In his latest feature with Paramount Pictures, writer/actor/director John Krasinski explores the magic of imagination and childhood wonder with a tale about imaginary friends. The film follows Bea (Cailey Fleming), a child forced to grow up quickly after her mother’s death from cancer, who now finds her father (Krasinski) facing heart surgery. When she discovers she can see imaginary friends (also known as “IFs”) and a retirement home that houses them, Bea decides to use her newfound gift and the help of her grandmother’s neighbour Cal (Ryan Reynolds) to match the IFs with people in need of their comfort.
If you’re a millennial like me and this plot sounds somewhat familiar, I was also struck by how similar the plot is to the 2000s cartoon Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends. Steve Carrell even voices an IF named Blue. However, that is where the similarities end. In this story, the existence of IFs doesn’t seem to be universally accepted by adults or even children, and Bea’s approach to “adopting” the creatures is vastly different from the cartoon.
IF certainly carries the same energy and spirit as a cartoon. Between the cleverly written jokes, the variety of wacky character designs, the bright, jaunty score and the can-do spirit of its characters, the movie carries an infectious whimsy that had me grinning and giggling the entire time.
Most of my gripes with IF are come from the plot holes and conveniences. For example, though Bea’s introduction presents her as a tired preteen longing to be seen as mature and still pained by her mother’s death, that personality does a 180-degree flip after the IFs are introduced, rather than what would seem like a more gradual acceptance and path towards happiness. I could draw my conclusions, but the film fails to sufficiently explore why Bea was the only person who could see the IFs and why she could see all of them rather than just one at a time.
While heartwarming, funny and satisfying, the film’s final scenes undercut Bea’s hard work to help the IFs earlier in the movie. The plot overall is fairly standard, and it ends how you probably predict it will. But again, these issues don’t make or break the film and could just be explained away by remembering that it’s a children’s movie and that the enjoyment of the intended audience doesn’t depend on an airtight plot and character development.
However, it’s more than just a silly kid’s movie with funny characters. Krasinski’s story is surprisingly moving and poignant, at different points evoking happy and sad tears. As with many films ostensibly aimed at children, I think the adults will resonate most with its message of the joy of imagination, the importance of stories and the fleeting innocence of childhood. The tears I shed were well-earned.
Fleming manages balances the film’s lighter and more emotional moments as the lead. She excels in the story’s happier moments, radiating joy and excitement, while in beats that require a little more gravitas, it feels a little more like she is an actor playing a role. At the same time, I related to Bea’s scenes where she wanted to be treated as a mature young adult; something about her delivery still felt a little wooden. Regardless, Fleming manages to propel the movie forward and allows the audiences to connect with her character so that we share in her disappointment and triumphs, in her sense of wonder and heartbreak.
With Cal, Ryan Reynolds portrays another Ryan Reynolds-type character. While significantly more subdued than Deadpool or Detective Pikachu, Cal still plays on Reynolds’ ubiquitous quippy delivery and effortless charisma. Cal is more likable, kid-friendly and more emotionally available than Reynolds’ other characters, and he and Fleming share a delightful mentor-mentee chemistry. He’s not breaking any new ground here, but for what it’s worth, it works.
The animated voice cast brings plenty of variety and energy to the film. Featuring a who’s who of prominent actors from George Clooney to Maya Rudolph, the voices of the IFs truly fit with their looks and personalities, and I enjoyed trying to guess the actors. Though some of the characters are only present for a few brief scenes, the screen time they do have gives each character a chance to establish a unique and believable personality.
The standout among the voice cast and even among the live-action cast is Steve Carell as the fuzzy purple IF named Blue. Reminiscent of the goofily incompetent yet lovable Michael Scott, Carell’s performance is full of earnest oafishness, curiosity, and need for love that steals every scene and fits what I picture as a child’s imaginary friend’s personality.
Also noteworthy is Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s performance as the butterfly ballerina Blossom, whose lower, slower delivery provides a soothing counterpoint to the more high-strung characters. Alan Kim’s performance as the accident-prone yet chipper young hospital patient Benjamin is especially heartwarming, and I wish he had more scenes.
The high point of IF is, of course, the visual effects. There is an astounding variety of character designs among the IFs, complete with textures and animation styles that make them feel as if different children thought them up. One scene in particular inside the Memory Lane retirement home for IFs is a visual marvel full of motion and colour that captures the infinite possibilities of a child’s mind. If you had to put the word “fun” on a screen, what you’d get would look close to this. If I had one wish, it would be for more scenes in the world of Bea’s imagination instead of the apartments and office buildings of New York City.
IF is full of charm, youthful exuberance, and sentimentality that will captivate the kid in all of us, no matter our real age. Though its plot is fairly standard, the imaginative spectacle of the animated characters more than makes up for it. Combine that with an excellent cast and clever comedy, and Krasinski has delivered a more fun and sincere film than I could have imagined.
Rating: 7/10