Film Review: ‘IF’ is a Very Curious Effort From John Krasinski

It’s rare that I leave a theater completely unsure about how I felt, in regards to a film. IF, for better and often for worse, is that kind of movie, defying expectations and even confounding. Writer/director John Krasinski certainly is not playing it safe with his family friendly filmmaking outing, but he’s also made something that I don’t understand the audience for. It’s too sad and even potentially scary at times for little kids, but it’s also a bit too earnest and sentimental for adults. There’s a fine line to walk, which a place like Pixar has made a cottage industry out of, but this take on that sort of thing just never really gels consistently.

IF is undeniably effective when it comes to its emotional moments, but it’s also tonally all over the place. The marketing suggests something zany, and there’s certainly some big crazy moments, but this is lower key and more melancholy than audiences might be expecting. If I was puzzled, imagine what a family will think?

Bea (Cailey Fleming) is a young girl going through a difficult period. Her mother has passed away and her father (Krasinski) is in the hospital for some serious surgery. Living with her grandmother (Fiona Shaw) in Brooklyn, Bea begins to see some strange things. A meeting with Cal (Ryan Reynolds) only leaves her with more questions. After a bit, she realizes that she has a very rare gift. Bea can see imaginary friends.

The imaginary friends, or an IF, as they’re known, are in a tough spot. Their kids have forgotten about them, and while Cal has been working on getting them new kids, he’s not having much luck. Soon, Bea has teamed up with Cal, along with his main cohorts in Blue (voice of Steve Carell) and Blossom (voice of Phoebe Waller-Bridge). The project gives Bea some true joy and purpose, while the scary potential of what’s about to happen to her dad looms in the background. In the meantime, she meets many an IF and begins to see some magic in the world that had until then faded from her young life.

The A-list cast is mostly of the cameo variety, with Cailey Fleming the lead. Ryan Reynolds is close to a co-lead, but it’s Fleming’s story. She’s a solid young actress, even if the role is often more reactionary. Reynolds is doing a lot, physically, and that’s fun, but his role is an odd one. Frankly, it probably should have been an actress in the part, given how things play out. Steve Carell is the main voice performance and is big, yet certainly fine. John Krasinski and Fiona Shaw are nice in smaller parts, while Alan Kim and Bobby Moynihan are the other live action players of note. In addition to Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the voices on hand include the likes of Awkwafina, Emily Blunt, George Clooney, Bradley Cooper, Matt Damon, Louis Gossett Jr., Richard Jenkins, Blake Lively, Keegan-Michael Key, Sebastian Maniscalco, Christopher Meloni, Matthew Rhys, Sam Rockwell, Maya Rudolph, Amy Schumer, Jon Stewart, and more.

Filmmaker John Krasinski certainly puts all of his heart into this. Much like with the wildly overqualified A-list voice cast, the crafts are done by legends like composer Michael Giacchino and cinematographer Janusz Kaminski. Credit is due for setting a portion of the film in Coney Island and using my home base well, but Krasinski has made such a strange thing here. The movie is all over the place, and while the aforementioned heart is in the right place, IF has no real rules or internal logic, which you really need. Whenever you pull at a thread, it falls apart. Kids won’t mind, but they also aren’t likely to be drawn in by it. So, Krasinski is between a rock and a hard place, cinematically.

IF either needed to be more of a children’s film or a bit weirder in order to appeal to adults. It ends up being a strange in between situation, with almost an attempt at a live-action Pixar flick. Frankly, I was befuddled. At the same time, the emotions did well up inside of me, so Kransinski has something there. This is an interesting misfire, though there could be cult classic potential within. Time will tell there, but in the here and now, it just can’t figure out what it wants to be.

SCORE: ★★1/2