by Josh Sewell
John Krasinski became a superstar actor thanks to the megahit NBC sitcom The Office, but the terrifying thriller A Quiet Place proved he’s also a terrific director. (I also liked The Hollars, but I don’t think many people saw that 2016 indie dramedy.)
That scary flick and its sequel made a ton of money at the box office, providing Krasinski with the opportunity to branch out and tackle other genres. IF, his latest, takes his interest in family dynamics that he’s examined in almost all his work and filters it through the prism of a Pixar-style children’s story. Unfortunately, despite some solid voice work and creative CGI characters, this one is a tonal mishmash that never quite comes together. That’s a bummer considering the premise is so intriguing.
IF centers on Bea (Cailey Fleming), a preteen girl staying with her grandmother (Fiona Shaw) in New York City while her dad (Krasinski, who also wrote the screenplay in addition to directing) undergoes heart surgery at a nearby hospital. Having lost her mom to cancer several years ago, Bea is understandably nervous about her dad’s health.
However, after an unexpected encounter with an upstairs neighbor (Ryan Reynolds), she discovers that she has the power to see everyone’s imaginary friends – or IFs, for short. With his help, Bea embarks on an adventure to reconnect these imaginary creatures with the kids who grew up and forgot about them.
I really wanted to like IF, considering I’ve enjoyed Krasinski’s previous work and I’m a dad to two girls. I’m the target demo for this one and I should’ve been a blubbering mess. So why do I feel like the Grinch for sitting stone-faced through the whole thing?
I’m fairly sure part of it is the fact that I never got a clear handle on the story’s internal logic. I know it’s a family flick about CGI imaginary friends, so I wasn’t looking for documentary style realism. But one of Pixar’s big strengths is immediately establishing the rules of the worlds they create, whether it’s emotions inside a little girl’s brain, monsters who scare kids for a living, or a robot tasked with cleaning up a postapocalyptic Earth.
IF doesn’t do that, so the narrative is confusing and meandering in places. If Krasinski had set up the stakes more effectively or clearly pointed out the constraints of Bea’s powers, it might’ve made the film more emotionally impactful. That’s especially true considering Fleming does all the heavy lifting when it comes to performances.
Reynolds feels miscast here, brooding and grouchy for much of the running time, while Krasinski doesn’t get much to do at all as the dad. His one defining trait is trying to keep his daughter happy, which is sweet, but it means we learn almost nothing about him – including his vague health crisis. Viewers never know how concerned to be since we get practically no info about his condition.
There’s an incredible lineup of actors voicing the IFs, which makes sense considering Krasinski has worked with a ton of big stars in his career. Just look at these names: Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Steve Carell, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, George Clooney, Bradley Cooper, Maya Rudolph, Jon Stewart, Sam Rockwell, Christopher Meloni, Blake Lively, Keegan Michael-Key, Matthew Rhys, Sebastian Maniscalco, Richard Jenkins, Awkwafina and the late Louis Gossett Jr.
I’m sure he called in a bunch of favors, and I’m guessing not many celebrities would turn down a big paycheck for a few hours of work. While most of the characters don’t get a ton of screen time, their distinctive voices allow them to make an impression no matter how brief.
If the premise of IF and its nonstop assault on viewers’ emotions don’t make it clear that Krasinski is attempting to capture that good ol’ Pixar magic, he also hires a ringer in composer Michael Giacchino. The man has written countless amazing scores across numerous genres; however, he’s perhaps best known for ripping out millions of moviegoers’ hearts with the opening moments of Up.
He’s aiming for a similar emotional impact with IF. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work nearly as well because Krasinski beats viewers over the head with the score nonstop, as if not trusting us to know how to feel at any given moment. Sometimes a scalpel works better than a sledgehammer.
Giving a movie as kindhearted and well-intentioned as this one a negative review feels like kicking a puppy, but I’d be doing readers a disservice if I wasn’t honest. Hopefully, this one is just a “me problem.” Based on post-screening conversations with several of my colleagues, the reception was decidedly mixed. Some critics adored it, while others agreed with me that it was a misfire.
As always, though, you fine people get to decide for yourselves. Hopefully, you like it more than I did.
IF is rated PG for thematic elements and mild language. Opens in theaters May 17.
Grade: C-
That scary flick and its sequel made a ton of money at the box office, providing Krasinski with the opportunity to branch out and tackle other genres. IF, his latest, takes his interest in family dynamics that he’s examined in almost all his work and filters it through the prism of a Pixar-style children’s story. Unfortunately, despite some solid voice work and creative CGI characters, this one is a tonal mishmash that never quite comes together. That’s a bummer considering the premise is so intriguing.
IF centers on Bea (Cailey Fleming), a preteen girl staying with her grandmother (Fiona Shaw) in New York City while her dad (Krasinski, who also wrote the screenplay in addition to directing) undergoes heart surgery at a nearby hospital. Having lost her mom to cancer several years ago, Bea is understandably nervous about her dad’s health.
However, after an unexpected encounter with an upstairs neighbor (Ryan Reynolds), she discovers that she has the power to see everyone’s imaginary friends – or IFs, for short. With his help, Bea embarks on an adventure to reconnect these imaginary creatures with the kids who grew up and forgot about them.
I really wanted to like IF, considering I’ve enjoyed Krasinski’s previous work and I’m a dad to two girls. I’m the target demo for this one and I should’ve been a blubbering mess. So why do I feel like the Grinch for sitting stone-faced through the whole thing?
I’m fairly sure part of it is the fact that I never got a clear handle on the story’s internal logic. I know it’s a family flick about CGI imaginary friends, so I wasn’t looking for documentary style realism. But one of Pixar’s big strengths is immediately establishing the rules of the worlds they create, whether it’s emotions inside a little girl’s brain, monsters who scare kids for a living, or a robot tasked with cleaning up a postapocalyptic Earth.
IF doesn’t do that, so the narrative is confusing and meandering in places. If Krasinski had set up the stakes more effectively or clearly pointed out the constraints of Bea’s powers, it might’ve made the film more emotionally impactful. That’s especially true considering Fleming does all the heavy lifting when it comes to performances.
Reynolds feels miscast here, brooding and grouchy for much of the running time, while Krasinski doesn’t get much to do at all as the dad. His one defining trait is trying to keep his daughter happy, which is sweet, but it means we learn almost nothing about him – including his vague health crisis. Viewers never know how concerned to be since we get practically no info about his condition.
There’s an incredible lineup of actors voicing the IFs, which makes sense considering Krasinski has worked with a ton of big stars in his career. Just look at these names: Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Steve Carell, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, George Clooney, Bradley Cooper, Maya Rudolph, Jon Stewart, Sam Rockwell, Christopher Meloni, Blake Lively, Keegan Michael-Key, Matthew Rhys, Sebastian Maniscalco, Richard Jenkins, Awkwafina and the late Louis Gossett Jr.
I’m sure he called in a bunch of favors, and I’m guessing not many celebrities would turn down a big paycheck for a few hours of work. While most of the characters don’t get a ton of screen time, their distinctive voices allow them to make an impression no matter how brief.
If the premise of IF and its nonstop assault on viewers’ emotions don’t make it clear that Krasinski is attempting to capture that good ol’ Pixar magic, he also hires a ringer in composer Michael Giacchino. The man has written countless amazing scores across numerous genres; however, he’s perhaps best known for ripping out millions of moviegoers’ hearts with the opening moments of Up.
He’s aiming for a similar emotional impact with IF. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work nearly as well because Krasinski beats viewers over the head with the score nonstop, as if not trusting us to know how to feel at any given moment. Sometimes a scalpel works better than a sledgehammer.
Giving a movie as kindhearted and well-intentioned as this one a negative review feels like kicking a puppy, but I’d be doing readers a disservice if I wasn’t honest. Hopefully, this one is just a “me problem.” Based on post-screening conversations with several of my colleagues, the reception was decidedly mixed. Some critics adored it, while others agreed with me that it was a misfire.
As always, though, you fine people get to decide for yourselves. Hopefully, you like it more than I did.
IF is rated PG for thematic elements and mild language. Opens in theaters May 17.
Grade: C-
Reach out to Josh Sewell at joshsewell81@gmail.com
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