by ECI Released : 2024-05-17
If is written and directed by John Krasinski and stars Ryan Reynolds, Steve Carell, and Krasinski portraying the female protagonist's father. The film follows a 12-year-old girl (Cailey Fleming) who returns to New York to stay with her grandmother while her father undergoes surgery, years after the death of her mother. She begins seeing abandoned imaginary friends known as If's and along with Cal a man who can also see the If's she seeks to unite them with new kids.
The film has an interesting premise but poor execution. Kids will enjoy the film despite it being inferior to the best Pixar or Disney movies or recent animated successes such as Spider-Verse. It's always tricky to create a film that blends animation and live action. Who Framed Roger Rabit is one of the few examples of this working extremely well with other films like Space Jam finding commercial success.
Ryan Reynolds and the rest of the cast give solid performances but the film is let down by a lackluster script, predictable plot, and a lack of focus. The film wastes the first hour setting up things they attempt to do only once. It then switches directions before promptly ending and most of the resolution occurs in a 3-minute post-credit montage. If the events of that montage had been the entire film it would have been far more exciting. Overall save this film for streaming their are better films to see this drive in season such as the recently released Planet of the Apes or Fall Guy.
