[4] The film stars Zach Braff, Donald Faison, Josh Gad, Pierce Gagnon, Ashley Greene, Kate Hudson, Joey King, Jim Parsons, and Mandy Patinkin.

This marked the final film appearances for James Avery and Allan Rich before their deaths on December 31, 2013 and August 22, 2020 respectively.

Aidan Bloom is a 35-year-old father of two struggling to be an actor in Los Angeles while his wife, Sarah, works a tedious data entry job.

When Gabe reveals his cancer has returned, he tells Aidan that he has decided to put the rest of his money into a new stem cell treatment, meaning his grandchildren can no longer afford to attend their school.

After school administrator Rabbi Twersky refuses to provide any aid to the Blooms, Sarah suggests that Aidan homeschool their kids, and their adventure of self-discovery begins.

Another day, they are able to test drive an Aston Martin, as Grace is wearing a wig and the salesman mistakenly believes she is dying.

Aidan fools a wealthy neighbor's maid into believing he and the kids are there to clean the pool so he can teach Grace to swim.

Aidan grows closer to his wife and children, his faith through the support of young Rabbi Rosenberg, his brother and his father.

On April 24, 2013, director Zach Braff launched a Kickstarter campaign for his comedy film Wish I Was Here, aiming to make $2 million to boost the project, based on a script he co-wrote with his brother Adam J.

[17] Pierce Gagnon was added to the cast on July 9, to play Tucker Bloom, son of Aidan and Sarah.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval of 47%, based on 133 reviews, with the site's consensus reading: "There's no denying Wish I Was Here is heartfelt, but it covers narrative ground that's already been well trod – particularly by director Zach Braff's previous features.