Obsession
I feel like people are putting way too much of the blame on Bear while completely overlooking how dysfunctional and potentially manipulative his friend group was.
Ian supposedly knew Bear was in love with Nikki, yet he was also apparently seeing her himself and even seemed to discourage Bear from confessing. In the opening scene, Bear is rehearsing how to talk to Nikki and Ian suggests calling her “Freaky Nikki,” which seems almost designed to make him fail. Sarah also has feelings for Bear, so when she tells him that Nikki and Ian are seeing each other and that Nikki only sees Bear as a brother/friend, it's worth questioning how unbiased she really was.
It's entirely possible that Nikki actually had feelings for Bear but had been led to believe he wasn't interested in her, while Bear was being led to believe she wasn't interested in him. The scene right before Bear makes the wish is especially interesting because Nikki gives him one final chance to admit that he's in love with her, and he denies it.
Obviously, Bear is ultimately responsible for what happens because he makes the wish and then refuses to let Nikki go despite knowing she's suffering. But I don't think he's the only person who contributed to this mess. His friends may have played a much bigger role in creating the misunderstanding that led to everything, and I wish the movie and the discussion around it explored that side more.
Aug 3, 2026
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