IF movie review

MOVIE TITLE: IF

This imaginative, charming movie is now playing in theaters.

RATING: PG

LENGTH: 1 hour 44 minutes

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: A- (I liked this a lot more than most film critics!)

SPONSOR of Today’s movie review:

IF (purchase on Prime or pre-order the DVD) : https://amzn.to/3wTQ5FH

IN A NUTSHELL:

The story is about a young girl who goes through a difficult experience and begins to see everyone’s imaginary friends who had been left behind as their real-life friends grew up.

I never had an imaginary friend, probably because I have a twin sister, so I never felt truly alone and needed an IF. She has been my best friend my entire life. I love you, Tracey!

Do you have an imaginary friend? If so, who and what was it? Comment down below!

THINGS I LIKED:

I adore John Krasinski. Who doesn’t? I get the impression he’s really like his character in this movie in real life. He acts in the movie, but even more, he wrote and directed the film. What a talented man. In my eyes, he can do no wrong. He was always a beloved actor, but now he has become a wonderful filmmaker and storyteller.
Steve Carell’s voice talent is stellar. John Krasinski wrote the role specifically for Steve.
John Krasinski also collaborated with Ryan Reynolds, who stars in the movie and helped produce it. Ryan Reynolds describes the film as a live-action Pixar movie. It was actually their goal to make the movie feel like that.
Cailey Fleming is adorable and does a great job.
As you watch the movie, you’ll definitely recognize the voice talents, yet not always be able to guess who the actors are. The cast includes Emily Blunt (John Krasinski’s wife), Matt Damon, Phoebe Walter-Bridge, Fiona Shaw, Louis Gossett Jr., Bobby Moynihan, Jon Stewart, Sam Rockwell, Richard Jenkins, Maya Rudolph, Awkwafina, Sebastian Maniscalco, Christopher Meloni, Vince Vaughn, and more.
The title “IF” has double-meaning. IF stands for “Imaginary Friend”, but also refers to our imagination.
The movie poster is cute and immediately makes you want to know more about what’s going on in the picture.
There is a lot of humor in the movie, both visual and verbal.
The special effects and animation are pretty cute.
For good writing, I always tell my author clients, “Show, don’t’ tell.” The opening montage does exactly that. Nice job.
The musical score was so lovely and perfectly emotive.
Throughout the entire movie, there is a feeling of sadness, peppered with humor. Some critics have complained that it made the tone of the movie uneven. I agree AND disagree. Life can be like that. In that regard, this movie about magic is very realistic. Life is hard. We need to try to laugh and find as many connections as possible to help us get through it.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

I hadn’t seen the trailer, so I assumed this was a kid’s movie. Kids will probably get a kick out of a lot of it, but it’s really for adults who feel beaten up by life and who have forgotten the childlike wonder inside themselves. Parents, bring tissues. Kids and adults will definitely pull very different things from this movie.
The plot is a bit overcomplicated.
Sometimes, we see John Krasinski’s character in the hospital wearing normal clothes even though he’s a patient. I thought that wasn’t allowed and have never seen any patient wearing anything but their hospital gown.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Some profanity, such as “OMG.”
Two parents are sick in hospitals.
Lots of crazy shenanigans.

THEMES:

Childhood
Death and mourning
Imaginary friends
Memories
Having support through difficult times

FUNNY LINES:

“He’s the most adorable train wreck, but a train wreck, nonetheless.” – Glotham
“Well, that’s that.” – Cal (Ryan Reynolds)
“James!” – Cal (Ryan Reynolds) It made me laugh every time his character tripped over an ant.
“He’s about 8 or 9, so I think we can categorize by hopping.” – Bea (Cailey Fleming)
“I need to throw up. Or I need a snack. It’s one of the two.” – (Steve Carrell)

INTERESTING LINES:

“I realized the most important stories we have to tell are the ones we tell ourselves.” – Bea (Cailey Fleming)
“Sometimes, life doesn’t always have to be fun, you know?” – Bea (Cailey Fleming)
“You’re never really alone. I thought that was obvious by now.” – (Ryan Reynolds)
“All you need is a little imagination.” – old bear
“Nothing you love can ever be forgotten.” – old bear

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