IF

Writer and director John Krasinski’s new film is made for kids.  But don’t let the ads, which make it look like a real-life Pixar feature, fool you.  It’s actually an emotionally heavy endeavor that tackles themes of grief and loss.  It stars Cailey Fleming (The Walking Dead) as Bea, a 12-year-old girl who, after losing her mom shortly in the opening, has convinced herself that life doesn’t have to be happy.  In fact, she does not believe that it can, and tries to tell her father (Krasinski), who has an unexplained heart condition this, despite his upbeat behavior.  But one night, she discovers something in the streets, and it disappears into a room in the apartment where she resides with her loving—if rather absentee—grandmother (Fiona Shaw).

Eventually, Bea discovers that the room is occupied by all sorts of Imaginary Friends, more commonly known as “IF”s.  These include Blue (given life by Steve Carrell), a giant purple fuzzy creature who resembles Grimace, and a British female bumblebee named Blossom (Phoebe Waller-Bridge).  She also meets Calvin (Ryan Reynolds), a cynical man who serves as a sort of matchmaker for them.  According to him, each IF has either been forgotten by their human friend, or the companion has grown too old to remember.  But Bea thinks that there is a way to help them find new people and helps them all.  Their adventures take them to a Retirement Community, where an elderly bear named Lewis (voiced by the late Louis Gossett Jr.) assists them.

Before long, the girl has discovered a new purpose in life that gives her a sense of fulfillment and joy.  Her adventures with Cal during the daytime include matchmaking interviews with various IFs.  Krasinski has undeniably made these animated characters colorful, and pulled out all the stops to ensure that each is voiced by a celebrity (some are still credited for their work, even if they don’t speak).  They might not have much personality, including the ones voiced by Carrell, who is of course the most prominent one, and this is a bit of a missed opportunity considering that he was brought on because Krasinski and he are such great friends, all the way back to their days working together on The Office.

There is plenty of humor and quite a few gags, and most of them landed.  As someone who is not the world’s biggest Reynolds fan, primarily because his Deadpool shtick seems to be his only one, I am happy to report that he was more tolerable here.  Not only does he dial back on the jokes, but he is also given some effectively touching scenes as the film winds down.  While I found myself wishing that more time could have been spent with the human characters, especially Krasinski’s character who is not given the most to do by design, his film still works.  Of the entire cast, it’s Fleming who really shines. I was grateful that it did not feel emotionally manipulative, with Michael Giacchino’s wonderful score swelling at the right times.

The biggest criticism of this project is one that I mentioned earlier, but must reinforce.  Although IF is a kid’s movie done right, where both the younger crowd will enjoy it and their parents will be not only entertained but deeply moved, sensitive viewers expecting the fun romp promised by the promotional materials will not be prepared for the unexpectedly heavy themes that it tackles.  While the PG rating should not have been changed to a more severe one, parents will want to think twice before bringing the younger kids.  Additionally, it’s not until about a half-hour in until we first meet these IFs, so it’s a bit of a slow burn initially.  Finally, the rules of the worldbuilding and exactly how these creatures work are rendered inconsistent and baffling by the time the credits roll.

When all is said and done, Krasinski has mostly succeeded here.  Despite some flaws, IF is incredibly affecting, and parents will definitely want to bring a Kleenex.  The final act packs some powerful emotional gut punches, and I will admit that I left the theater in tears…both happy and sad.  At this stage in the game, I doubt that Pixar will be able to draw out the emotions from the upcoming Inside Out 2 that made Up and Toy Story 3 such instant classics.  I’m left anticipating what the writer/director/actor has in store for us next.

★★★ out of four

Rated PG

1 hour, 44 minutes