IF: Movie Review

Cast: John Krasinski, Ryan Reynolds, Cailey Fleming, Steve Carell, Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Director: John Krasinski

Undoubtedly whimsical and almost a touch too saccharine for its own good, A Quiet Place's John Krasinski's latest is an ode to memory and the power of imagination.

Focussing on The Walking Dead's Cailey Fleming's Bea, it's the story of a family torn apart by tragedy as Bea's father has to go into hospital for a broken heart, not long after the death of her mother from cancer. Placed with her grandmother (Fiona Shaw), Bea befriends Ryan Reynold's Cal who lives upstairs and who shares his apartment with a group of Imaginary Friends, chiefly Steve Carell's Blue and Waller-Bridge's Blossom.

After being urged by her father to tell her story, Bea begins an adventure of her own with Cal and the Friends.

Chiefly aimed at the family audience, Krasinski's IF veers dangerously close to cloying early on with an overload of whimsy that threatens to topple proceedings in a sentimental slop. With narrative elements that don't make sense, character actions that seem at best wildly off, an obvious twist and an overly OTT twinkling score from Michael Giacchino, IF's heart comes through when cynicism and modern day sensibilities threaten to derail it all.

With some wondrous visuals and touches that recall Pixar moments as well as Hollywood's golden age, it's almost as if Krasinski is channeling his inner child with recollections of yesteryears from Tinseltown. There's nothing wildly original on show here, but thanks to an earnestness of direction, this reeks of Amblin-level Spielberg as it angles for the family audience.

Packed with an almost incredible level of actor cameos and a raft of characters that will tickle all imaginations, If's power lies in its visual inventiveness above all else. (Expect either a series of prequel shorts or Monsters University-style spinoffs soon.) A sequence set inside a retirement home for former Imaginary Friends comes alive with a little imagination and a series of visual flourishes that sparkle.

But too often, the film relies on its own twee-ness and mawkishness to sell proceedings - there's a darker film here that explores trauma and loss, but it's not a film Krasinski wants to explore or expose.

That's fine - as a rebuttal to cynicism and an ode to the power of memory, this aimed-at-family film works its audience well. Perhaps some of the older end of the audience may be resistant to its powers of persuasion - but much like the central message of the film itself, If is more interested in reminding you of the power of imagination and pure unbridled joy.