Almost every kid had that one stuffed animal they talked to or that one imaginary friend. At what age do children stop interacting with their imagination that way?
“IF” is a new film produced by John Krasinski that tells the story of how a 12-year-old girl, Bea, regained her inner child. Bea went through heavy obstacles for her age. She experienced the death of her mother as well as her dad’s heart surgery. Bea moved into her grandmother’s apartment while her dad stayed in the hospital overnight.
After getting settled in her grandma’s living space, she noticed a strange cartoon-looking creature along with a man named Cal. Bea followed these creatures and learned that they were all IFs. These imaginary friends told her that they were once imagined by kids who are now adults, and they are no longer remembered by their kids. Bea and Cal went on several missions together to try and help these adults remember their IF.
Although the movie involves animated characters and is rated PG, some adults may find that the movie is worth the watch. The message that this movie presents is simple yet crucial. It serves as a good reminder to re-embrace those Barbie dolls or stuffed animals that you used to play with, no matter how old you are now. It is easy to forget that no matter how old you get, your imaginary friend stays with you.
Given that this is listed as a kid-friendly movie, children may not understand the depth of the story. It may be too profound for them to completely understand the underlying message. With that said, it is still enjoyable for children to watch because of the film’s good-natured feeling and lively animations.
Combining real actors with animations can sometimes give off a childish production. However, the actors did a respectable job performing as if the cartoon IFs were present. The animation and video production were well-done and tied the whole scene together nicely. The music production was also fitting to the movie, as it added a sense of playful connotation.
One of the cartoon characters is Blue. He was the first IF that Bea was exposed to that led her to Cal and the other IFs. Having Steve Carrell be the voice actor of Blue was suitable. He has an engaging and youthful voice for Blue that made it impossible not to smile whenever he appeared on the screen.
The movie is not predictable and allows the audience to have some of their own interpretation of the plot. For example, the bear IF who helped Bea along the way was originally a stuffed animal at the carnival where her family loved going when she was little. It is unclear if the bear was Bea’s IF. Having some unexplained scenes in the film can help the audience embrace the use of creativity.
This movie is listed as a family comedy, yet some may view it more as a touching, heartwarming movie than a good laugh. Nonetheless, there was a respectable number of scenes where Ryan Reynolds did an excellent job of acting as Cal. He added humor to the film where it seemed necessary. This made subjects such as loss and grief seem lighter for a children’s movie.
The movie also indicates that kids today may not be exposed to their IF due to the technology that occupies their time. This was shown by the child, Benjamin, who was stuck in the hospital with broken limbs. He repeated that the TV was broken, and he did not know how to spend his time otherwise.
Even though this movie turned out to be more sentimental than funny, it was still worthwhile. Everyone goes through obstacles in their lives that force them to grow up much faster than they should. Being a kid does not always have to be interpreted as immature. It makes life seem a little less heavy.
