Wish You Were Here

Wish You Were Here (1987)

Genres - Drama, Romance, Comedy  |   Sub-Genres - Coming-of-Age, Film a Clef  |   Release Date - Jul 24, 1987 (USA)  |   Run Time - 92 min.  |   Countries - United Kingdom  |   MPAA Rating - R
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Review by Michael Hastings

Director David Leland's valentine to sexual candor is most notable for introducing the bright, unaffected young actress Emily Lloyd. Lloyd's uninhibited, motherless Lynda is coy and sprightly without ever resorting to hapless, sex-kitten posing. Despite the nature of the material -- the script was based on the adolescence of notorious English madam Cynthia Payne -- Leland never uses Lloyd as a mere object of desire. The sex scenes are mostly rendered in objective long shot, as it becomes obvious that the film is as much about the sexual hangups of men as it is about the relative "promiscuity" of a teenage girl. In this respect, Wish You Were Here is a fine companion to Martha Coolidge's Rambling Rose (1991): both films recognize the need for sexual curiosity and experimentation in young women, despite the consternation that they might receive from hypocritical, repressed partners.