Last Updated on May 18, 2024 by
If Movie is Directed by John Krasinski. Starring Ryan Reynolds, John Krasinski, Cailey Fleming. Running time: 104 minutes. Theatrical release May 17, 2024.
IF, movie, is the story of a teenage girl, named Bea, with a spectacular performance by Cailey Fleming. Bea lives with her grandmother while her father (John Krasinski), the writer and director is in the hospital waiting for his heart surgery. This is very difficult for Bea because a few years ago, her mother passed away in the same hospital. The jokings of her father hardly make her laugh, for she talks as though she is not a girl forever.
Later, she notices a few odd characters looming around her grandparents’ apartment block. The two of them follow her and she finds that they are imaginary friends, also known as IFs, who are forgotten by the children who invented them as they grow up. When Bea bumps into Cal, portrayed by Ryan Reynolds, who is supposed to find new children who the IFs use to find their purpose in life again. Reynolds’ interpretation is a bit more whimsical and fanciful, which contributes to the overall fun and light-heartedness of the role. Bea decides to join Cal and the IFs to go on the journey.
The IF is a dreamy and meaningful film having an insight into the power of imagination during a transition from childhood to adulthood. John Krasinski’s first attempt at a children’s movie proved to be a hilarious but heartfelt one that worked well for both teens and adults. The film’s strengths are definitely in its excellent acting, deep emotionalism, and vivid imagery, but it could probably use a little bit of improvement in relation to its pace and predictability. Thus, WF is an inspiring trip telling us about the essence of friendship and the fact that there is still a place for magic even though we grow.
The cast did a fantastic job; the best being Reynolds who doesn’t miss a beat in portraying humor and emotion simultaneously. Cailey Fleming nails the perfect emotional performance as Bea; she is an endearing and empathetic character.
Through the movie, the director takes us through deep feelings like loss, growing up, and leaving childhood age behind to adulthood age. The difficulty here is, that it deals with delicate themes well, which makes it not less attractive for either teenagers or adults.
Krasinski’s field off-screen in comedy evolved from his days on “The Office” and is depicted in the film’s different funny moments. Such a stage of easier stories makes the story more balanced helps the spectators to identify with the main characters and provides them with different emotions.
Imaginary friends presented by animations elaborate here to a more realistic level. The visuals are impressive in their form and content, appealing to the viewers and furnishing a space through it. The movie is for an audience that is not very far from the younger audience, but to support the film it might be too complex or heavy themes for very young children. This movie presents a traumatic experience such as a deadly disease that a man undergoes that would be hard to understand for young children.
Sometimes the rhythm of Narration is unstable. This could happen when other moments are rushed through, and crucial events experience a period, thus curtailing the momentum.
The plot of this film, although sweet, tends to be too hinting. Regular viewers would probably have seen the twists coming from far away, undermining the production’s goal of fully delivering an impactful narrative.
Here’s what concerned parents need to know about the age rating of IF before letting their younger audiences watch it:
If movie Rating & Content Information
Age Rating of IF: IF gets a rating of PG by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) for thematic peace and moderate language use. It is suggested that kids who are under eight years of age should get support from their parents. The movie is adequate for families, especially kids, who are 8 years old and up, teens, and auditoriums.
Language: IF does not have a bad language though you may catch some silly words like “accidentally snagged a cheek.”
Mature Content: The movie starts in an emotionally moving scene where a young girl finds to her horror that her mother is dead, which might be too graphic for some people but this is how the story develops. The girl sits beside her father in the hospital where he is about to go under the knife for a rather dangerous surgery. However, we don’t know exactly what is going to happen during the operation. Players have to face characters in dire circumstances. Some would say there are phases that are probably going to lose a couple of young audience members who might appear disappointed.
