Popcorn Perspectives with Danny Minton
Week of May 20, 2024
IF
Rated PG for thematic elements and mild language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 47%
In Theaters
This new family film from writer/director/actor John Krasinski (A Quiet Place, The Office) follows the life of a young girl (Bailey Fleming) who is going through a lot as she tries to process that her father (Krasinski) is about to have a major surgery (for an untold illness). Having already lost her mother, she has been forced to grow up quickly and has lost all connection with being a child. But when she moves in with her grandmother, she begins to see a group of Imaginary Friends (IF’s), and she goes to work with the man living with them (Ryan Reynolds) to help find them new kids to befriend. For the most part, the film is filled with whimsey and creativity with a touch of magic. There is a lot to like about it, with lovable creatures and a good message. And the production is top notch with Oscar-winning cinematographer Janusz Kaminski (Schindler’s List) and Oscar-winning composer Michael Giacchino (Up) providing the marvelous sight and sound to the project. Where the film falls short is the story and unfortunately, the directing. The narrative is more than a bit confusing, until the end where they try to clear it up. In fact, the film purposefully confuses, as if it was worried that actually being on the level might give too much away. But this only serves to give the film a dreamy, make-believe quality that takes you out of the picture. All of this leads to the point where you realize that this pre-teen has practically no adult supervision as she wanders around New York City on her weird little mission that appears to have more to do with mental health issues rather than coming to terms with adult problems using her imagination. I can just picture how a CPS employee would view this project. As for the presence of Ryan Reynolds, I expected more in the way of a sense of humor. While there are a few chuckles, it is far from funny and unfortunately it gets a little manipulative, trying to make the audience cry way more than it makes them laugh. As for the audience, I think it is best-geared for a much younger, less-discerning audience who can just get by with enjoying the lively characters and the wonderful music and not think too much about what is actually happening. C