Did you have an imaginary friend (IF) growing up? I don't see many of you raising your hand but according to studies, approximately 65% of children have one, most during the ages between 3 and 8 years old. However, most people outgrow their imaginary friend and move on to become well-adjusted adults. But have you ever wondered what happens to those "friends" once they are brushed aside for real ones? Luckily, actor, writer, director, and producer, John Krasinski (A Quiet Place) has created his version of the answer to that perplexing question in his movie IF, which is out now on 4K.
Bea (Cailey Fleming; The Walking Dead) was a little girl when her mother got sick and died of cancer. Now twelve, she is back at her grandmother's (Fiona Shaw; Harry Potter Series) apartment in New York City while her father has heart surgery at the same hospital where her mother died. One day she sees an odd individual go into one of the apartments upstairs and the next night she follows "Blossom" (Phoebe Waller-Bridge; Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny) and a man named Cal (Ryan Reynolds; Deadpool franchise) as they climb into another apartment and out with another IF named Blue. Bea, thanks to Cal, learns that all the old IFs end up in a retirement home missing their humans and she and Cal then try to match IFs with new kids.
When it doesn't seem to work, Lewis (Lou Gossett, Jr.; An Officer and a Gentleman), the head of the IF retirement home, suggests reuniting the IFs with their former kids and making them remember. Realizing Blossom was her Grandmother's IF, Bea tries an experiment that succeeds. It is then she and Cal find a new purpose reuniting IFs with their now adult kids.
This is one movie that has a terrific cast from Fleming to Reynolds and all the cameos who voice the IFs. Krasinski has a lot of friends in Hollywood and called in a ton of favors to get a cast like this one. Voice actors include Bradley Cooper (Maestro), Awkwafina (Ocean's Eight), George Clooney (Ocean's Eleven), Gossett, Jr., Emily Blunt (Mary Poppins Returns), Matt Damon (Oppenheimer), Blake Lively (It Ends With Us), etc., etc., etc.
The 4K transfer is offered in Dolby Vision and the video is superb. All of the IFs look amazing and the colors are incredibly layered. The CGI is not easily discernible which is terrific since if it was all the IFs would look terrible and incredibly fake. The Dolby Atmos audio is sharp and clean with plenty of layering in the music. The dialogue is kept mostly in the front speakers and it is crisp and pronounced.
While it seems bonus features are abundant, what is in the combo pack amounts to about 25 minutes of content. The extras include: The Imagination Behind IF, Imagining Imaginary Friends, Giving IFs a Voice, Blending The Real and the Imaginary, Tina Turner Forever!, The Imaginative World of IF, Gag Reel, and Learn to Draw Blue from IF.
IF is a cute story with a lot to offer younger audiences. It has a well-thought-out plot and a twist at the end that gives the film a feel-good ending. It has some fantasy scenes that are enjoyable and a dance number choreographed by famed choreographer Mandy Moore.
The 4K combo pack has the disc and digital download but no Blu-ray and, as mentioned, the extras are minimal. If you are a fan of Reynolds (The PG version, not the R-rated Deadpool guy) you will want to purchase this 4K.
Grade: C+
