IF

➤PG
➤Theaters

JOHN KRASINSKI has two daughters, and in his filmmaking, the actor-turned-writer/director leans into his role as “girl dad.” In his hushed thriller A Quiet Place (2018), audiences saw a man protect his daughter despite their tense relationship. His new live-action/animated family movie IF possesses a much different tone, but once again he explores the importance of the parent-child bond.

Bea (Cailey Fleming) is a 12-year-old girl who’s struggling to find joy in the midst of her father’s illness. While staying with her grandmother, she meets a reclusive neighbor named Calvin (Ryan Reynolds) who has a big secret. He’s looking after IFs—imaginary friends—who’ve lost their kids. Bea decides it’s time to find new kids for the IFs, so she helps Calvin launch a matchmaking service. But instead of helping the IFs, the IFs help Bea see that despite his illness, her father doesn’t need her to grow up too fast.

IF feels like a family movie from a bygone era, and the only thing keeping it from a G rating is repeated utterances of God’s name outside of prayer. The film’s humor will entertain children, and parents will appreciate the skillful storytelling in this lean 104-minute heartfelt comedy. IF pirouettes from playfulness to poignancy and back again without missing a beat.

Despite the colorful and zany IFs (voiced by Steve Carell, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and a host of other stars), this movie is about a dad’s desire to hold tight to his kid, cleverly seen from the perspective of the child. Krasinski exhorts us to find joy even when life doesn’t go as planned and suggests that rekindling a sense of childlike innocence can be a beautiful thing.

Live-Action/Animated Films

• Mary Poppins / 1964
• Bedknobs and Broomsticks / 1971
• Who Framed Roger Rabbit / 1988
• Space Jam / 1996
• Enchanted / 2007
• Paddington / 2014