About 
A new special look at Disney's Snow White has been released, which teases one of the new songs and a new image of the Evil Queen.
Posted in: Kaitlyn Booth, Movies, Paramount Pictures, Review | Tagged: if, john krasinski, ryan reynolds
IF Review: A Family Film That Struggles To Appeal To Anyone
IF isn't a bad film, and for the people with whom it resonates, it will probably become one of their favorite movies, and they won't ever understand what other people have a problem with.
Article Summary
- 'IF' falls short as a family movie, lacking clear audience appeal.
- Strained blend of children's fantasy and heavy adult themes.
- Star-studded voice cast, yet most are underutilized in the film.
- Krasinski's heartfelt directorial aim misses its mark.
IF might tug on your heartstrings, but it's a movie that seems confused about what audience it is trying to appeal to, and because of that, it appeals to almost no one.
Director: John Krasinski
Summary: A young girl who goes through a difficult experience begins to see everyone's imaginary friends who have been left behind as their real-life friends have grown up.
There is a difference between a kid's and a family movie; we have discussed this in many reviews and articles about such movies on Bleeding Cool. A kid's movie is a film that will generally appeal to kids, and the adults might have an okay time, but they are mostly going to zone out and maybe laugh at the joke thrown in for them. A family movie will have universal appeal across the board, and while everyone in the family might get something different out of the film, they all got something out of it. IF feels like a film that wanted to be a family film but got lost along the way and made some creative decisions that make it a film that doesn't appeal to anyone.
The design of the various IFs and the physical comedy that comes from them are the moments of the film that feel like they are tailored and made for young children. The designs are funny, and the characters say silly things that a kid would like. They are Imaginary Friends; it would make sense that everything involving them would be very kid-focused; they are literally born into existence from children's imagination. However, that comedy bumps up against the story of Bea (Cailey Fleming) and her family, which feels like something you would see in a Hallmark film. So there are these moments of genuine gut-wrenching sadness that do not mesh with Blue sneezing in a funny way.
Aside from those two pieces of the film not fitting together, the ending is heavy for something that is supposed to appeal to a young audience. Kids will want to leave a movie if it is sad because they will be worried it will stay sad, and IF is a film that will have them bolting to the door at the end. It doesn't make the ending any less tear-inducing; it just means parents crying will be interrupted by their young children who would like to leave right now because the movie is sad, and nothing upsets them more than the idea of the movie staying sad. That itch to go won't be helped by the strange pacing and structure where there are long moments when not much happens, and they will get bored.
A lot has been made about this film's large and impressive voice cast, but, to the surprise of no one, 85% of the people on the cast list that you think are impressive probably recorded their handful of lines in less than a day and then bounced. Some of the other IFs are better realized than others, like Christopher Meloni's private investigator IF, which will amuse any adult who has watched Law & Order. The rest of them are mostly forgettable, with most of the joke moments shown in the trailers, which is impressive because Paramount hasn't released much footage from this film. Everyone else is just sort of there, and the parents might recognize a voice or two and find them amusing, but "Hey, that's Jon Stewart voicing a Robot" isn't really a joke; it's a reference at best.
IF is held together mainly by Fleming's impressive work, which says a lot about her talent as a young actress. The moments that could get to you are when she is involved because she is the only one doing any of the emotional heavy lifting. This is Bea's story, what little story Fleming is given to work with here, and there are some real moments when she breaks your heart. Ryan Reynolds lifts her up, but this is, unfortunately, another performance of his that feels recycled and like he is running on autopilot. You're probably right if you think you know what kind of performance Reynolds will give in this film. As for Steve Carrell as Blue, it's ironic that the character is so big because he usually brings on the biggest moments of disconnect in the film regarding tone and comedy. It's not a fault of Carrell; it's fault of writing, and there is the nugget of a good idea here that isn't executed well.
IF isn't a bad film, and for the people with whom it resonates, it will probably become one of their favorite movies, and they won't ever understand what other people have a problem with. As for everyone else, IF has no idea what it wants to be or who its audience should be. Director and writer John Krasinski made a little thank you video before the screening, saying that he made this movie for his daughters and the girl dads in the audience. Even being that specific, it still feels like it missed the mark, and with some more passes over the script, IF could have been great. Instead, it's the first mediocre film of the summer–at least it's not over two hours long.
IF
5/10
IF might tug on your heartstrings, but it's a movie that seems confused about what audience it is trying to appeal to, and because of that, it appeals to almost no one.
Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!
Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!
