IF (2024)
IF is a change of pace for
writer, producer, and director John Krasinski after the effective horror
pictures A Quiet Place 1 and 2. This is a moderately charming
fantasy-comedy about a young girl helping people reunite with their "IFs" or
imaginary friends.
12-year-old Bea (Cailey Fleming), still
grieving the death of her mother from cancer, temporarily moves in with her
grandmother (Fiona Shaw) while her dad (Krasinski) undergoes heart surgery.
While exploring her grandmother's apartment building, she spots a few strange
creatures and a grumpy human named Cal (Ryan Reynolds). It's Cal's job to place
imaginary friends with new children after their original kids have grown out of
them. Bea decides to help Cal in his work, and her first assignment is helping a
big, purple, furry creature named Blue (voiced by Steve Carell) find a new
child.
IF explored the same themes as
the Toy Story films, especially Toy Story 2, but not quite as
well. The screenplay to IF feels like an early draft as it is kind of
scattershot and clunky. There are too many tangents—Blue attempting to reunite
with his now grown child, the wise but lonely old teddy bear (voice of Louis
Gossett Jr.) who longs for the days of old, finding an IF for a sick boy (Alan
S. Kim) in the hospital, finding the identity of the grandmother's IF, and the
mystery of who Cal really is, and several more story threads. There are also
three musical numbers/interludes wedged in that feel like filler. Maybe this
should have been an actual musical.
The character of Bea doesn't really
make sense. She is dealing with these heavy burdens and doesn't want to be
treated like a kid, but throughout the film, she acts like a kid who is
imaginative and believes in the magical.
The performances are good and there are
laughs, but what saves the movie in the end is its emotional core. As crazy as
it sounds, IF is able to pull itself together for a deeply emotional
final act. Who knew?
