IF Review – Odd, Heartwarming Fun

A heartwarming story, some hit-or-miss comedy, and several odd-looking animated creatures await you in the animated family movie, IF. Directed by John Krasinski (A Quiet Place), IF follows a girl named Bea – played by Cailey Fleming (The Walking Dead) – who starts to see imaginary friends (IFs) in her grandmother’s apartment building. She meets Cal – played by Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool) – and the pair work together to solve an issue plaguing the IFs: what do you do when your child grows up? The voice cast for the IFs includes Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag), Steve Carell (The Office), and Louis Gossett Jr. (An Officer and a Gentleman), among many others.

The story begins with a home video montage of Bea growing up with her parents, as it is slowly revealed that her mother passed away from an illness. Some years later, Bea moves in with her grandmother in New York while her father – played by John Krasinski – is in hospital for heart surgery. After seeing a big-eyed creature, an IF named Blossom (Waller-Bridge), she’s thrust into helping Cal find Blossom and those like her, a new home. Over the course of the movie, we’re introduced to over a dozen IFs, all of which are voiced by well-known actors. 

More IFs Than You Can Handle

The story of IF is simple. Bea tries to find some joy when she isn’t visiting her father in the hospital, and she meets the IFs who bring some wonder into her life. In return, she helps Cal place the IFs, and eventually even helps reconnect them to their former kids. It’s a story about compartmentalizing trauma, and how you shouldn’t stray too far from your childhood. It has one or two twists that keep it interesting, but the story isn’t the strongest, even if it is heartwarming. 

IF hits all the emotional beats you’d want a classic family movie to hit, and it’s rarely boring. Clocking in at 104 minutes, the start is fairly slow, but once it picks up at around the 20-minute mark, it doesn’t slow down. Fleming is good as Bea, nailing some emotional moments. But, there are times when it feels like she is reading her lines off the script. Her performance doesn’t impact the quality of the film too much because Ryan Reynolds is great. He’s playing a crotchety caretaker who is attempting to do the right thing by re-housing the IFs. 

Reynolds’ performance is goofy, and he plays off Fleming well. It’s not necessarily too different from some of his other performances, but it fits IF really well. Plus, he nails the couple of emotional beats he gets. The voice cast is good too, but it’s hard to pinpoint too many of them. Waller-Bridge, Carell, and Louis Gossett Jr. were given the most to do, and they nailed the characters they were playing. Out of the rest of the ensemble, Christopher Meloni (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) as the hyper spy Cosmo stood out, although you’ll probably leave the movie with your own favorite.

Come On, Be Happy

The shining jewel of the movie is that IF is a joyous film. Yes, it might make you reach for the tissues at some points, but the heart and spectacle make it such an enjoyable watch. When Bea visits the home for the IFs, there’s a musical set-piece. If the movie had more scenes like this, IF would be better for it. Unfortunately, most of the movie is just Bea and Cal talking to the IFs. That’s perfectly fine because those sections are filled with humor and more heart, but by the end, I was missing the spectacle. 

Speaking of the humor, it’s a family film in every way, so the jokes can be pretty hit or miss. I chuckled a few times but while parents might not find every joke amusing, children probably will. There are a couple of good running gags and some great physical comedy too. If you’re looking for a funny lighthearted time, you’ll find it. As for the heart, watching Bea lighten up Cal’s mood will put a smile on your face. There are more mature themes here too, but IF does a great job of handling them without laying it on too thick.

While the story is fine, the characters could have used a little more work. Bea’s grandmother, played by Fiona Shaw (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1), is too odd and fairly absent from the movie considering she’s essentially Bea’s guardian. Krasinski isn’t in the film too much either and when he does appear, he mostly focuses on doing magic tricks. Other than Bea and Cal none of the characters feel all that developed. Even most of the IFs feel like one-trick ponies.

Do You Believe?

The IFs are extremely well-designed, with everyone looking distinct. Although, they all look a bit creepy, giving off an uncanny valley vibe. Some of them look like 2D characters who made the jump to 3D, so they look a tad weird. Sometimes it also seems that actors had trouble knowing where to look for their eye line, which might take you out of a couple of scenes. But, other than the creepy aspect, you could see how a child could think some of these up. 

We’re seeing the movie from Bea’s perspective, and the music matches those feelings of curiosity and wonder. Michael Giacchino’s (The Batman) score is great, and the licensed tracks are good too, fitting the tone of the scenes. While we’re discussing the tone of the movie, it achieves a nice balance of lighthearted humor and darker themes. The tone switches let the movie down in some areas, but the balance is maintained well. 

IF is exactly what you might expect from a good animated family film. It’s funny, filled with heart, and a good time if you want it to be. Unfortunately, there’s nothing in here too special for adults to keep coming back to it. But, it’s probably a safe bet that your children will come out talking about their favorite characters. 

You can check out IF when it comes to theaters on May 17, 2024.