IF won’t be quite what you expect. Marketed as a warm and funny family film, IF has elements of this, but it’s more profound and takes a mature approach to exploring loss and grief with the warmth and humor conjured by the premise on the edges. The film knows how to tug at the heartstrings and rarely misses a chance to do so, which makes the experience more moving than funny and more meditative than whimsical. Take away the expectations you may have going in and IF could leave you with tear-filled eyes and a warm smile, but you’ll still believe that this well-made film seems to have used all the right ingredients while getting some of the mix wrong.
The Production: 3.5/5
“Sometimes life doesn’t always have to be fun, you know?”
Young Bea returns to live with her grandmother while her father (John Krasinski) stays in the hospital ahead of a major upcoming surgery. The stay brings back complicated memories of having spent time there while her mother was treated in the same hospital before passing away. One night, she sees an unusual character, something from an old cartoon perhaps, and soon realizes she can see all sorts of fantastical characters, all of whom are the imaginary friends (playfully called IFs) of kids who have long forgotten them. Partnering with the IF custodian, Cal (Ryan Reynolds), who has been trying to match the collection of IFs with new kids (and get them out of the IF retirement home), Bea lets her talented imagination do magical things for the IF community and winds up changing her outlook on life.
IF is surprisingly emotionally heavy. And with all the emotional weight, it offers something different from expectations. The film swings between the haze of quiet sadness and the brightness of exuberant play. It picks up steam after a measured opening as the story unfolds and remains charming until the closing credits. We’re treated to hilarious lines from Reynolds (“I can’t taste that in my eyeballs”), and the invisible Keith gags play well. The collection of imaginary friends is delightful, too.
However, IF never quite hits the gear you expect. It remains meditative instead of leaning into the laughter or running away with gags or physical pratfalls (of which there are some). That’s not entirely a criticism. Krasinski, who wrote and directed this film, made choices to abide by the emotional core of the film. One must respect his choice (as it’s so ably crafted), though the film could have lit up the box office more and become a bigger hit if that balance had been adjusted and the emotional mood had been adjusted for a lighter approach in places.
“Nothing you love can ever be forgotten.”
The cast is terrific. Young Cailey Fleming as Bea is a standout. With a considerable emotional range and the ability to present whimsy and wrought sadness, Fleming carries the film’s heart with talent and grace. Ryan Reynold is restrained but effective in his performance and endlessly likable, as is John Krasinski as Bea’s dad. As Bea’s grandmother, Fiona Shaw is a piece of sublime casting, and Alan Kim, as Benjamin, a young boy Bea meets in the hospital, is nerdy and sweet. When it comes to the parade of imaginary friends, a stellar voice is cast behind them, led by Steve Carell’s lovable, purple-colored Blue. Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Blossom; the late Lou Gossett Jr. as the old teddy bear Lewis; Sunny, a flower-pot flower, is voiced by Matt Damon; Emily Blunt is a unicorn; Jon Stewart is a robot; Maya Rudolph is a giant pink alligator; Sam Rockwell a heroic, flying dog, Sabastian Maniscalco a magician mouse, Christopher Meloni is Cosmo, a trenchcoated and hatted mystery man, and the great Richard Jenkins a puppet-like art teacher. The film doesn’t give as much time for these characters as we’d like; indeed, this was an ingredient the film could have benefitted from having much more of (even a B story with them on an adventure would have been a treat).
IF is a film about imagination and grief, our power to survive challenging moments, and memory’s potency and healing power. Once you see that, you’ll also see that this is a film for adults placed in the framing and proposition of a movie for kids. Krasinski, an accomplished director of the first two A Quiet Place movies, brings that skill set to IF. Still, the modesty of his shots and pacing isn’t always a comfortable fit for something positioned as a film to be enjoyed by the family with younger kids. Children around the same age as Bea, who are starting to talk like they are no longer kids (as Bea does in the film), may be a prime target audience, but the big, purple character of Blue likely appeals more to children younger than that.
IF moved me deeply, and some moments made me weep, including the sequence where Bea’s grandmother dances and the IF begins to glow. Krasinski superbly crafts the emotionally resonating heartbeat of IF, knowing precisely how to make the audience feel something. He’s built an appealing world of possibility ripe for more exploration. A movie filled with a greater willingness to embrace laughs, whimsy, and the lightness that imagination run amok can bring may have been a more popular approach than the emotionally heavy version of the film we get.
Video: 5/5
3D Rating: NA
IF is a spectacular-looking 4K disc. A film taking place in a magically adjacent version of our real world, the colors are dialed up to eleven and showcase splendidly. The cinematography by Janusz Kaminsky is stunning, showcasing deep, rich blacks and bright, vivid colors. The lushness of greens from trees, blues from skies, healthy skin tones, clean whites, a rich array of purples, yellows, and more. The HDR here, Dolby Vision for those so equipped, enhances everything you see.
Audio: 5/5
The Dolby Atmos track is playful, solid, and excellent. The tinkering of footsteps carries across the overheads, and the sounds of the city, the fairground, and the bustling retirement home where the IFs wile away their time are rendered expertly and fully across the speakers in front, above, and surrounds. Michael Giacchino, a composer of exquisite range, capable of warmth and wonder in his compositions, might well have been the perfect choice to score IF. Giacchino also scored UP, and there is a parallel from that film to the opening sequence of IF, and in both cases, the composer captures the tone of the moment superbly. IF is an excellent audio presentation.
Special Features: 2/5
A light collection of special features. The gag reel is fun, and the rest of the 40 minutes is okay but not revealing.
- The Imagination Behind IF: Hear from writer and director John Krasinski, as well as the cast and crew, as they dive deeper into the process of bringing their imagination to life on screen.
- Imagining Imaginary Friends: Take a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of each imaginary friend.
- Blending The Real and the Imaginary: Join John Krasinski as he incorporates a practical filmmaking approach to make the imaginary feel real.
- Learn to Draw Blue from IF: Learn to draw the loveable and cuddly “Blue” in this fun, interactive tutorial.
Overall: 4/5
IF won’t be quite what you expect. Marketed as a warm and funny family film, IF has elements of this, but it’s more profound and takes a mature approach to exploring loss and grief with the warmth and humor conjured by the premise on the edges. The film knows how to tug at the heartstrings and rarely misses a chance to do so, which makes the experience more moving than funny and more meditative than whimsical. Take away the expectations you may have going in and IF could leave you with tear-filled eyes and a warm smile, but you’ll still believe that this well-made film seems to have used all the right ingredients while getting some of the mix wrong.
Neil has been a member of the Home Theater Forum reviewing staff since 2007, approaching a thousand reviews and interviews with actors, directors, writers, stunt performers, producers and more in that time. A senior communications manager and podcast host with a Fortune 500 company by day, Neil lives in the Charlotte, NC area with his wife and son, serves on the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Charlotte Board of Directors, and has a passion for film scores, with a collection in the thousands.
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