IF

Grade: B-

Before seeing IF, you should pull up the cast list on IMDb, otherwise you’ll be playing the frustrating “Who is that? They sound familiar” game. I was proud of myself for recognizing Richard Jenkins. I’ll help you out by telling you to also listen for Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Matt Damon, Steve Carell, Louis Gossett Jr., Awkwafina, Emily Blunt, George Clooney, Bradley Cooper, Bill Hader, Sebastian Maniscalco, Blake Lively, Sam Rockwell, Maya Rudolph, Amy Schumer, Jon Stewart, and Brad Pitt. Does this sound like a crowded cast? It’s a crowded movie.

12-year-old Bea (Cailey Fleming from The Walking Dead, and Young Rey from the 20-teens Star Wars trilogy) is an only child. IF opens with sentimental grainy home video footage of this blissful family of three, which of course means we’re being set up for some tragedy. The mother has died, and the dad (writer/director John Krasinski, who also does one of the many voices) is in the hospital with a “broken heart” needing some vague surgery. He is obnoxious with his theatrics that try to keep Bea’s spirits up, and the nurse isn’t much help. When he does a dance routine with the wheeled stand that holds his IV bag, rather than a “sir, please don’t do that – we should get you into the bed,” she just smirks and rolls her eyes. He would get along great with Patch Adams.

Bea now lives in an apartment with her grandmother (Fiona Shaw). She’s the most fully fleshed out character, and has a nice arc. After being privy to some strange cartoonish comings and goings in the building, Bea ventures upstairs where she meets Cal (Ryan Reynolds), who serves as a wrangler of sorts for former Imaginary Friends (IFs) of children who grew up. Bea apparently doesn’t have school, any friends, or anything else going on, and is free to devote all waking hours to joining forces with Cal to be matchmakers for these IFs, finding them a new “kid.” We also don’t get a satisfactory backstory for the Reynolds character. What does he do for work, and how did he become this IF whisperer? Or IS that what he does for a living? The movie leaves numerous stones unturned, and takes breaks to show off its animation and art direction, with insufficient substance.

Moviegoers have been joking that it’s a good thing IF and Imaginary (out a couple months ago) didn’t get released closer together. The latter had a similar premise, but is a Blumhouse horror film, and that would have been an unfortunate mistake if parents got them mixed up and took their kids to the wrong one. IF isn’t terrible. It has a heart and wants to please, however cloying the execution may be. But I found it half-baked and empty.

Grade: C+

That was the review I composed yesterday. A scheduling snafu on my part caused me to have to leave the movie with half an hour to go. I thought I’d seen all I needed to make a conclusion. I watched the last 30 minutes today. It’s the strongest part of the film. We do get an explanation for Ryan Reynolds’s Cal character, and some more blanks filled. It culminates in a poignant way. Even the dad settles down and becomes a little less…him. The critics and viewers who say this will resonate more with adults are so right. I still had some issues, but in the end, Krasinski’s intent is brought home fairly successfully. It pays to keep watching, just as I hope you kept reading.

Grade: B-