‘IF’ ends up being an honest film about coping with loss
Broadway has rarely been so booked and busy. h Since January, nearly two dozen plays and musicals have opened in New York’s legendary theater district. It’s an unprecedented pileup that’s created stiff box-office competition between new and returning shows, with many worthy performances left out of top categories in this season’s Tony Awards nominations. h These past few months have gifted us blazing mainstage comebacks from icons Jessica Lange (“Mother Play”) and Bebe Neuwirth (“Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club”), along with fantastic scene-stealing turns by Amber Iman (“Lempicka”), Mia Katigbak (“Uncle Vanya”) and Phillip Johnson Richardson (“The Wiz”). Zoe Kazan, too, was the unsung standout of this spring’s sturdy “Doubt” revival, while acrobats brought some much-needed verve to “Water for Elephants.” h With this season’s hottest ticket, “Merrily We Roll Along,” ending its stellar run July 7, you may be wondering which other shows to catch the next time you’re in the city. Having now seen everything that Broadway has to offer, here are the 10 we most highly recommend, ranked.
MOVIE REVIEW
From the outside, “IF” might look like a children’s movie – and with a packed theater of, well, children, it would be safe to assume so. The trailer does not give much away on the depth the film actually contains behind the animation and jokes. I did not expect to have tears in my eyes when leaving the theater, but that’s the exact reaction director John Krasinski evokes as he shows that no matter how old you get, you can always use your childlike imagination.
Cailey Fleming shines as main character Bea, who insists she is “not a kid anymore” and you might be surprised to find out that the actress is not (she’s 17). Accompanied by Ryan Reynolds, the two have a great dynamic and made me wish that I had an imaginary friend as a kid.
The plot
videos at the beginning. Except now, she is with her grandmother and makes regular trips to the hospital to bring flowers to her father.
One day Bea sees “a girl” and follows her to the upstairs apartment in the building where she comes across Cal (Reynolds), Blue (voiced by Steve Carell) and Blossom (voiced by Phoebe WallerBridge). Blue and Blossom are imaginary friends, or IFs, “like what if anything is possible.”
Bea initially sets out with Cal to help pair all the IFs with new kids but, after some shenanigans and trial and error, she realizes even adults can use imaginary friends. Her resolve of no longer being a kid falls as she embraces childhood, the beauty that comes with imagination and she realizes she doesn’t need to go through life alone.
John Krasinski diverts from horror and the result is beautiful
Krasinski’s journey as a girl dad inspired the creation of this heartfelt film. His other directorial hits include “A Quiet Place” and “A Quiet Place Part II.” Expanding away from the horror film genre was a great decision.