What’s It About
A young girl who goes through a difficult experience begins to see everyone’s imaginary friends who have been left behind as their real-life friends have grown up. After discovering she can see everyone’s imaginary friends, a girl embarks on a magical adventure to reconnect forgotten IFs with their kids.
MOVIESinMO REVIEW
The film moves very slowly, taking about thirty-five minutes to introduce the main characters shown in the trailer. Viewers are left questioning its core message. It is about reclaiming one’s inner youth, represented by Imaginary Friends (IFs), to help become a better adult. This film is reminiscent of several titles, such as Big, where a boy in an adult body succeeds by retaining the spirit of youth. At the center is Bea, a girl hardened by loss who can see the IFs, unlike the adults around her. Her mission is to reconnect the IFs with their now-adult children. The most focused on IF is Blue, voiced by Steve Carell. Although humorous, Blue’s significant role feels out of place. Blue is the IF of Bobby Moynihan’s adult character, who is not central to the story. The film concludes with Bea reconnecting several IFs with their long-lost adults, highlighting another issue: why is a child burdened by loss matchmaking for IFs? The foundation feels shaky due to these unanswered questions. Bea needs a more defined background and purpose to clarify the film’s emotional core. The movie cannot pull punches to make it safe for kids, as this shifts focus to the CG characters rather than the emotional ideas Krasinski aims to convey. The story of IFs needs to be clarified and more concise. It begins with young Bea stating, “The most important stories we tell are the ones we tell to ourselves.” We see a creative girl adored by her parents, but her world changes when her mother dies. At 12, Bea stays with her grandmother (Fiona Shaw) while her dad (John Krasinski) is hospitalized. She discovers a room where Cal lives with IFs Blue (Steve Carell) and Blossom (Phoebe Waller-Bridge). Cal explains he helps IFs whose children have grown up. Cal takes Bea to a retirement home full of IFs, leading to a dull sequence where CGI creations audition for new owners. It’s unclear who Cal is, why Bea’s dad is in the hospital for weeks, and how her grandmother overlooks her disappearance. The film features racing around New York but needs a clear purpose, and its humor is overestimated. The film has potential but falls short, resembling a poor man’s “Monsters Inc.” Instead of engaging imagination, it remains tame and lacks edge. Mr. Krasinski should have called Cartoon Network and asked permission to produce a live-action version of Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends. The wholesomeness dulls the grief and fear central to Bea’s story. Krasinski’s movie looks good but takes numerous unfinished turns, leaving little to remember.
OUR RATING – A NOT SO IMAGINATIVE 5
MEDIA
- Genre – Fantasy
- Street date
- Digital – June 18, 2024
- DVD/Blu-Ray/4K – August 13, 2024
- Video – 1080p
- Screen size – 2.39:1
- Sound – English: Dolby Atmos, 2.0 Stereo
- Subtitles – English SDH, French, Spanish
Extras
- The Imagination Behind IF—Hear from writer and director John Krasinski plus the cast and crew as they dive deeper into the process of bringing their imagination to life on screen.
- Imagining Imaginary Friends— Take a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of each imaginary friend.
- Giving IFs a Voice— Meet the all-star cast responsible for voicing each character. Hear from Steve Carrell, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and more!
- Blending The Real and the Imaginary— Join John Krasinski as he incorporates a practical filmmaking approach to make the imaginary feel real.
- Tina Turner Forever!— Experience the reimagining of the iconic 80s Tina Turner music video as John Krasinski recreates this legendary sequence with the IFs.
- The Imaginative World of IF— From Brooklyn Heights to Coney Island, go behind-the-scenes with the cast and crew and experience the magic of New York City like never before.
- Gag Reel— You won’t have to imagine the hilarious antics on set once you check out this gag reel!
- Learn to Draw Blue from IF— Learn to draw the loveable and cuddly “Blue” in this fun, interactive tutorial.