Children’s comedy film IF, written and directed by John Krasinski, was released May 17 with a run time of 104 minutes. The movie taps into the themes of reconnecting with one’s inner child and appreciating aspects of adolescence, but despite the heartfelt message, it doesn’t reach its intended youth audience.
IF follows a 12-year-old girl named Bea (Cailey Fleming) as she moves to New York City to live with her grandmother (Fiona Shaw), while her father (John Krasinski) is in the hospital with a heart problem. In the city, she rediscovers the existence of imaginary friends, self-proclaimed “IF”s. Unfortunately, many of the IFs have a problem: their children have grown up and forgotten them.
Though hesitant at first, Bea offers to help the leader of the IFs, Cal (Ryan Reynolds), find new homes for the various imaginary creatures. However, they quickly realize that the only suitable homes for the IFs are the ones that they came from.
Inspired by her lighthearted and comedic father, Bea helps the adults around her reconnect with their inner child while rediscovering her own. IF showcases fuzzy, animated characters that every viewer will immediately fall in love with. A character that easily portrays this is Blue (Steve Carrel), whose shaggy purple fur makes him look huggable through the screen. Lewis the Bear (Louis Gossett Jr.), another notable character, resembles a fuzzy teddy bear and wears an adorable top hat.
The most heartwarming character is undoubtedly Bea’s dad. Krasinki’s character has lost his wife and is in the hospital with a broken heart, but he always has a dad joke up his sleeve or a prank to play on his daughter.
Unfortunately, Ryan Reynolds’ character, Cal, is not nearly as humorous as fans expected from the actor. Cal is sullen and irritable for the majority of the movie, so if you’ve come looking for a comedic Reynolds movie, you’d be better off with Deadpool or The Adam Project.
Although IF might hold some appeal to all age groups simply because of its innocence, the movie struggles to hit its mark with any specific audience. The plot is too simple to be intended for an adult audience. However, without clear development, it is difficult for young watchers to follow the story. The characters are designed for a children’s movie, but only a select few are cheerful enough to be childlike.
IF contains an element of mystery, as the original development of the characters may intrigue the audience. Viewers will be captivated as Bea discovers Cal and the IFs for the first time and continues meeting more IFs throughout the film. Just when watchers think they fully understand the characters, the story shocks with a plot twist.
IF is a sweet, heartwarming movie that will certainly entertain the audience, but its success is stunted by its lack of a specific target audience and a hard-to-follow plot. With its lovable characters but noted structural issues, IF earns three and a half out of five feathers.
