User reviews

This story of a young mother of two son's whose husband is missing and presumed dead in the Korean War touches your heart. Jeanne Holman (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio)hits a drifter, Jack McCloud (Patrick Swayze)with her car on the way to a picnic. Later she finds him sleeping on a bench with his leg in a cast and insists that he stay at her house until his leg is better. The two boys; Tommy (Joseph Mozzello) and Gunny (Seth Mumy) gradually come to care for Jack and Jack cares for the family.

The lesson, "instead of wishing for things to make you happy; wish to be happy with what you have" is such an important truth in today's life but one that is difficult to remember when we all want what the neighbor has! The movie set - of brand new developments with thousands of houses exactly alike and looking very bare because trees have not had time to grow yet - is a nostalgic setting from that time in history.

Patrick Swayze as Jack McCloud, is good in this part of a drifter who has stumbled into the life of Jeanne Holman right when she needed friendship, support and understanding. It seems that a lot of Swayze's characters have an elusive quality of melancholy, of an acceptance that there is something special between two people that can't be defined or captured;looked at closely; or held and kept safe like a firefly in a quart jar. Jack McCloud is one of these characters along with Jed Eckart (Red Dawn), Johnny Castle (Dirty Dancing), Sam Wheat (Ghost), Ms. Vida Boheme (To Wong Foo...), Ben Clifton (Forever Lulu /Along for the Ride), Max Lowe (City of Joy) and even Allan Quatermain (King Solomon's Mines). Swayze's character Jack Charles of Father Hood was open, brash, funny and most importantly - hopeful who learned to love his children. Donnie Darko's Jim Cunningham (Swayze) was a snake-oil salesman who under it all was really slime with real no depth of any kind being developed in that character.

This film had a good start and looked like it could be a real great one. But between the Eastern philosophy BS and some inappropriate behaviour for the time, plus some added cheesy effects, it kind of dropped the ball for me. It played like the writer got halfway into the screenplay, then did drugs and finished it

Just watched this movie in TV. Although it had a slow pace and some of the characters were not fully developed, I liked it. Especially appealing to me, as a senior, was the locale and the truly accurate portrayal of life and times in the late 1950's. Even the kitchen appliances and the dish ware were spot on! I lived in a tract just like the one in the film - the San Fernando Valley urban explosion! I thought the players were all fine and the child actors were very effective. The story dragged a bit but pacing is not everything - sometimes it is good to linger a bit and be nostalgic. This is a good movie for thoughtful teens who can appreciate the message given about home, hope and history.

This was a simple movie- easy to watch. Lots of odds and ends thrown in- bedtime with Gunny, mom's friends, etc. It was entertaining and probably worth the 2 1/2 hrs. Being a mom and a wife- it is easy to forget what Jack was trying to teach Tom. It was a good reminder! Not sure why having the little boy be sick was included in the movie. Obviously, Jack shaved or else his beard would have been much longer! So was the dog or Jack magic? Swayze did a good job- he has a calming, sincere voice. Good family movie. I'm not sure if the scenes with Gunny and bedtime might scare some smaller children. I would make sure to preview that part or at least be sitting with my children when those scenes were on, just in case that section might need to be fast forwarded through!

I actually read a review that Siskel and Ebert gave this movie in my local newspaper. They both said this movie was horrible and gave it a few more bad reviews. Can't remember what it was, but when I saw the movie, I loved every minute of it. This movie basically shows how a simple act of kindness can bring a family closer together in times of desperation. I enjoyed how much thought went into producing such a heart-warming tale and so many times when I watch it, it makes me understand what the family goes through and sympathize with them. For people who want a movie that can truly bring a family together and show that even the most difficult things that occur in life can have a way of working out, this movie will definitely show you that.

THREE WISHES revolves around the story of Jeanne a widow whose husband is believed killed during the Korean war . One day she runs down and injures derelict drifter Jack and is so guilt stricken she invites him home to look after him

That`s the story set up and as you can tell it`s not the most credible premise you`ll ever see , it might have worked better if the premise led to a thriller whose subtext screams " kindness will be the death of you " but here the opposite happens as we`re hit over the head that " Kindness will be rewarded " . Obviously this movie is a fantasy

This might have been bad enough but not bad enough to condemn the movie out right , but where the film falls down is something that a great number of reviewers on this page have pointed out - The director fails to bring any excitement to the pace . Watching THREE WISHES I kept thinking I was watching a sub standard Frank Capra script directed by Steven Spielberg who was having an over sentimental off day . It`s a very inoffensive movie but also a very cheesy uninvolving one too

BTW if I had three wishes , I`d make everyone in the world equal , then I`d make some people more equal than others , then I`d make myself the most equal person in the whole wide world . Strangely none of the characters in this movie ever considered anything like this

I was up late already... But the story drew me in and as the minutes ticked by I decided this was worth it to stay up until 1:30 AM to see the ending even though 6 AM was going to come awfully early. This was an all-around feel-good movie... A bit of magic, a lot of courage from a single mom, a bit of baseball (and who doesn't like a bit of baseball in their movies?), a dog who might be more than a dog, and Patrick Swayze quietly helping a suburban community think outside the box. He's kindly and unfailingly honest. I'm just surprised the suburbanites didn't lynch him and stone his kind single-mom hostess after his first week there. The end had a nice wrap-around closure. Totally worth staying up for!

This movie made me laugh almost all the way through--which I don't think was the desired response.

It's so famously bad that the people I saw it with still make references to "Genie Dogs."

If you like a good manipulator movie you'll enjoy this movie. If you don't like a good manipulator movie, you enjoy this movie because you'll laugh all the way through at the silly and trite things going on that are supposed to force you to feel for these characters. It's right up there with Xanadu on my list of dumb, sappy and yet entertainingly bad movies.

Of course with Patrick Swayze, the king of Velveeta processed cheese food, in the leading role what do you expect?

I managed to find this movie on Amazon streaming. It is a nice movie about family values and ultimately, finding happiness in what you get in life rather than wishing your life were different. There are a few very harsh IMDb reviews, I don't understand that, this is a really well-made movie of a very nice story.

It starts in about 1985, it is Memorial Day, the start of summer vacation, and the family of four head out for a short trip. The dad, Tom, almost runs over a man and his dog, that incident flashes him back to 1955 when he was about 10 or 11 years old. His father had not returned from the Korean War and was presumed deceased. Young Tom had a lot of anger in his heart.

It was back then that Tom's mom almost ran over a man, Patrick Swayze as Jack, who also had a shaggy dog as a companion. Jack's foot was in a cast, as he heads away Tom's mom feels sorry for him and convinces him to stay with them until his cast is off. Jack has a very positive impact on young Tom.

In most appearances Jack comes across as a real man, but as he interacts with the Little League baseball team in a zen-like manner, and a few other things, we come to believe that he is more like Bagger Vance. Someone who may not be real but who comes into a life at a critical point. Young Tom needed to get his mojo back, to figure out what life is really about. When Tom as an adult encounters the same Jack and his dog in the cemetery, we know the answer.

Good movie with a message for everyone.

Other than Patrick Dwayne being his sexy self and set during the golden age of the suburbs, and some heartwarming moments this movie was kinda bland. The acting too could have been improved by a few of the cast.

I watched this movie on TV twice. It's the first movie I've watched by Patrick Swayze. I was moved by the story and felt myself like that little Tom very much. I couldn't help crying when I saw the ending and told myself I should learn from this movie. And till then I began to understand the meaning of the movie.

It's a good movie for a family to watch together. I think many people can learn from this movie that we should cherish what we already have had in hand. As the saying says, happiness lies in satisfaction.

And it's not a big story, so it may not have got much attention from audience. But still I would say it's a good movie.

I picked this up at Walgreens for $4.00 *. I was taken! Again we have a movie with lots of talented people but, with a disappointing story. The climax (and we're looking for the final revealing moment)or coup de grace was probably the biggest or dumbest ending to a movie. If The young son realized this wish and the mother realized her wish, why could'nt the oldest son realize his wish (I know he did'nt wish anything, and that it was wished for him)? I mean the wish should have been self evident. And was Jack (Swayze)the White Sox pitcher or not and what was the story behind the last revelation about Jack supposed to mean? Maybe I was sleeping (Zzzzzz)and not the movie? Long, boring with a story not fully realized.

for message, for performance, for Patrick Swayze and for the young Joseph Mazzello. sentimental, nice, seductive. soup for soul. one of films for romantics, useful, again and again, for remind the role of miracles. and for enjoy. sure, a film for a kind of public. no surprise. but, in same measure, one of films who, without be great or unique, is a good escape from reality and comfortable way to discover the life on a different angle. a film about a meeting. and about love. about magic. and about hope. about trust. almost a fairy tale in American spirit.interesting for a form of self definition. because, like every magic, it is more than a show.

I love this film! I give 10/10! This film is suitable for all family members entertainment, but I think adults will love it more than kids, because of the story. There's a drama, comedy, sadness, loss, hopes, all in this film, completed sweet wonderful melodrama with a little fantasy scenes. The cinematography, the musics, and the acting of all actors are excellent, I can't forget it from my mind. Joseph Mazzello's acting is very incredible for a child actor, he made his character (Little Tom) so real with all those touching emotions. Also, Little Tom character reminds me of my childhood, that's why I love this film even more.

So nice to see Patrick Patrick Swayze again. It was a touching story. See it for free on Amazon prime video

It's a great movie. Did not claim to be, but it was very well prepared and contains a very strong message and unusual. If an analysis of the film from the point of view of psychoanalysis, possibly conclude that the film shows nothing more than the desires of each family member. Just that. Are dreams that help support the reality. The role played by Swayze reminds me gunslinger Shane, a character from the magnificent film directed by George Stevens, who was the angel savior, the redeemer, the expected stranger who comes, does its job and disappears.Reconstitution of 40 and 50 is high quality and the atmosphere created in addition to the excellent performance of Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio elevates this film to a level not imagined, I believe, by their makers. Very good.

This movie is better than the rating suggests. Patrick Swayze displays some tremendous acting skills as the ever blue Jack McCloud, a tramp and thorough loner. He is sincere and pervasive, as is Joseph Mazzello as Tom. The evolving relationship between the two of them is one of the three major themes of the movie. It is a relationship propelled by Tom's dear wish to have some male person around he can relate to and rely on, as his father is apparently absent. Jack, who joins the family as a stranger, develops a kind of deep and caring commitment towards the three family members. He doesn't push for it, it just happens. The second theme focuses around M.E. Mastrantonio's brilliant performance as Jeanne Holman, Tom's and Gunny's mom. Her despair mingled with hope and confidence makes her the archetype of the single parent of the Mid-50s, the era which is so superbly revived as the movie's setting. The third theme centers around Gunny, Tom's little brother, his belief in magic and fairies as well as his fears. This is the movie's underlying main theme, as the title itself suggests. The end, which makes you feel good and renews faith in what we have and ought to preserve and care for, reveals the message of the title and grants this movie an inspiring and deeply human message. Magic is out there - in everything we do and everything we dream of. It is the little things, the little signs of love and affection, of hope and endurance. Tom himself, as an adult, receives reassurance in his faith and his values by what Jack has done to his family when he was a young boy. The message is brilliant and makes this movie a solid 8/10. "Be yourself", Jack advises Tom. "And be happy with what you have" he adds much later in the movie. Hope and love will endure against all odds, if we allow magic into our lives. The same magic we believed in as kids. It is still there. You just have to admit it.

I read one of the comments and it wasn't favorable.. but I'll venture to disagree. the movie held my interest until 2:30 in the am.. it made me laugh and cry and it touched my heart strings.all the little boys did a real good job acting, as did the adults. it sent many positive messages on living life and being true to yourself...and the courage to do what makes you happy.also that prayer works.... I e-mailed one of my daughters and told her she too might enjoy it.. so what if it's fantasy...it was a feel good flick and I am happy I had the chance to view it..by far beats all the horror and murder movies and give hope that the world can be turned into a better place one man/woman at a time....