Irish Wish ending explained: How bad does Maddie's wish turn out?

Maddie thinks she wants Paul in Irish Wish. It turns out that James may be the better man for her. Just how does the Netflix rom-com turn out?

Caution: This post contains spoilers for the ending of Irish Wish.

Irish Wish really is your stereotypical rom-com. It was always clear that while Maddie (Lindsay Lohan) thought she wanted Paul (Alexander Vlahos), she was going to end up choosing James (Ed Speleers). The question was always about how the wish would end up playing out. Just how bad would relationships be at the end?

Maddie finally stands up for herself in Irish Wish

The movie isn’t just about Maddie choosing the man of her dreams. This is also about her standing up for herself, something her mom (Jane Seymour) encouraged her to do. At the end of the movie, Maddie walks down the aisle in her everyday clothes.

She isn’t going to marry Paul. He isn’t the right guy for her. It’s all about James.

Of course, a fight breaks out. In the end, Maddie doesn’t get either guy. James is heading off to take charge of his own life as well, even though he does have feelings for Maddie.

Can Maddie reverse the wish?

Maddie rushes back to the bench where she made the wish in the first place. St. Bridget explains that a wish can’t just be taken back. That’s not how it works.

Maddie does find a way around it. She wants to fix it so that Paul and Emma end up together, because they are just right for each other.

As Maddie wishes again, we watch everything that happened reverse. It’s as if everything up to the original wish never happened, and Maddie wakes up in bed alone with no Paul in the shower. She even has her bridesmaid dress in the room and not the wedding dress.

After Paul and Emma’s wedding, Maddie looks for James. He never ended up being the photographer, so she heads to the place he said he was staying. Only he’s already checked out and left. Fortunately, Maddie finds him on a bench. He is staying in Ireland for a while, and Maddie shares that she’s working on a book. The two connect over their love of Irish scenery and decide to spend some time together. Maybe there is hope for the two of them.

Irish Wish is available to stream on Netflix.