Draft:What You Wish For



What You Wish For is a 2023 American thriller film, written and directed by Nicholas Tomnay. The film stars Nick Stahl, Tamsin Topolski, Randy Vasquez, and Penelope Mitchell. The film is Nicholas Tomnay's second feature film after The Perfect Host, and was theatrically released by Magnet Releasing on May 31, 2024.

Premise
Ryan, a talented but down-on-his-luck chef, goes to visit his friend Jack, a successful chef cooking for the elite, in an unnamed Latin American country. Envious of Jack's extravagant lifestyle, circumstances land Ryan in a position to assume the identity of another, and he takes the job, preparing a special meal.

Cast

 * Nick Stahl as Ryan
 * Tamsin Topolski as Imogene
 * Randy Vasquez as Detective Ruiz
 * Penelope Mitchell as Alice
 * Juan Carlos Messier as Maurice
 * Brian Groh as Jack

Production
Nicholas Tomnay wrote the screenplay in the fall of 2018 through the winter of 2019. Filming took place over 23 days in Colombia during October 2021.

Release
What You Wish For premiered at the Fantasia International Film Festival, on July 30, 2023. The film played in several other festivals, including FrightFest, Fantastic Fest, and Scream Fest. In January 2024, Magnet Releasing acquired the United States distribution rights to the film. What You Wish For was released in theaters and on digital May 31, 2024.

Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 82% of 32 critics' reviews are positive.

Kyle Smith at the Wall Street Journal wrote 'Without straining to make an obvious point, Mr. Tomnay uses black comedy and shocking splatters of gore to tweak the class of jaded plutocrats who are as asset-rich as they are morals-poor'. Glenn Kenny of RogerEbert.com also gave the film a positive review calling the experience 'terrifyingly credible'. Michael Talbot Haynes at Film Threat gave the film 8/10, writing 'What You Wish For is everything you could wish for in a well-lit plunge into the abyss. Mary Beth McAndrews from Dread Central gave a glowing review of 4.5 stars, writing ‘What You Wish For’ is a delightfully skeezy thriller about desperation and searching for that one life-changing meal.