IF

What happens to your imaginary friend when you grow up and forget them?

That's the question 'IF' poses to us, and tries to debunk the mystery.

It's also a film that's trying very very hard to be liked and to be a modern classic that can live on forever. So it throws everything at the screen in order to attempt to achieve this.

There's elements of 'Toy Story' here, there's 'Inside Out', but because of this the plot seems to be being pulled in lots of directions in a relatively short run time.

A little girl getting over her mum's death with the help of a mysterious neighbour would have been enough. Or a girl trying to help reunite imaginary friends with their former children. Instead we get a bit too much all in one go.

This is though a nice piece of family entertainment, I do recommend it, but it is just trying to do too much for its own good.

My youngest daughter wanted to see this, it has Ryan Reynolds in it, so I thought "what the heck". Man I did not anticipate that I would be a bumbling crying mess at the end of this film.

I wouldn't say this is a kids film, it's more of a film for adults who still have that child still inside of them, but they lost their way when they grew up and became adults. This is a movie for the child inside all of us, that still has that glimmer of hope.

John Krasinski seems like a big child, and that's basically what he was playing in here. I don't mean that in a negative way, I find it very endearing because you don't see that a lot anymore in people.

I really liked seeing the imagination of the little girl in here, but as I stated this is a HEAVY movie, so some things kids may not enjoy in here. When we got out of the movie I asked my daughter "did you like the movie?" and she said "yeah, it was funny and sad". I would have to agree with her assessment.

I would say that if you have a child that has trouble concentrating or sitting still, then they will be miserable in this. This is definitely targeted more for adults.

IF had all the hallmarks of being a great family film and in the main it did not disappoint. There is humour, crazy characters and a unique and understandable plot. However, I did spend a lot of the film thinking it could have been better but not being able to put my finger on why. There are clearly moments when the jokes don't land like you might hope and some of the IF's are not given much screen time making the whole thing seem rushed. Despite this Reynolds is as watchable as ever and Cailey Fleming steals the show as Bea, a 12 year old girl just trying to find her way in life after the death of her mother. But at the core of the film is the heart of Krasinski and it seems that he is able to find that in whatever genre he turns to. There are moments that are genuinely moving in IF and if you're not wiping away a tear or two then maybe it is not one for you. All in all, a fun, family ride that, despite its faults creates a feeling of warmth and joy.

The advertising for this movie was weird. It focused on the funny moments, pushed it as a family movie, and even featured interviews with the main actors in commercials for the streaming release, as if to say "Hey, look, actors from The Office! You like them, right? Please watch our movie." After watching the movie, the advertising feels deceptive, and I think IF would be more well-liked if they promoted it as what it was: a sappy movie about finding your inner child.

To start, I'll say that anyone claiming this movie is a ripoff of Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends is way off base. The comparison only makes sense because there aren't many other works about imaginary friends. The premise is similar, but the tone is completely different, and IF is more so about returning imaginary friends to their original owners.

As I mentioned, this movie is really sappy. It's sweet and heartfelt, and conveys the nostalgia of remembering your childhood imaginary friend. You might cry. It seems to be aimed mainly at adults. I enjoyed it as a 19-year-old, but other reviewers have mentioned that their young children got bored or found it too sad. The plot is weird. It's not a long movie, but at times it feels empty, slow-paced, or overly simple/childish. There were plenty of good moments, but it seemed to try to maintain a sweet and nostalgic tone for the entire film, which could get stale. It sometimes felt like the creators were challenged to string as many heartwarming moments together as possible with only a thin plot. Nonetheless, I didn't completely dislike it. The plot twist at the end is of note: it felt random at first, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense, and the more meaningful the rest of the film became in hindsight.

Overall, it was a bit disappointing, but it was nice to watch, and I think I'd watch it again. It felt like a sincere attempt at a good movie that fell a bit short, which is always better than a movie that's clearly just trying to make money. If you're looking for a comedy or a movie small children will like, you should skip it, but if you like sweet and sappy movies, I recommend it.

At the beginning, the movie took time to get rolling, but from the middle, the movie becomes very interesting. The mix of live action and animation is very well done, the characters are fun and the story is imaginative. I'll be clear here: Anyone crying out for a movie with an original idea should watch IF. IF is not based on anything and is not a movie from an existing franchise. The colors of this movie were gorgeous and I really liked the look and you are literally drawn into this imaginative world. To the actors, especially Ryan Reynolds, who played well with invisible characters in this case the IF's.