World of wonder
IF Cert U ★★★★ In cinemas now At A certain point in life, we are convinced to cast aside childish things and grow up. Imaginary friends are among the casualties.
A Quiet Place writer-director-actor John Krasinski ( Jim from The Office US) trades extraterrestrials that hunt by sound for the fantastical creations of young minds in a joyous comedy adventure set in a world where imaginary friends (IFs) are real.
These comforting companions congregate in a retirement home run by an avuncular teddy bear (voiced by Louis Gossett Jr), concealed beneath an abandoned amusement park’s wonder wheel. The wonder of the film is its ability to quickstep between heartwarming sentiment and family friendly humour with a menagerie of digitally rendered IFs, who gel seamlessly with flesh and blood actors.
A misnamed purple furball christened Blue (Steve Carell – Michael from The Office US), whose irresistibly cuddly design recalls Sulley from Monsters, Inc, pilfers the greatest screen time.
An amusingly droll Ryan Reynolds and teenager Cailey Fleming are a delightful on-screen double act, gallivanting around city streets as mentor and wide-eyed protegee of “a sort of matchmaking agency to help IFs find new kids”. Krasinski’s picture tips us off too early to its lip-quivering finale, but being one step ahead of the characters doesn’t greatly diminish the emotional pull.
Dedicated to the memory of Gossett Jr, who died in March, IF is a rousing celebration of the power of imagination to conjure magic in times of great sadness and stress. The misty-eyed prologue has echoes of Up and is blessed with an elegiac score from composer Michael Giacchino.
Fleming’s assured performance leaves a lump in the throat and even if Krasinski’s script teeters over into mawkishness, the wholesome sweetness that glistens in every frame is hard to resist. Many IFs, no buts.
‘‘ The digital imaginary friends gel seamlessly with flesh and blood actors