IF

 

“I’m an IF. Get it? Imaginary. Friend.”

Imaginative, friendly and creative, IF feels like if Steven Spielberg made a PIXAR film - full of awe and wonder with a healthy amount of heart tugging emotion - helped by using Janusz Kaminski as DP and Michael Giacchino’s beautiful Williams-esque score, allowing Krasinski to craft a heartfelt tribute to coming-of-age and the importance of staying connected with our imaginations and inner child as we do. 

Discussion Points:

Whilst the internal logic of the film doesn’t always make sense, it’s so imaginative and earnest that it won me over with its emotional sincerity. It definitely takes a while to get going, and we don’t spend anywhere enough time with the IFs getting to know them and their world, but the heart of the film is definitely in the right place. It’s messily paced, has some odd line deliveries, and feels like it’s missing some scenes of exposition, but man every time it tugs the heart strings it works, and that’s thanks to the wonderfully human performances from its cast led by the young Cailey Fleming who’s spunk and ingenuity sparkle across the screen. Ryan Reynolds plays somewhat against type cracking few jokes and playing the straight man against the IFs antics, with Steve Carell obviously having fun in the recording booth, as I’m sure many of the other myriad vocal cameos did. Krasinski gets to have some fun as yet-another great on-screen dad and behind the camera really channels Spielberg both in visuals and tone creating a film fuelled by childlike awe and wonder but with a few moments of childhood anxiety and coming-of-age angst to ground its imaginative antics. Michael Giacchino’s score is beautiful and Janusz Kaminski captures some really memorable visuals, especially using windows to curve light. Feels like if Inside Out & Monsters, Inc. met The Sixth Sense, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Hook.