''Three Wishes'' is a 1995 American fantasy drama film directed by

Martha Coolidge Martha Coolidge (born August 17, 1946) is an American film director and former President of the Directors Guild of America. She has directed such films as ''Valley Girl'', ''Real Genius'' and '' Rambling Rose''. Early life Coolidge was born in N ...

and starring

Patrick Swayze Patrick Wayne Swayze (; August 18, 1952 – September 14, 2009) was an American actor, dancer, and singer known for playing distinctive lead roles, particularly romantic, tough, and comedic characters. He was also known for his media image and ...

Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (born November 17, 1958) is an American actress and singer. She made her Broadway debut in the 1980 revival of ''West Side Story'', and went on to appear in the 1983 film '' Scarface'' as Al Pacino's character's sist ...

and Joseph Mazzello.

Plot

In the present, Tom Holman, a family man is beset with financial problems that make him emotionally distant from his family. While driving in his car with his wife and two daughters, he almost runs into a man walking into a cemetery. Tom's vision of the man causes him to have a flashback to a similar incident in his childhood. In 1955, Jean Holman (

), is a single mother caring for her two sons, 11-year old Tom ( Joseph Mazzello) and 5-year old Gunny (Seth Mumy). Jean's husband is a soldier who was reported missing in action during the Korean War and is presumed dead. Tom, who deeply misses his father, feels left out of father-son activities (baseball and camping) in the community. Jean is concerned at Gunny's repeated complaints of stomach pains and his medical condition has gone undiagnosed. Further, While driving one day with Tom and Gunny, Jean accidentally runs into a drifter named Jack McCloud (

), breaking his leg. Feeling sorry for him, Jean invites Jack and his female dog Betty Jane to stay at her home until his leg has healed. After some initial difficulties in adapting to this new lifestyle, Jack soon finds himself loved by the family, who all want him to stay. Jack starts teaching baseball to Tom and the two of them develop a strong bond. Meanwhile, Gunny believes that there is more to Jack and Betty Jane than meets the eye, and he is determined to find out what. Gunny soon finds out Betty Jane is a genie, not merely a dog. Meanwhile, Jack's bond with the family gets closer and closer, and Tom comes to see Jack as a surrogate father. At the same time, Tom's baseball coach, Coach Schramka ( Jay O. Sanders) recognizes Jack as a former famous baseball player, who disappeared years ago during

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. Jack denies it. Phil sees Jack as a threat, a potential rival for the affections of Jean. Tom too comes to reject Jack after Jack decides to move away when he is healed, leaving Tom to feel himself abandoned by a father a second time. Jean also feels sad with Jack's decision but admits the impossibility of staying with Jack. After Jack says goodbye to Tom, Tom flees on his bike to a nearby hill. Suddenly, Tom changes his mind and heads back to the highway to find Jack getting into a truck before Tom can reach him. On the 4th of July Party, the titular wishes are being fulfilled. Gunny realizes his wish to fly in the middle of the fireworks, unseen by the public congregated in the park. Tom's wish is fulfilled when his long-lost father is discovered alive, and he returns home after being freed from his imprisonment by the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

. Back to present day, adult Tom, enters the

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a bu ...

. Tom meets Jack again. He talks with Jack briefly, discovering that Jack's real wish wasn't that Tom's father would come back home, but that Tom would be happy with the family he had. Afterwards, Jack disappears, and a renewed Tom holds his wife close. Meanwhile, the camera focuses on a headstone that reveals Jack McCloud died on August 6, 1944.

Cast

as Jack McCloud *

as Jean Holman * Joseph Mazzello as Tom Holman **

Michael O'Keefe Michael O'Keefe (born Raymond Peter O'Keefe, Jr.; April 24, 1955) is an American actor, known for his roles as Danny Noonan in '' Caddyshack'', Ben Meechum in '' The Great Santini,'' for which he received a nomination for the Academy Award for B ...

as Adult Tom Holman * Seth Mumy as Gunny Holman *

D. B. Sweeney Daniel Bernard Sweeney (born November 14, 1961) is an American actor. Early life Sweeney was born in Shoreham, New York, on November 14, 1961. He attended both Tulane and New York University. Career In 1990, Sweeney starred as Treplev in Jeff Co ...

(uncredited) as Jeffrey Holman *

David Marshall Grant David Marshall Grant (born June 21, 1955) is an American actor, singer and writer. Life and career Grant was born in Westport, Connecticut, to physician parents. Immediately after graduating from Connecticut College with an M.F.A. and receivin ...

as Phil * Jay O. Sanders as Coach Schramka * Diane Venora as Joyce *

Scott Patterson Scott Gordon Patterson (born September 11, 1958) is an American actor and musician. He is known for his role as Luke Danes in ''Gilmore Girls'' and as Special Agent Peter Strahm in the ''Saw'' films. He also starred as Michael Buchanan in the ...

as Mr. Holman *

Neal McDonough Neal McDonough (born February 13, 1966) is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of Lieutenant Lynn "Buck" Compton in the HBO miniseries '' Band of Brothers'' (2001), Deputy District Attorney David McNorris on ''Boomtown'' (2002–20 ...

as Policeman

Reception

''Three Wishes'' was poorly received by critics, as the film holds a 13% rating on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

References

External links

* * * * {{Martha Coolidge 1995 films 1990s fantasy drama films 1990s English-language films American fantasy drama films Films directed by Martha Coolidge Films set in 1955 Films about wish fulfillment Films produced by Gary Lucchesi Rysher Entertainment films Savoy Pictures films 1995 drama films 1990s American films