By the end of "All I Wish," the viewer has the feeling of having just watched a play in the theater that is overly declamatory and phony. The film's structure is that of a sequence of birthdays in the life of a middle-aged woman. The action is punctuated by a series of soliloquys spoken by the principal characters, as they stare straight into the camera and wax philosophical about their pretentious and rather ordinary lives. But the curtain call for this stagey experience leaves an audience slack-jawed because the work was so bad.

The film was intended as L'chaim, or a toast to life! We learn from the bonus segment of the DVD that the screenplay was twelve years in the making until Sharon Stone took charge of Susan Walter's script and evidently changed the romantic concept from young love to that of a pair of middle-aged characters. Stone's character Senna is described as "a raisin in the sun," an odd image drawn from Lorraine Hansberry's famous play about a hardscrabble black family in Chicago in the 1950s.

By contrast, the characters of "All I Wish" are carefree Los Angelenos, moving in the circles of wealth and fashion in what appears to be the 1980s (no cell phones). As the relationship of Senna and Adam develops, it was difficult to find it plausible that the erratic, creative fashion designer would connect emotionally with a fastidious attorney. The relationship never seemed credible, and it was a stretch to think that the act of marriage would be so significant to Senna that it would tear the couple apart. It was just too hard to find anything that these two characters had in common.

Much of the dialogue seemed forced and artificial with lines like "We all feel inadequate. It's the American way." The most memorable role was that of Senna's mother, as performed by Ellen Burstyn. In the DVD bonus track, Sharon Stone correctly identified the "luminous beauty" of Burstyn that she is able to elicit in almost any role.

From the DVD interview segments, the film was described by the writer-director as a "second act romantic comedy." Unfortunately, both the romance and the comedy were flat. And by the end of the second act, there was not a wet eye in the house at the final curtain.

A failed "Meet Cute" that isn't at all cute. This is an horribly overacted really bad meet/cute movie.

First off, Stone is absolutely beautiful! BUT - she is NOT 40 something. She's almost 60 and she acts like a really dumb 20 year old. And dressed like one too. Well, she's mostly beautiful until she wears strange stuff on her head and then the yellow outfit to the club, well, it lost the movie a star. It was awful. Then there was the beach volleyball scene with her pigtails. Well you have to give them at least one star .............

I'm saddened at the movies that Ellen Burnstyn has done lately - not the best.

All in all, feel free to skip this one. Or at least view it in fast forward.

I couldn't figure this movie out. It sort of feels like a W movie plot wise, a very silly and predictable romantic comedy with the applicable best friend and situations associated with cookie cutter rom-coms. and then because Sharon Stone is 47-52 but acts an immature 22 (partying, friends half her age, sleeping around, waking up with strange men or on friends couches) I also couldn't decide if this was worth watching. The problem is Sharon Stone and Tony Goldwyn do a great job with theirs roles, so you take them seriously but why they're even in this I'm not sure.

Story follows Stone as a middle aged fashion designer named Senna struggling to find true love and professional success over the course of her birthdays over several years.

Ultimately I enjoyed this, the scenes with Senna and her Mum Ellen Burstyn doing lunch are well done, good chemistry with our couple, a sweet romance and I have to give kudos to both (older) actors, very brave bikini beach volleyball scene for Stone and Mr. President does Karaoke in women's tight, hot pink shorts. They look great. How old is Stone in real life because not a line, blemish or wrinkle in sight, yay Hollywood.