It took me a long time before I finally gave in to see this movie recommended by a friend and I bet we both saw it because "Ryan Reynolds starred in it. Even after seeing the movie, I'm still surprised he agreed to play a character in such a movie. I don't mean it in a wrong way, he's the kind I always see to be crazy and funny in action.
And then, there is "John Krasinski", the writer, director and a character in the movie. I've not seen his other movies like A Quiet Place, Free Guy and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness but he's a familiar face maybe because I didn't notice him much in "Free Guy" when I saw it. Nice to see him and Ryan in a movie together.
"IF" also called "Imaginary Friends" is a 2024 animation movie, about 2 hours long. It's a movie in the fantasy, family, comedy and drama genre. Cailey Fleming plays Bea, Ryan Reynolds plays Cal, John Krasinski plays Dad and Steve Carell plays Blue, it's a power and funny cast actually.
The movie tells the tale about a girl who after a difficult experience began to see everyone's imaginary friends. The "IFs" are friends of little kids who are forgotten when these kids (their real life friends) grow up. The movie tag says, it's a story you have to believe to see, quite relatable.
Honestly, I didn't understand the movie in the first 20-30 minutes and now that I think about it, maybe it's because I didn't believe lol, just kidding. I can only say the movie got interesting after some things became clear and that was when Bae began to help the IFs find their real life friends, I was excited in the process with them.
Let's talk about my main reason for seeing this movie, Ryan Reynolds. Anyone who have seen his other movies before this would definitely think his role in this movie is way lower than what he is capable of but I think that also made this movie appealing, a new crazy, funny or unexpected side of Ryan is always a welcome idea as I am a fan.
In this movie, he is Cal, the one in charge of all the IFs in one category and honestly, I think he makes one of the not so great leaders but that was the essence, he needed help and he got it from the least expected person, Bae. I got really emotional when he was revealed to be her own IF. Both didn't start out great but they got better.
And then, there is Blue, my second best character. Forgotten but still a cheerful IF and ready to find a new friend like the others but can't forget his first friend. How he uses food to console his sad heart is worth mentioning and his lines are always funny or lovely to hear. He got his friend back, that's a sweet happy ending.
There is also the butterfly IF, and others who made the story nice although they all have very different looks and personalities but they are just the right friends every kid needs. The story is simply a reminder for adults that they do have a kid in them and that part of them shouldn't be forgotten or left to be ignored after it has passed.
The movie gave a beautiful ending that would make you forget you had quite a boring or should I say, a confusing start. I know there's so much more about this movie I didn't get or will share here but I'll recommend it for a family movie time with a rating of 7/10. I still think it is lacking in areas I can't explain but over all, it's one of those movies with deep meaning that everyone should see. Let me know in the comments if you'll see it.
Images are gotten from Imdb