When Bea (Cailey Fleming) goes to New York to stay with her grandmother while her father (John Krasinski) has surgery, she discovers that upstairs neighbor Cal (Ryan Reynolds) has a group of Invisible Friends (that she can see). Sad because their people have forgotten them, the group hopes the curmudgeonly and disorganized Cal can re-home them as support-creatures. Bea decides to assist, and the gang rounds up the entire crew of I.F.s for the task. Mis-adventures and laughs abound, but the plan misfires. However, (due to a spoiler event) gentle teddy bear Lewis (Louis Gosset Jr.), annoying and overly-large blob Blue (Steve Carell), and cheery Blossom (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) realize that restoring each I.F. to its original creator is a better idea than re-homing.
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IF has not been the season’s break-out blockbuster release, but it is certainly a scene-stealer. Grandmother (Fiona Shaw) is responsible for several of the strongest moments. Her nostalgia is perfectly timed and played as she remembers her love of dancing and her first meeting with her future husband. Shaw captures both pragmatism and pathos in her farewell scene with her son and granddaughter too, and her communications and interactions with her Betty Boop-esque I.F. Blossom (Waller-Bridge) are some of the most seamless.
With Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, Christopher Meloni, Maya Rudolph, and Awkwafina also voicing I.F. characters, the movie is studded with a Coney Island cornucopia of A-list stars.
IF has the budget and the star-power to be a mega-hit, but the question is whether the fantasy film has depth of plot and strength of storyline. Perhaps not.
While its opening is reminiscent of MONSTER’S INC. (2001), with a Blue, a monstrous-looking--well, monster--accidently scaring a potential human friend, IF throws back to an even older cult favorite, DROP DEAD FRED (1991). It even recalls Peter, Paul, and Mary’s classic “Puff, the Magic Dragon,” (1963) with its mournful reminder that the mainstays of childhood imagination become bygones like the days themselves.
John Krasinski wrote and directed the Paramount family-feature in which he stars. Running just shy of two hours and rated PG, the film opened on May 17thto mixed reviews and a less-than-expected intake.
Because everyone can use a reminder that helpers—both external and internal resources—are always around, this reviewer hopes that the film has a slow and successful build. Still in theaters almost a month after opening, the film is also available with YouTube VOD and has a projected July streaming date.
Reviewed by Merry L. Byrd, 30 May 2024
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