🌈 I Wish You All the Best (2025) Review — A Tender, Modern Coming-of-Age Gem

I Wish You All the Best is one of the most heartfelt coming-of-age films of the decade, blending emotion, humor, and beautifully modern storytelling. Directed by Tommy Dorfman and starring Corey Fogelmanis, Alexandra Daddario, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, and Cole Sprouse, the film officially released in the United States on November 7, 2025, and it’s already being praised for its emotional authenticity and powerful performances.

If you're searching for a raw, hopeful film about identity, acceptance, and rediscovery, this one deserves a spot at the top of your watchlist.

📺 Where to Watch I Wish You All the Best (2024/2025)

Here’s the key info most viewers are hunting for:

The film was released in the U.S. on November 7, 2025, by Lionsgate.

Home streaming availability typically follows shortly after theatrical release. Viewers in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and Europe should expect digital rental and streaming rollout through major platforms once the studio finalizes distribution for home viewing.

For now:

US: In theaters (Nov 7 release)

Global: Digital & streaming availability to follow the theatrical window

This section boosts SEO and builds trust with readers looking for watch options.

🎬 A Coming-of-Age Story That Actually Feels Like One

Let’s be real — coming-of-age films can get repetitive fast. Same heartbreaks. Same lessons. Same formula.

I Wish You All the Best doesn’t fall into that trap.

Tommy Dorfman’s directorial debut is honest, intimate, and refreshingly modern. This isn’t a movie pretending to understand the emotional world of a nonbinary teen — it actually gets it, and it treats Ben DeBacker’s journey with respect and nuance instead of clichés.

It’s soft.

It’s painful.

It’s funny.

It’s human.

If it were a movie quote, it would be:

“Growing up isn’t about finding the right answers — it’s about finding the truth you can live with.”

💛 Ben DeBacker: A Character You Root for Instantly

Corey Fogelmanis gives the performance of their career. Ben is not written as a token or a trope — they’re messy, scared, hopeful, and beautifully real.

After Ben comes out as nonbinary, they’re kicked out of their home — a gut punch that sets the tone for the film’s emotional core. This isn’t trauma for shock value. It’s the beginning of a deeply personal rebuilding.

Watching Ben try to heal, trust, love, and grow feels like watching someone learn how to breathe again.

Fogelmanis plays every scene with quiet power.

Every glance.

Every hesitation.

Every moment of courage.

You feel it.

🏠 Alexandra Daddario Steals Scenes as the Estranged Sister

When Hannah (Daddario) takes Ben into her home, the film shifts into something rich and complicated.

Their relationship isn’t magically fixed. There’s awkwardness, old wounds, guilt, and unspoken history swirling beneath every interaction.

Daddario shines brightest in her still moments — those tiny flashes of regret and love that feel too real to be scripted. It’s one of her warmest, most grounded performances to date.

And Cole Sprouse, as her husband Thomas, brings unexpected charm and humor into the mix. He’s supportive without being pushy, funny without overshadowing the story, and quietly protective of Ben in the moments that count.

🎨 Miles Gutierrez-Riley Brings Heart as the Unexpected Love Interest

Nathan is the kind of character every coming-of-age story dreams of having — kind, charismatic, funny, and genuinely good.

No manipulation.

No forced drama.

Just comfort.

The chemistry between Miles Gutierrez-Riley and Fogelmanis is soft and natural. Their scenes feel like two young people carefully learning each other’s edges. Their friendship (and maybe more) forms the emotional heart of the film.

It’s the type of on-screen connection that pulls a smile out of you even when you don’t expect it.

🖌️ Lena Dunham as the Offbeat Art Teacher You Wish You Had

Ms. Lyons is chaotic in the best way — eccentric, supportive, and brutally honest. She knows when to push Ben and when to back off. Lena Dunham adds charm without overshadowing the main story, grounding each classroom scene with genuine warmth.

Her character embodies one of the film’s central themes:

sometimes the right mentor doesn’t fix you — they just give you space to breathe.

🎥 Tommy Dorfman’s Directorial Debut Is Surprisingly Confident

For a debut feature, this film is shockingly well-balanced.

Dorfman handles difficult themes — identity, rejection, growth — with a gentle hand. The cinematography by Robby Baumgartner is clean, sunlit, and intimate, while Sarah Beth Shapiro and Keith Henderson’s editing keeps the film emotionally focused and fast-moving.

There’s no emotional manipulation.

No melodrama.

Just honesty.

It’s a coming-of-age film that trusts its audience — a rare thing.

💬 Final Verdict — Is I Wish You All the Best Worth Watching?

Without question.

It’s heartfelt without being sappy.

Emotional without being heavy-handed.

Funny without feeling forced.

What makes this film special is its tenderness — a softness that wraps around its characters instead of judging them. It feels real, modern, and deeply necessary.

If you’re looking for a film that speaks to self-discovery, found family, and embracing your truth, this is one of the best releases of 2024/2025.

⭐ Rating: 8.8/10 — A beautifully sincere coming-of-age story.

Expected to resonate strongly with teens, young adults, and anyone who’s ever had to rebuild after being broken.