John Krasinski’s Imaginative World is Enchanting for Kids and Adults Alike
DIRECTOR: JOHN KRASINSKI/2024
Did you have an imaginary friend growing up? If you’re an adult reading this and can’t remember one, that may just be by design.
When Bea (Cailey Fleming) stumbles into the world of IFs—or, Imaginary Friends—she is just as perplexed as you or I would be when meeting a giant fuzz monster or bug-eyed ballerina. That’s because Bea isn’t a kid anymore, no matter what her birth certificate says. After her mom’s early passing, she grew up fast, and she doesn’t need kids’ games or chaperones anymore. But when she returns to New York City for her dad’s (John Krasinski) surgery, she discovers a magical world upstairs from her grandmother’s (Fiona Shaw) apartment. She meets Cal (Ryan Reynolds), who works with said fuzzy and ballerina sidekicks, Blue (Steve Carell) and Blossom (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), to find new homes for IFs whose kids have grown up and forgotten them. In true Reynolds fashion, Cal is sarcastic and burnt out, but Bea may have just the spark to bring joy and purpose back to the IFs.
Not everything about the logic of IF hangs together—I’m already annoyed at the thought of the plot hole analyses that will be published in the name of #content—but one of the beauties of an original world is not being encumbered by mythology and continuity. IF is about dreaming big, and it’s for kids and families who want to be dazzled by a story imaginative in every sense of the word. Reynolds and Fleming surround themselves with a vintage teddy bear (the late Louis Gossett Jr.), a giggly unicorn (Emily Blunt), a bright sunflower (Matt Damon), a pink alligator (Maya Rudolph), a floating bubble (Awkwafina), a superhero dog (Sam Rockwell), a…well, I could keep going and going. Even the non-magical parts of Bea’s world are covered in busy patterns, the streets of New York are as clean as I’ve ever seen them, and her dad is the most playful Krasinski has been since emptying his prank drawer on The Office. Perhaps the highest praise I can give IF is I’m almost certain I would’ve watched it on repeat as a kid even if it meant rewinding the VCR over and over.
But even for an adult who writes about movies every week, IF is extremely charming. I’ve written in the past about how Pixar has been the master of the “what if” premise, but writer-director Krasinski and his collaborators are giving them a run for their money. With a direct allusion to Harvey and shades of Alice in Wonderland, E.T., and The Secret Garden, it’s inspired by all-time family classics. And though the plot is full of whimsy, the craft is solid. The animated IFs look sharp—not upsetting as I feared they might be from the trailer—and the sentiment never feels cheap. (Yes, I cried.) The jokes are consistent (shout-out to Keith!), Reynolds is bringing his most nuanced performance I’ve seen in 15 years, and supporting kid actor Alan Kim is channeling the spirit of Jonathan Lipnicki circa Jerry Maguire. (Minari was no fluke!) Aside from a a few mild profanities parents of young kids may be sensitive to (certainly milder and fewer than in E.T.), it’s difficult to imagine anyone who enters the theater with an open heart not leaving enchanted.