If, the new kids comedy from John Krasinski, has all the elements of a family friendly hit: a healthy dose of sentimentality, a heavy emphasis on the power of a child’s imagination and a prerequisite of tragedy undergirding on a girl’s journey. Also, an expensive mix of live-action and animation and an all-star cast of voice actors – among them, George Clooney, Jon Stewart, Amy Schumer, Bradley Cooper, Maya Rudolph and Krasinski’s wife, Emily Blunt – playing a roster of Imaginary Friends (Ifs) forgotten by their grown-up creators and companions.
On paper, Krasinski’s first kids film as a writer-director checks the boxes, though in practice it’s not quite as cuddly as Blue, the giant purple bear hug of an If hammily voiced by Steve Carell, looks. There’s an underlying, perfunctory sweetness to this tale of a girl who, in the midst of family turmoil, can suddenly see everyone’s former imaginary friends. But If doesn’t fully conjure the magic that has elevated such family classics featuring sentient non-human companions as Toy Story 3 and Paddington 2.
