IF (Imaginary Friends) review – Lost In Contemplation

Imaginary friends are such a great storytelling tool. While the concept of a creature that only your childhood self can see or hear is pretty simple, it is subject to a wide variety of interpretations and is malleable enough to be explored through any genre. Typically, the best projects are the ones that either try to reconcile imaginary friends’ emotional influence and impact (they are, after all, a very personal phenomenon), or maximise their creative potential.

With his latest film IF – also released as Imaginary Friends – writer, director and actor John Krasinski tries to do both. Disappointingly, he falls short in each case.

IF centres on twelve-year-old Bea (played by Cailey Fleming), a young girl who has cut herself off from feelings in the wake of her mother’s death, and as her father (Krasinski) undergoes treatment in hospital. While staying with her grandmother (Fiona Shaw), Bea runs into and befriends the mysterious Cal (Ryan Reynolds), but not before she discovers that she, like Cal, can see and interact with imaginary friends whose child creators have grown up and abandoned them.

Teaming up with Cal, a giant purple monster named Blue and a dancing butterfly called Blossom, Bea sets out to find new kids for all the “IFs”, learn more about where they came from, and re-discover the power of imagination.

The plot description above is accurate enough, but IF is quick to reveal it’s actually oriented towards the adults in the audience, rather than the kids. The film’s drawcard is its introspection. It reminisces about the IFs that we manifested and who are now buried deep under a lifetime of memories. That contemplation is also what makes IF a very different beast compared to other films or shows that focus on imaginary friends – most notably the Cartoon Network series Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, where the friends are driven more by character than nostalgia.

One would think IF would take that character-driven route, especially given the strength of its ensemble cast. Along with Steve Carrell and Phoebe Waller-Bridge who give life to Blue and Blossom respectively, the list of IF voices includes Louis Gossett Jr, Emily Blunt, Bradley Cooper, Keegan-Michael Key, Jon Stewart, Sam Rockwell, Awkwafina and Christopher Meloni.

While ensembles like this rarely result in all players getting their due attention, and Blue and Blossom are deserving of the lion’s share, IF refuses to give its characters their close ups. There are long scenes of the cast just basking in sunbeams or visualising a world of pure imagination, all to a Michael Giacchino musical score of piano melodies. As a result, the film moves at a glacial pace, making that 104-minute runtime feel much longer than it should.

The film also struggles to ignite its emotional core. Cailey Fleming is doing her best with the material, playing a child who has retreated inward in the wake of tragedy, but her motivation doesn’t line up with the message of the story. By no means are the two incompatible, but the disconnect is thrown into focus by heavy-handed gestures at emotion. Ryan Reynolds brings up the rear effectively, delivering a performance that’s more subdued than usual, but the character of Cal comes off as a plot device and blends too much into the background.

Even though it has its innate problems, IF is still watchable and, indeed, at times enjoyable. The centrepiece is, naturally, the IFs themselves, rendered stunningly into the world and complete with unique designs and personalities. Louis Gossett Jr. as an elderly teddy bear is a particular standout, while Christopher Meloni as gumshoe Cosmo provides frenetic energy that elevates him above the rest of the group. Thanks to the meticulous visual effects that root the IFs in our reality, there’s little disbelief that they actually are in the same room as the human characters.

Meanwhile, John Krasinski continues to prove himself as a technically talented director. Despite the issues with the script, he knows how to shoot in confined spaces and blend the real and the fantastical seamlessly. There is a particular sequence in which Cal’s surroundings are constantly changing as Bea’s imagination runs wild. It’s fun and lively and goes a long way to set the film’s tone, and win over the audience. At least in that instant.

As much as IF is the best movie about imaginary friends you’ll see this year (and not that terrible horror outing Imaginary from a few months ago), it is pulled down by the weighted feeling of untapped potential. The amount of goodwill and sentiment it generates isn’t enough to seal the cracks in its foundation. Even though it tries valiantly to get you to believe in it.

IF is in cinemas now, having released on 17 May.