. Which his female friend pointed out in his old life but he ignored it then. They used to torment him. Now they torment his former male friend. His female friend also doesn't know him. He's dating the head cheerleader now and finds that she's just an airhead. She drags him around to go clothes shopping. His favorite activity was rollerblading with his friends. That's out.

Honestly I think if he could have remained friends with his friends and changed a few other aspects that he learned he didn't like he could have been happy. There were a few times he missed his brother but he seemed like he missed his friends and freedoms he had in his old life more than his golden brother.

The end waa sappy of well they'll teach Stevie to rollerblade and a few other sappy stuff. It never gave any indication that Stevie had any condition like autism or anything to excuse his actions. Nope just a spoiled little brat. The parents' golden child. The boy could probably literally burn down the house or just Alex's room and the parents would just shrug it off and punish Alex if he said one word to the little monster.

Better than the rest

[ARCHTECHFL · 8/10 · 3 January 2005]

I've noticed something about movies that Alan Sacks does for Disney Channel, like "The Color of Freedom", "Pixel Perfect", and this one: his movies seem to have real morals and are not thrillers for pre-teens like Poof Point or Phantom of the Megaplex. While the "what if" premise has been scripted to death, "You Wish!" was a nice distraction.

The lead, A.J. Trauth, was believable as a teen who is stuck between loving his brother and protecting his territory. Lalaine was okay as his best friend, but she had far too little screen time. The real surprise was to see Breslin, who I thought was okay in "The Kid", in this movie. Overall, I couldn't help feeling rushed by the plot. The touching moments of dialogue between Lalaine and AJ just seemed too few in number.

Overall, "You Wish!" is a TV movie, but a better TV movie than a lot of the fluff that Disney Channel puts out on the air waves. This one had a real moral that a lot of people forget about, so getting it into the kids' minds ASAP was okay with me.

better than i expected...

[Floated2 · 8/10 · 2 October 2008]

when i first saw the reviews and trailers for this movie, i thought it looked a little stupid and weird but it was actually pretty good. I expected it as some cheesy Disney flick but i was wrong.

The acting starts off a little shaky then it turns up a lot more, the plot and storyline of the movie is original and very unique. Id recommend this movie to people that have time on their hands to watch and old Disney movie, its worth it...

id give it an 8/10

Really good and surprising movie. check it out

PEACE!!!!

Wonderful Family Flick

[DominqueZarinha · 10 January 2003]

This movie is so awesome! I loved it! A.J. Trauth is so cute and Lalaine is so talented. I like the storyline and the ending is just great and emotional. It made me shed a tear. The story mainly revolves around Alex (A.J.) who makes a wish and then realises that it was a mistake. I even felt sorry for him at times during the movie because Abby (Lalaine) didn't first wanna talk to him after he made the wish. Spencer Breslin was also cute and I am a big fan of them all. Tim Reid makes an appearance as well, well done job, Tim. The acting was also well done. I was doing my homework when this movie premiered on Disney and it completely got my attention. I closed my books and just kept watching until it finished. One thing I noticed with this movie is that unlike many other Disney channel original movies I've seen before, the musical score is fabulous, a sort of suspense-mixed-with-a-happy-ending type of music. This movie will leave you touched and happy at the end. Rating- 9/10.

A fun movie

[aDamRulz69 · 9/10 · 9 April 2003]

I thought this movie was really good. It was pretty formula like what you would expect from most movies where a kid gets a wish or sees his life as it could have been but I thought it was really well put together.

The cast is really good. A.J. Trauth, from Even Stevens, did a great job as Alex. Spencer Breslin is a great actor and was great in this movie as well. I would recommend anyone check out The Kid which he's also in for a great movie. Lalaine, who played Abby, delivered an excellent performance as well as providing the wonderful song "You Wish" which appears at the end of the movie.

This movie was a lot of fun to watch and I highly recommend it.

One of the best DCOM

[jacksonboyd-97884 · 9/10 · 10 April 2020]

Great movie overall. Still watch this film 15+ years later. Solid message from the film for teens/youth as well.

Nothing to Special- A little corny, but pretty enjoyable.

[Achtung_Baby007 · 17 March 2003]

This film wasn't too great- no golden globe winner- but it was a lot better than I expected it to be. The acting was good, and it had a connective storyline and interesting characters- something not usually found in a disney movie. I really enjoyed it- corny and cliched, yes, but annoying, no. I liked the characters, and the film occasionally gave us a little depth in the characters. I enjoyed it- 7/10.

One of ,if not the, BEST Disney Channel movies

[sanchez_trevor · 10/10 · 26 May 2005]

This movie was funny and it had great acting. A.J. Trauth is great as the boy who doesn't know how well he truly has it. Lalaine is truly the standout performer in this movie. For this being her first starring role it is truly awesome. As A.J. best "girlfriend" she is funny from the start, beginning to end. In this she proves that she can be funny, sarcastic, and serious when the occasion calls for it. She is put in a true challenge in this role because she has to be normal without being boring. She does this flawlessly. Her character is interesting because the actual Lalaine is not far from Abby. She has to play herself through a character. It has this underlying message of the most important things are Family and Friends. A.J. learns that after he has all he wanted that he isn't truly happy and he learns that he really misses the way things were. Spencer Breslin is funny as A.J.'s little brother. Coming from basically nowhere he gives a star performance. Funny in the Cat in the Hat he did this first and is absolutely great. His whole "You want me to start screamin'!?!" line is funny being used in some funny spots. The adventure they take in this movie you would think wouldn't be this great but the Director did a fantastic job of pushing the story along and developing such dynamic characters is incredible. Possibly the funniest DC movie ever not to mention the Highest rated in Disney Channel history. Take that haters! BOO YAH!!

Good story and a wonderful cast! A.J. Trauth, Lalaine, and Spencer Breslin excellent!

[bluenoil · 10/10 · 22 August 2004]

When I first saw this movie back in 2003, I was greatly impressed. They definitely put together an impressive lot to portray the protagonists, with A.J. Trauth, Spencer Breslin, and the lovely Lalaine in the lead roles. With an interesting story line and a great lesson, as Lalaine put it, "Be thankful for what you have," this movie was actually pretty good. In some parts, it started to get dull, and I felt that it lacked a few things, like more interesting scenes and dialog, as well as more appearances by Ari Boyland and Lalaine, who had fewer scenes (but at least Lalaine became more important in, like, the last 30 minutes!)

you could tell that several New Zealand actors were used, but they didn't perform badly in my opinion. There were times when you could tell by their accents, but they did well. Disney did good by having A.J. Spencer, and Lalaine in the lead roles. 7.5/10

Wow

[weakened_state · 25 February 2003]

I think it's one of the best made for TV Disney movies in a LONG time. Nothing will beat "Brink!", but this movie was pretty enjoyable. Even though it takes viewers back to the never ending "High School Life" where jocks rule the school (which is not the real life case) I could relate to the love-hate relationship between Alex and Stevie. Images of myself and my sister acting the same way kept popping into my head. The acting in this movie was also a highlight. AJ Trauth is going to be around a lot more, and so is LaLaine. And it was kinda cool to see "Twity" and "Miranda" together. :)

It rules!!!!

[yasxf · 10/10 · 2 September 2005]

'What's so good about You Wish?' you say. Well, I'm here to tell you. You Wish is an excellent film. I can never get bored of watching it. It's a definite 10/10. All the actresses and actors were very good and the movie is just brilliant. It has an exciting plot that you can follow throughout the film, and excellent music. You just can't get fed up of watching it. Main Characters: Alex Lansing (A.J Trauth, also in Even Stevens Movie)

Abby (LaLaine, also in Lizzie McGuire)

James (Ari Boyland)

Stevie Lansing (Spencer Breslin)

My summary is that You Wish is one of Disney's masterpieces. Everybody definitely has to watch this. People have their own opinions about this movie, but my opinion is that its ROCKS!!!!! It's as good as Cadet Kelly, and that's saying something.

It's a wonderful movie!

[liuyanshuanglzhy · 10/10 · 13 August 2008]

Alex(A.J. Trauth) cannot stand his little brother Stevie(Spencer Breslin) and one day he finds a magic coin and wishes that he didn't have a little brother anymore. The next morning he wakes up, he finds his whole life turned upside down. His parents are rich, he is the school best football player, he is popular and he is dating the most popular girl in school Fiona(Emma Lahana). And of course, Alex doesn't have a little brother anymore and he has a new haircut! But of course, after a while, Alex is sick of his new life and misses his little brother to death. Let me just say that i thought A.J.Trauth did an excellent job, he is a very good actor and he's quite good looking, i hope to see more of him. The actress i was disappointed with was Lalaine(she played Alex's best friend), she cannot act, she stutters all the time and can't say any of her lines right, she sounds exactly the same as her character in Lizzie Mcguire. Other then that, the movie was alright, not the best Disney movie but if you have nothing to do, it's a good way to cure your boredom. I would give You Wish 6/10 It's a wonderful movie,i like it very much. i want to download the Interlude in this movie,but i can't find it.who can help me? if you have the add ,please sent a e-mail to [e-mail],thank you!

Totally Cute Disney Movie!

[brie416 · 10 April 2003]

I thought this movie was adorable. Sure, it was completely predictable and had the Disney moral message...but it was also entertaining. The performances were great, especially the main three. AJ Trauth proved he can handle a lead part. Spencer Breslin was great as always and Lalaine did a nice job with her supporting role. Plus, I thought the movie had a great soundtrack. There was an actual score and real songs as opposed to just the teenybopper music played in so many of their other movies.

Heartwarming

[Aaronneddy · 10/10 · 19 February 2019]

I cried the movie is so sweet. It made me truly remember how much I love my friends and my family and how important they are to me. I wouldn't trade my life for anything. I love them so much.

Great family movie

[trekbross · 10/10 · 31 December 2019]

One great feeling story has great young cast. Story is funny and thought provoking. Makes you think about if you really could change things. Loved everything about it

Great x3!

[rustyboi · 10/10 · 14 February 2003]

Oh My God! Brillant, to sum it up in one word, Brillant! The acting was superb, the direction amazing and the musical score was a musical materpiece. I found the plot turns and development was that worthy of song and prose, and while the climactic ending left the viewer with a certain degree of anticipation, it wet my appetitie in every fashion. The acting of the jocks was a standout feature in this wonderful piece of art, and one in particular in the credits, a Gareth Nixon, (who was the jock who held Alex as Gary put the pizza on Alex's head in the scene with the turkey, as well as other scenes in the movie) showed true potential for future roles of a greater magnitude. I whole heartedly recommend this film and Gareth to any producer.

Best Disney channel movie by far

[luke_long · 10/10 · 4 September 2018]

All I have to say is I cried during almost like the whole movie but it had a good ending that's all I'm gonna say

loved it

[danceequeen15 · 9/10 · 11 January 2003]

This movie is simply great because i have that kind of problem with some of my younger siblings but it made me think about how i should'nt take things for granted and it was a very sweet and cool movie another of disneys best

Great job by Trauth.

[vanisaac · 10/10 · 19 April 2003]

I've grown to appreciate AJ Trauth watching Even Stevens, and I was interested to see how well he would hold up as a leading man. I was pleased at how well he did in this movie. His performance was wonderful. I really felt for Alex. It would have been easy to have a mediocre performance as Alex, as the script is pretty standard Disney, but he did a great job. I think Lalaine also played a very good counter to AJ's Alex/jock persona - a role that could have been overdone.

All in all, the script was not much better than most of the junk Disney puts out, but the performances let you put that aside for a couple hours and get into the emotion in the story. The actors get you to believe these people have real feelings for each other.

A Very Nice Surprise!

[rlshel1015 · 9/10 · 18 March 2003]

Sometimes you are sitting around flipping through the TV channels and come across something and it peaks your interest so you watch it not expecting much. I must say that in the end, I found this movie to be a pleasant surprise. Now I would hardly call this a 'movie event of the year', but I definitely liked it. AJ Trauth is the cutest and does a good job playing a boy who wishes his brother away and later finds out that his life was better with his brother in it. I recorded this movie to keep it and would buy the DVD if it came out. My recommendation is to give it a chance and I think that you will like what you see!