IF, 2024.
Written and Directed by John Krasinski.
Starring Ryan Reynolds, John Krasinski, Cailey Fleming, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Louis Gossett Jr., Steve Carell, Fiona Shaw, Bobby Moynihan, Alan Kim, Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Sam Rockwell, Maya Rudolph, Sebastian Maniscalco, Richard Jenkins, Christopher Meloni, Awkwafina, Jon Stewart, Liza Colón-Zayas, Catharine Daddario, Matthew Rhys, Keegan-Michael Key, Bradley Cooper, George Clooney, Amy Schumer, Blake Lively, Brad Pitt, Allyson Seeger, Bill Hader, and Audrey Hoffman.
SYNOPSIS:
A young girl who goes through a difficult experience begins to see everyone’s imaginary friends who have been left behind as their real-life friends have grown up.
Aiming for the heart over laughs, IF gets lost in itself without finding the fun. It is to be appreciated that writer/director John Krasinski (using his success and clout from A Quiet Place to tell this story that is, according to him, about fathers and daughters but isn’t) is primarily disinterested in taking the lazy, insulting route when it comes to children’s humor and the unfolding narrative. A relaxed, reflective, dramatic approach here seemingly goes against whimsical, animated IFs (imaginary friends) bringing smiles and joy to kids or adults who have long forgotten about them. Taking the concept seriously is not a bad idea, but what’s here leaves one unmoved.
Setting aside that this is treading familiar material about the importance of adults not losing touch with their inner child, IF is centered on 12-year-old grieving Bea (an impressive turn from Cailey Fleming, generating some emotional investment in a film that otherwise seemingly has no idea what it’s trying to do narratively), who has already lost her mother (Catharine Daddario) to a terminal illness and is now preparing for the worst with her hospitalized father (John Krasinski) slowly but surely being prepped for surgery on a broken heart, sleepwalking through a series of subplots related to imaginary friends.
Whenever not visiting her father in the hospital, who head-scratchingly looks completely healthy despite whatever real illness, aside from the metaphorical explanation, is ailing him), Bea is looked after by her grandmother (Fiona Shaw) in an apartment. The once imaginative and spirited young girl (a prologue montage showcases how influential her mother was in inspiring such a wondrous mind and artistic creativity) also happens to stumble across Ryan Reynolds’ Calvin, a disillusioned ringleader of IFs struggling and failing to match them with new children, as most of their previous companions had grown up and no longer envision them.
While several huge names make voiceover cameos as those IFs (it’s overwhelming just reading the cast list during the ending credits), the film mainly features Steve Carell’s Blue, a large, fuzzy purple creature (even he doesn’t know what he is) cutely desperate to connect with another child. Other prominently featured IFs include Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s classical dancer Blossom and recently deceased Louis Gossett Jr’s Lewis, their leader, frequently reminiscent of happier days when everyone had a match and the world, such as an amusement park which stands in as the location for a secret headquarters, was bustling with people and activity.
Perhaps as a distraction from sadness, Bea, who, for some reason, is the only one who can see these IFs, has decided to partner up with the overworked, cynical, and defeated Calvin on a matchmaking scheme that essentially boils down to interviewing IFs and jotting down information such as location and purpose, and from there, searching for a child who would be a good fit. Cailey Fleming and Ryan Reynolds have decent chemistry together even if John Krasinski never figures out a consistent tone or meaningful stakes for what is happening, but the real pleasant surprise is that even though the latter is still cracking the typical sassy jokes, he is playing an actual character.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the rest of the characters, mainly the IFs; some of their characteristics and traits make no sense (why would someone want an ice cube voiced by Bradley Cooper as an imaginary friend), and their presence generally boils down to a lame gag. Since there are several of them, the CGI has been spread thin, meaning that the ones superfluous to the plot look generic and lack detail. Visually, the live-action aspects are flat and often resemble a TV commercial, so whatever everything is on-screen together at once, IF is aesthetically unflattering. It does, however, have a respectable moving score from Michael Giacchino, trying his damnedest to make something resonate here.
None of that pales in comparison to the simple fact that watching IF feels like witnessing a story made up as it goes, and one that, again, never actually finds its way to the heartstrings until it’s time for the more manipulative, sentimental, climactic moments. Temporarily, it’s about finding a match for a hospitalized boy (Minari breakthrough child actor Alan Kim), then it’s about the depressing state of lonely IFs, and then the characters decide to funnel their collective effort into attempting to make the adults remember such imaginary friends. This is where things get confusing and strain logic because the characters are more concerned with elaborately evoking a memory rather than showing someone a drawing of their once-upon-a-time imaginary friend, which already exists in Bea’s portfolio of IFs.
Disregarding the nonsensical writing, IF meanders through these segments like a zombie, searching for some semblance of fun and wit. It is all concept, yet it doesn’t actually do anything with it. Naturally, there are predictable reveals here regarding what is really going on, but the most surprising aspect of IF is how it suddenly pivots into three ending sequences without working up any narrative momentum. It’s as if the film is perpetually stuck in the first act and exposition before inexplicably concluding. The ingredients for something thoughtful and rewarding are here, leaving us imagining what could have been.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
