IF - Review (Non-Spoiler & Spoiler)

Writer/director John Krasinski returns with a new story about imaginary friends and the people who take care of them.
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0:00 - No Spoilers
9:16 - Spoilers

[@MrDump]

Turns out IF stands for “It’s Fine”

[@CarletonRutter]

OMG that’s awesome I could have used that for my movie review blog as that was my exact rating for the film slamdunkorjunk.blogspot.com/2024/05/if-movie-review.html

[@5dimensionlog]

Oh my gosh this movie is amazing one of the best movies to come out in years

[@fredrickgarrettsr2632]

​@@5dimensionlog U joking rite? These movie was bad and boring.

[@driab8574]

Just watched it stands for “ imaginary friend”

[@bradybirdy9243]

This seems like a fake movie that would be in a different movie

[@danielgudinojuarez6729]

It looks like a SNL parody sketch so badly

[@brianj436]

Krasinski ripped off fosters home for Imaginary friends and thought no one would notice.

[@fzcbh4698]

Even Grimace from McDonald's

[@ItsKimOlson]

Now that you mention it...

[@parisunltd]

Ran to the comments as soon as I heard Dan explain the premise 😂

[@paullangland6877]

Aww man that was a missed Opportunity to reference that show in the movie. The movie itself had Harvey playing a TV and I saw a Calvin and Hobbes book in the scenery as easter eggs to other IP that involve Imaginary Friends.

[@Alejandroigarabide]

Really? How's the main IF called...? OH, MY GOODNES!!!!!! HIS NAME IS BLUE!!!

[@BonJoviBeatlesLedZep]

Imaginary Friends movie with a protagonist named Blue??? That has nothing to do with Fosters Home? Wow.

[@ItsKimOlson]

Now that you mention it...

[@Rainbowfriendsoffcial]

His kid was colorblind

[@stupidmonkey8057]

@@Rainbowfriendsoffcial there is similar ideas and ripoffs

[@matthewhunter1193]

Definitely like the idea of Dan doing more spoiler reviews. As he said in The Marvels review he's a very story- focused guy, and he's very good at analyzing narrative beats, character arcs, setup and pay-off, etc. Definitely would be interested in seeing more of these type of reviews.

[@27DJMA]

I would like to point out that this has the same basic premise of Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, a cartoon whose main imaginary friend is named... Bloo. Kinda weird.

[@aliali-ce3yf]

that was a great show

[@jordanmertens8972]

Monsters Inc. is just Aaaahhh! Real Monsters! And Doug is just Peanuts.

[@siddhantbanerjee3328]

I swear this looks like it was written to be an adaptation of it but somehow WB didn't approve it, where Ryan Reynolds would play an adult Mac

[@TwinRiver100]

@@siddhantbanerjee3328 that sounds like an interesting pitch start. I think there'd need to be a bit more, but I like the idea.

[@TwinRiver100]

whoops 😅

[@INRamos13]

We have "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends" at home

[@tyguy3926]

I’ll echo the comments of I love the non-spoiler/spoiler format! Please keep doing this as I personally tend to see movies as soon as they release and love hearing spoiler thoughts asap.

[@cameron2069]

I kept thinking about how Where the Wild Things Are while watching IF. To me that handled the concepts of imaginary friends and childhood anguish so much more authentically, and despite being more abstract was actually a lot easier to follow. Very underrated movie.

[@PuertoGeekan]

IF gets a score of IF. What perfect symmetry.

[@panbaiye]

Oh this movie was real? I thought it was a joke like Ryan Reynold's commericals or John Krasinski's news show

[@benzaiten933]

Ryan Reynolds even makes movies to promote his phone company now?

[@fredrickgarrettsr2632]

Best take yet!!! Cause the movie wasn't better than his commercials!!😂😂

[@BrianHartman]

That's a shame. Krasinski and Reynolds involved in the same movie, I would expect a better movie than just "meh".

[@suave-rider]

Ryan has the charisma of a table leg.

[@BrianHartman]

@@suave-rider Strongly disagree. Opinions will differ, though.

[@MellowFelloh]

There's a solid cartoon that aired in the mid 2000s, Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends, that I'd recommend children watch over this. Still really holds up with good laughs, characters, and basically the same message but given more time to build up and pay off. One of the last great cartoons Cartoon Network produced.

[@benzaiten933]

I enjoyed watching this one, and wasn't the main imaginary friend there also called Blue?

[@Bad_Wolf_Media]

@@benzaiten933 Same pronunciation, but it was Bloo.

[@benzaiten933]

@@Bad_Wolf_Media I never picked up on that, but then English isn't my mother tongue. still, the similarities are definitely there.

[@Z-Strike026]

If I had a nickel for every imaginary friend movie in 2024, I'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot but it's weird it happened twice.

[@barbararowley6077]

It’s such an odd thing, but not unique. Dante’s Peak came out about the same time as Volcano, and Armageddon was pretty much concurrent with Deep Impact. I’m sure there are tonnes of other examples,but those are the two famous ones I remember.

[@danielwilson6323]

White House Down and Olympus has fallen. The Prestige and The Illusionist

[@paullangland6877]

A Bug's Life and Ants

[@Smile-hk7vd]

Don't forget Immaculate & The First Omen. Very similar movies

[@scottbatley1983]

We went last night with our six kids, age 8-18. Most of the emotion was lost on the 8yo, the next oldest kept trying to predict things (and she was pretty close), and all the other kids took what resonated with them and mostly ignored the rest. My wife cried. I laughed and got musty eyed. The way I see it, Bo’s mom and dad brought wonder into her life, and that’s what brought in Cal when she was little. Her mom died when she was young, so she had to grow up fast. Cal came back in as a stand in for her father ti tell her it’s okay to be a kid. And it was evident early in the the sequences with her mom, that she had a a gray imagination and was good at crafting things. Her transforming the retirement home into a more fun, wonder-filled place was her tapping into that again and showing us she may be able to do the same for others. Her dad kept trying to remind her to be a kid each time she’d visit him in the hospital, so Cal was there as a stand in for him. I see her as like the “most powerful imagination user,” so that’s why she was tapped to help the other IFs reunite with their former kids. So yes, you have three movies, BUT it’s like a trilogy in one film. I liked it a lot.

[@daniellavaladez7820]

Mom, can we have Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends? No, we have Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends at home. Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends at home:

[@Fuuntag]

Who else is just hanging for Dan’s Mad Max Review?

[@DanMurrellMovies]

Next week, once early previews start.

[@Fuuntag]

@@DanMurrellMovies obviously looking forward to IT! ❤️

[@aliali-ce3yf]

I don't understand the point of hiring big name celebrities to do voices in kids animated movies. The kids won't know who these people are. Do adults really care if they recognize someone's voice? And hasn't it been shown that outside of maybe Tom Cruise, celebrity names don't really pull in people to theater anymore? Why not hire professional voice actors?

[@Sherlock277]

Uh maybe because the actors thought that this was a good idea and wanted to be a part of it regardless of how big or small their role was.

[@bricked2343]

Robin Williams as Genie. That is what got it rolling.

[@aliali-ce3yf]

@@Sherlock277 they wanted an easy payday

[@motherplayer]

I think it's more why pay that much money for them when they may have only 3 or 4 lines at best? I felt the same way with much of "TMNT: Mutant Mayhem", like half of their starry names on the poster only have possible 3 or 4 minutes of dialogue in the entire film if they are lucky. They are just really needy to feel having big names for the poster means more than anything rather than the brand.

[@BrianHartman]

My sense of things is that it's for the adults. It's to give your brain that little kick when you say, "Hey, I recognize that voice!", and then you picture the person in your head doing the voice, and it makes it a little funnier. I think that's why Robin Williams' genie worked so well. :)

[@daijishinomori9161]

Dan going into his Dad joke phase, and I'm here for it. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@igeigeigeige]

Going into? I think he’s been here for years.

[@mustafachoudhury3368]

Without paying the admission fee for 'the dad jokes club' ? Am I right ?

[@Nardlyy]

I love the idea of having a spoiler section! I always watch reviews after I see the movie so it’s nice to hear your more specific thoughts about it

[@akamalo661]

My 12 year old pointed out to me that she thought it was creepy that a grown man was sneaking into a little girls bedroom and hiding under her bed then having a bunch of kids pictures on his desk. Then she didn't understand why a little kid would go with a strange man on a bus to a abandoned park.🤔

[@JohnMcmillin-br8tk]

In a cartoon world,we want to believe in the innocence and goodness of humanity (per say)..but there will always be those who instead of enjoying the beautiful hues of a sunset,recognize all the evil lurking just behind our shoulders. Yes,thank you for reminding us that evil is all around so - everywhere!! And I imagine you would want to ban books because as we know there are families shown to be hugging too closely.

[@randomcsorely]

Maybe you haven't seen it yet

[@Skeletal33]

Ackwafina, again. Third movie this year she’s had a prominent voice role. Please make it stop

[@_Amit_Sunil]

Can they find someone who doesn't have chainsmoker voice

[@Anhelo2010]

She doesn’t bother me so much. I’m not sick of her schtick yet. But I do understand others that may be sick of her. LOL

[@stephanielitz4056]

And then the next movie in the series of If, then “But” will be “If/Then”, and it’ll be all about writing acceptance criteria for software development project tasks

[@Bad_Wolf_Media]

Don't forget the crossover with the SAW franchise, called "either/or"

[@oklaclarinet]

If/Then is already a musical that opened on Broadway in 2014 and starred Idina Menzel.

[@TVandManga]

Great video Dan!

[@Benhornman]

I just saw If tonight with my kids. Your review is so spot on. You are almost verbatim describing my inner dialogue as I was watching the film. Great job.

[@cobymclaughlin3453]

Love the non-spoiler/spoiler format Dan!👍🏻

[@ryanmarkley1979]

Really love this format Dan, non-spoiler and spoiler, as always thank you for the content.

[@jasonraschen1109]

Thank you Dan for this review! It helped me decide whether to see it or not. Also, I like the new format of the full review with no spoilers and then spoilers at the end.

[@jabberwockyface884]

Love hearing your spoiler thoughts!! 👍👍

[@kimaniwilsonhunte]

Can we all agree that this was a better imaginary friend movie than “Imaginary”?

[@alexmaverick6647]

Well if anyone actually watched either of these movies then maybe. Doubt that will happen.

[@gjin141]

Yes this was far more sentimental and had depth

[@danielmulno]

Was it better than Imaginary? Yes. But they were both terrible.

[@15Candles]

I mean, "Imaginary" was made by the guy who directed Fantasy Island and Truth Or Dare, couldn't have been worse 😂

[@danielmulno]

Just want to say I love the idea of doing a non spoiler and spoiler review all in one. I often watch the movie on Thursday or Friday and end up watching your review after I've already seen the movie. So this will be a great way for me to also hear your complete thoughts on the full movie. ❤️

[@xxsmaterial]

😂😂😂 loved the opening bit

[@barbararowley6077]

It feels like the collaborative process of creative oversight in film making is like editing in publishing. Something that can polish and enhance the final product. Constraints feed creativity, something that we see time and again - there’s nothing like a deadline to break down writing blocks (says the person who wrote a well-received eulogy a couple of days ago, about two hours before the funeral). So it would be nice if the importance of constraints and boundaries, like budget or studio approval, were more widely recognised in the industry.

[@restlessoblivion]

Sometimes I think your intros are too clever for your own good hahaha

[@neillcaiger7714]

Bummer..was Looking forward to this one

[@antwainski]

I just got out of IF and I’m glad to know my opinions are reassured now after seeing your review. I was just left confused cause in the areas where there should be exposition, there’s barely any. I really wanna know what was left on the cutting room floor

[@suave-rider]

The girl, the grandma and Ryan are unlikeable here which prevents any emotional connection. In fact all the characters got on my nerves.

[@antwainski]

@@suave-rider it’s not that they’re unlikeable, but a feeling on indifference on them. Not enough story given to like them or not. Just face value of characters and the story is banking on that you’ll read into them enough that you’ll eventually feel something for them, but fails to happen.

[@suave-rider]

@@antwainskithank you. I couldn't put my finger on why I wasn't really liking anything that much.

[@pamallama]

I liked this format! There’s some movies that I already know I don’t really care to watch, and I want to support you and watch all your videos, but I’d rather have the no spoiler and spoiler reviews combined in one video.

[@marcakins3373]

Thanks for the review, I do wanna see this film, but I’ll wait for IF to stream

[@goldenlightpictures6223]

You almost had me with that intro 😅

[@kathykummer]

I can always tell what your review is going to be by your face on the thumbnail. Makes me chuckle.

[@alexp601]

Many channels do that

[@Freakazoid12345]

@@alexp601 lots of channels have faces that seem like they were taken from adult websites.

[@alexp601]

@@Freakazoid12345 that’s true for first-time reaction videos, but reviews are a bit more simple. An upset face, a smile, looking confused etc.

[@HariOmRadhaKrishna]

The trailer for Wicked just came up. That looks good! Is the new movie based on the book/play?

[@DanMurrellMovies]

It’s a two part adaptation of the musical

[@straightedgeveganbel2453]

I just keps thinking, why is a 12 year old walking around alone in NYC, or taking a bus or going out at night🤦‍♀️

[@adrianm.9536]

Good conjunction joke, Dan. You got me. 😅

[@unvergebeneid]

Really curious to see how this movie is going to perform. I struggle to remember a movie where I've been bombarded with promotional material like this for months and months, despite being the opposite of the target audience. So I guess the studio has high hopes for the film, despite it now being a bit mid apparently.

[@Houldey]

I'm not gonna see it, but i'm at least amused by the brad pitt story - I can get behind that invisible brad recurring role lol.

[@alexp601]

One day we're going to find out that Brad Pitt has been invisible in every film in the past few decades. Only some of them can we see him or mention him.

[@wordsinahandle]

Best pun opener yet... Hahahaha

[@RyCeBoiX]

I figured it out pretty much when they showed the book mark

[@joelgreen1802]

lol. Your review here was virtually Word for Word. My thoughts on it as well. Decent movie, but could have been great with more direction and a tighter story. I thought SteveCarell, who I normally love struggle here “trying“ to deliver something magical.

[@jim1242]

Will be interesting to see how this does at the box office. We have not had a lot of big live action family movies like this for a while (that are not remakes like Aladian or IP franchise movies like Sonic etc). I wonder if familes will show up, or like a lot of movies recently , hold out for some more familar like Garfield , Despicable me 4 etc for wait for IF to hit streaming

[@TwinRiver100]

that would be interesting to see metric wise and just feedback culturally and stuff to see if there was a decent amount of people that go see this.

[@jim1242]

​@@TwinRiver100 Also, with the price for familes to go to the theatres being so high, I wonder if some will not take the risk to see pay to see this movie, in case the childen get bored + want to leave, and again wait for a safer bet like Despicable me, Sonic etc that they know their children already like.

[@graphicsart22blue19]

I just seen it yesterday and the kids that sat next to me around 5-7 kept saying I don't understand. At the end me and my husband said I don't understand lol 😂. Like there was emotional parts but felt like something major was changed and never fixed

[@SundevilRoadrunner]

The way this movie is shot is weird to me. I saw someone say it looks like a fake movie inside a real movie and I agree.

[@gransideals]

Finally Dan I am always waiting for your reviews

[@auroragb]

totally agree with you on all your points!! The movie seems to try way too hard to extract emotion from you but the story just didn't flow naturally. You know there is a problem when the movie has problems explaining the concept of the IF placement. What if they're not placed, what if they don't want to leave their kid, etc. Would have been more interesting just exploring the IF premise than this mishmash. Also, why make the father's sickness so mysterious? So many things done with no payoff, leaving the audience (at least me) unsatisfied

[@DanMurrellMovies]

I had a whole section on that in my spoiler comments that I flat-out just forgot to record! SPOILERS The dad's illness was so weird because he didn't really seem like he needed to be in the hospital for that long to begin with. Then they had to rush there, making it sound like he was seconds away from dying, but when they got there he looked like he was just resting comfortably and the nurses said "he just needs to rest." So why the urgency? Also, I THINK he had heart surgery, but then Bea throws herself on his chest after her big monologue. If that was heart surgery, I'm not sure that's the most helpful sign of affection!

[@auroragb]

@@DanMurrellMovies also the dad seemed constantly in a fugue, playing weird pranks and making jokes worst than Dad jokes. That line about him being broken, not sick just sounded so ominous. Then he got better just in time for the ending. Really felt like several rewrites happened and that entire plot got axed. Just so many unnecessary scenes. It started out pretty economically, with scenes of the mother in bald hat and Bea looking through photos, reminding me of Up. Then it took a left turn and never went back. Felt it probably would have been better if it was less ambitious and focused on just telling one story well rather than maybe half a dozen poorly

[@suave-rider]

When every character is grating and unlikeable, you have a problem connecing with the audience. I hated the entire movie especially that kid in the hospital.

[@Coolcoolcooldude]

I think there was something wrong with the projector when I saw this. The film was zoomed in too much and we couldn't see the names of half the filmmakers in the opening credits.

[@jessrl8025]

I'm all for reviews that split themselves into Non-Spoiler and Spoiler after the movie or show has been released. Something like IF where I don't care about spoilers, it is nice to have your full thoughts. For shows like Fallout, I watched the non-spoiler part of your review, then came back for the spoiler portion when I finished the show.

[@JoshWax]

I personally loved it. One of the best I’ve seen in a little while

[@jake_]

I haven't seen the movie, but most of the problems that it seems to have are exactly what a good editor is there to solve. They are the unsung heroes of every good movie ever made. They are the movie storytellers. It's the reason so many famous directors find and then stick to a certain editor for all or most of their movies.

[@dominicroliz2891]

If is a great movie is about imagery friends and how incorpating those childhood imagination to adult life to inspire us to create and hope for a better future. Each human creates an avatar for each experience and the one that is used the most is the one that bring the dopamine and the avatar that does gets discarded. By incorporating each of ourselfs into a whole being.

[@jamesbarr8218]

I feel like that one promotional spot where Randall Park plays John Krasinski is the only thing that makes this movie worthwhile

[@bionikball75]

This would have worked as an after school special. Ryan made it feel like a long Mint Mobile commercial.

[@Kelga80]

I just went to see it. It was worth watching once. I can't imagine watching it over and over. I really would have loved more of a story focusing on the IFs. There were some pretty fun ones. I loved the old bear and the spy the most. I honestly feel they should have left the whole health issues with dad story line as that slowed it down and moved everything away from the Ifs.

[@philopharynx7910]

So it's a movie about how it's okay for a preteen to go off with a late 40's guy to go looking for imaginary friends? I guess this is why it received five stars from "Child Pageant Fan Monthly".

[@yngrco]

hey Dan, off topic, have you seen the MoviePass docu trailer from HBO yet?

[@TwinRiver100]

there's a MoviePass documentary coming out? didn't know that until i scrolled by your comment.

[@yngrco]

@@TwinRiver100 yeah, apparently from HBO

[@TwinRiver100]

neat, looking forward to it and curious.

[@Happyday-ps7wy]

If’ is clearly borrowing a lot from cartoon network classic fosters home for imaginary friends! That has same concept and even has main imaginary friend called ‘blue’. This is shameless movie

[@steruphan]

It's all subjective and I respect your point of view, Mr. Murrell. I liked it much better myself. I thought it was a beautiful, charming and heartfelt story. One I will cherish for a long time to come.

[@tiwanx]

i asked mama for a Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, she brings me IF. lol gonna go see it

[@brianng8350]

Dan, love your spoiler talks. Keep them coming after the movies are out. If Quiet Place was not done, I would say this is an okay directorial debut. But after 2 Quiet Place movies, this could and should be a lot better. As an adult, it is a Sixth Sense movie, and the hint was not every subtle. I think John Krasinski wants to do a movie for the whole family, but I agree with you, it is too slow for kids and not enough stuff for adults.

[@dearmimi1072]

So this is basically Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends?

[@davidletarte214]

i'll return for the spoiler part after i watch the movie, thanks for this dan

[@yukalyptus5496]

02:38 We got Soyjak Ryan Reynolds before GTA 6

[@MoramothHauntz]

Rarely agree with Dan's criticisms as I am an easy mark. However I'm checking which studio put this out and if I'm subscribed to them

[@LungsOutJem]

1:40 So, this is just Foster's? Interesting.

[@chowderman8888]

Woah, the premise is totally like this one good cartoon show i watched as a kid but just focusing on the imagery friends...

[@MsZeeZed]

This is the second movie of this title, technically Lindsay Anderson’s is called *if…* which made Malcolm McDowell a star, back when (1968) the weird idea of schoolboys machine gunning their teachers was just a fun fantasy. Not a remake I guess 🤦🏻‍♀️

[@Comtar]

I genuinely liked “IF”, it reminded me a lot of “My Neighbor Totoro” where it is about an imaginary friend and a girl dealing with the trauma of loss of family. I think the strange pacing is intentional, as it feels like Miyazaki’s other more recent movie “Boy and the Heron” where it’s hard to tell what is real and what was maybe in her imagination. It all feels very dream like in it’s pacing. Not saying this is as good as Miyazaki film, but I feel like Krasinski took inspiration from those films and tried to translate them to an American audience.

[@xger21]

I went with my family (2 kids, parents, grand parent, and great aunt). Kids both really enjoyed it (though one was too young to understand the opening fully, but knew what the later scene with the dad meant). Biggest complaint would be the ads/trailers did not really convey the movie at all - it was more mature than expected, more serious, and less goofy fun. Think the whole group liked it though, overall

[@rationalraven8956]

It did bring up some strong emotions at a few points, and seeing the IFs was kind of fun, but the plot was so disjointed, I felt like I was watching some selected clips from a TV series rather than an actual movie. Like the whole subplot about the father's surgery turns out to be inconsequential, they could have cut Krasinski's character entirely and just had Bea living with her grandma after losing her parents, and it would have been basically the same movie. The whole sequence in the IF retirement home was entertaining, but it didn't do anything to advance the plot. I would have liked to see a lot more IF-kid reunions, I kept waiting for Bea to get into the swing of things and reunite every IF in the home with their kid, so it was pretty underwhelming that we just got 2.

[@heathertimothy5571]

"Disjointed" is the word I've been looking for! It's so true! Also, am I crazy, or did they present her dad getting out surgery as if something catastrophic had happened, and then it just turned out he was in the recovery room and it was completely unnecessary to get her upset? (I mean, other than as a means to get to the "I can't do this again!" scene?)

[@rationalraven8956]

@@heathertimothy5571 yeah seemed like emotional bait and switch, they implied dad was about to die or something, but then nope, surgery went well, he was perfectly fine

[@Sleepingsparklegirl]

See the better version, it’s called Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends.

[@adamwhite4858]

You’re so right that SPOILER The film would have been so much better if the entire thing was about Bee reuniting IFs with their adults.

[@funtechu]

I saw it tonight and it was a little strange. It felt like the editing was unfinished, and there were tons of fade to black transitions.

[@jordancollins444]

Just tell me if its a secret Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends tie in. If not it will lower the score for “spitting in the face of my childhood and all I hold dear”

[@chazzer6545]

i actually quite liked this movie, i had a smile on my face i do think it's story is undercooked but it almost got me emotional at the end and i though it flew by

[@mastatema]

My family loved it

[@ItsKimOlson]

I agree. Who was the intended audience? Based on trailers, I assumed it was children. I expected it to be about Blue and rehoming his (imaginary) friends. (No trailer gave me the vibe it was about reuniting with their child, now adult.) The family drama stuff was unexpected and felt like a bait & switch. I could have done without that. Honestly, I thought it was going to have the same vibe as "Sing." At the end though, it felt more like "Homeward Bound," a movie that seems for children but punches you in the gut. In the movie, on the Grandma's TV, she's watching "Harvey," I think, so the movie definitely had lofty goals. I figured out pretty early on what the twist was.

[@justicesjourney761]

I loved it. It’s weird because with movies where we’re not in lockstep, I don’t really disagree with your points. They just don’t seem bother me to the same extent. I do wonder how kids will receive the film. I think adults will generally like it.

[@at9648]

Took my family to see it, and we all enjoyed it. Anything that can hold the attention of a 7 and 4 year old is worth the money.

[@casjolin]

rehoming imaginary friends and a main imaginary friend Blue... i think the makers of Fosters home of imaginary friends has a case j/k; but gotta say this puts me in the mood to try and rewatch Fosters

[@jacobbaranowski]

it's like a live action Pixar movie with a good cast

[@johnathanehritz4481]

Sounds like this movie should have been a show/series on a streaming service. That way, John Karsinski would have more time to develop the story and characters.

[@moviesteels7422]

Sad state of movies I actually was like what's the conjunction universe it wouldn't surprise me.

[@chrisretzlaff2895]

The whole time the movie was going I could hear Furiosa next door, made me dream of being next door, otherwise, Dans right they needed to pick a lane and reuniting IFs with their adults should have been the whole movie from 20 mins in.

[@halane4790]

I appreciate your always careful and detailed commentary about movies an awful lot, and that only makes me ashamed about how big of a factor your dad jokes at the beginning of reviews are in me impatiently clicking on each video 😂

[@CarletonRutter]

Thanks for the review Dan. I saw it last Saturday and was sadly underwhelmed. Fleming shined but IF was an unfortunate misfire that whilst a sweet natured well meaning venture by Krasinski, struggled in its execution. The movie was so busy telling the audience about fun it forgot to have fun itself. I think it feel between the crack of not having enough to entertain younger kids whilst at the same time not having enough for the adults. I found it to be largely rudderless for a fair proportion, it was plagued by pacing issues, gags that don't quite land and a relatively flat Reynolds. On paper this could have been something special...IF only.

[@jacobluna4113]

Saw the movie today. I liked it. It had a dark tone to it. I feel like the director is trying to make us think deeper about our inner self when watching this movie.

[@e7ebr0w]

This movie felt like it was meant to tell different storylines. They couldn't figure out what they wanted to do with it. They should've just gone with making a fosters movie and call it a day

[@eamonclark4952]

IF should stand for It’s Forgettable

[@commandZee]

Based on their previous projects I don't think Krasinski and Reynolds are filmmakers capable of something as emotionally profound with an ambitious complex mix of themes. It seems like a concept better suited for Spike Jones, Taika Waititi, or even Guillermo del Toro (but with GdT the monster will be monstrous).

[@littlefox_100]

Im glad to see that im not the only one who felt like this kinda ripped off fosters home for imaginary friend, alot of other comenters thought this too!

[@Samuel-p17]

Please tell me: Did anyone of you actually have an Imaginary Friend? I feel like it's an American thing. I never met anyone in Germany with an IF. But maybe it's just an American movie thing. Never saw it anywhere else.

[@ourfamilyaccount]

I had one imagery friend moment but it was mostly to fill the boredom. I recall looking up from my car's booster seat during a long car ride and noticing telephone poles and imagining a white Pegasus flying in and out of the wires on the telephone poles and barely galloping on the wires itself. And when my parents reached out destination that's when I ceased this imagining. I think that's one aspect why this film didn't work for me. I never saw my imagery friend all the time nor did I ever talk to mine, it was a bored-while-on-road-trip experience. And when I was older maybe 10 years, my sister (same age) and I would sometimes pretend that strong Pokemon were helping us clean the pool because we hated doing that chore in the heat ... It may've boosted our mood but again it was a fleeting thing and we didn't keep engaging it, it just occurred when we thought about it randomly and it exited our minds once the chore was done. I also find it interesting that the characters in the film didn't have multiple different IF characters because looking back at my childhood I had my Pegasus and my Pokemon team as my IF. Anyway thanks for reading I probably embarrassed myself but I hope it was sorta a teachable moment. I am from America as well so it might be an USA thing lol.

[@Samuel-p17]

Thanks for the long answer. I never had that, but I think the reason maybe is, that I always was truly scared by something potentially being there, without it actually being there. Don't know. Or maybe I just tackeled my boredom a different way.