From the great imagination of John Krasinski…oh sorry I am sounding too much like the trailer, which I am sure you’ve seen over a dozen times. Anyways, IF has finally hit the theaters and let me tell you, if you thought this movie’s target audience was kids like I did, then you are dead wrong. People of all ages would enjoy this movie.
IF follows Elizabeth, Bea for short and played by Cailey Fleming, as she discovers that imaginary friends are in fact “real” and are tangible. She first meets Cal (Ryan Reynolds), Blue (voiced by Steve Carrell) and Blossom (voiced by Phoebe Waller-Bridge) and they tell our protagonist the entire story of how IFs belonged to children and then they grew up and the IFs were forgotten and were sent to the retirement home. Bea decides to help all the IFs try and find new people they can be friends with.
I was serious when I said this movie is not made just for kids. I went into the theater expecting kids to be running up and down the aisle but nope, I walked in and saw a bunch of older people to my surprise.
This film had a stacked cast. Alongside the already mentioned names above, we had Emily Blunt, Awkwafina, Blake Lively, Matt Damon, Bradley Cooper, George Clooney and many more. They all did a fantastic job, and the casting was on point. I specifically want to shout out Cailey Fleming with her superb comedic, serious and emotional acting. She is most well-known for portraying the grown daughter of the well renowned Rick Grimes of the AMC’s The Walking Dead series and this is arguably her breakout role on the big screen in my opinion.
We have talked on The Film Box Podcast about actors and how they are playing the same role i.e. Dwayne Johnson. We mentioned that Ryan Reynolds is getting to that point but now after seeing this movie, I would have to disagree with that statement. He was very different in this role. He obviously still had his comedy that he threw in there but comparing him to Deadpool, Free Guy or Red Notice, the difference was night and day. I hope he keeps these performances up.
I’ll have to admit. I did tear up a couple times. The dialogue between Bea and Lewis (the teddy bear IF that founded the retirement home played by the late Louis Gossett Jr.) was heartwarming and touching. I don’t know what it was but just them talking reminded me of my childhood and all the imagination that my brother and I used to have.
This movie did still have its flaws though. It didn’t really start to get going until about halfway through and for only being 1 hr and 44 min (including credits), there was not enough time for us to enjoy the conclusion our main characters came to. The final half felt extremely rushed and only had enough time to elaborate on two character’s “new” friends. They do a little montage at the end, but it just doesn’t feel as emotional as the previous two.
The plot was painfully predictable too with an even more predictable twist at the end. It was a good twist that probably caught some people off guard but of course it didn’t come until the very end and didn’t really hit the way I wanted it to.
Final Thoughts:
IF was a funny, witty and emotional rollercoaster that had its moments but definitely had its flaws also. It absolutely hit me harder than I thought it would and I think that just adds to the fact of how emotional it made me and the others in the theater. Whether you’re 10, 25, 45 or 65, I would recommend going to see this film.
