“IF”, released in theaters on May 17, 2024, explores young Bea struggling with the death of her mother and her now-sick father. To cope with this, Bea meets Cal, a man who sorts IFs, or “Imaginary Friends”, to young children in need.
Although “IF” pulls on heartstrings with deep and meaningful thoughts and conversations, “IF” was more advertised as a comedy and really let viewers down in that sector.
However, “IF” made up for this by casting Ryan Reynolds as Cal and John Krasinski as the father of Bea. Interestingly, Krasinski actually created the idea, directed it and starred in it himself.
Another downside we saw in “IF” was the overall slow pace. The movie opened with nearly ten minutes of backstory in Bea’s life, conveyed through a slow video of Bea’s, her mother’s and her father’s memories together. These videos were meaningful to the plot, but strayed away from how the movie was advertised as more of a happy comedy.
One of the best parts of the movie, ironically, was the diversity of the IFs. We see voice-overs done by Emily Blunt, Steve Carrel, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, Bradley Cooper, George Clooney and several other notable celebrities.
There were dozens of stuffed animal-like characters, some similar to already loved characters and others completely new ideas from the mind of John Krasinski. Some were tiny, gigantic, invisible, old, young, tall, short and much more.
“IF” was another amazing rendition in the collection of John Krasinski. After starring in “A Quiet Place” and its prequel and sequel, Krasinski branched off into the world of children’s movies, likely for his own children, and did a fantastic job with creating a unique and passion-driven project. On the other hand, “IF” would have benefited from more frequent comedy and a shorter play time to keep viewers intrigued and entertained for its duration.
