‘IF’ movie review: Ryan Reynolds’s sarky, self-aware shtick wears thin in this imaginary world

For John Krasinski, the esteemed comedy actor-turned-filmmaker, the idea for IF came about after watching his children playing at home.

One of them had imagined a talking tree in the corner; another started asking questions about the real world.

Imaginary friends, thought Krasinski, are the best – but what happens them after we grow up, and why do we forget about the magical worlds we created when we were kids?

It’s a marvellous jumping-off point the film’s central concept – lonely imaginary friends (IFs) auditioning for new pals in New York City – is among the best we’ve encountered all year.

It comes as a bit of a shock, then, to discover the finished product in such a rusty, rickety state. We wait and we wait for it to improve, to shine, for it to mine a single nugget of gold from its promising set-up. But it never does. What gives?

It feels like a short story that’s been stretched beyond breaking point

​The problems begin with a clumsy opening montage.

Krasinski’s film sets up its stall with a series of jumpy home video recordings. You know the type. Here is a young family playing games, enjoying a fun fair and trick-or-treating on Halloween.

It’s a blissful picture, full of hope and promise – but there is a tragedy around the corner, and it’s only after the twee highlights reel ends that we begin to understand our surroundings.

A 12-year-old named Bea (Cailey Fleming) has lost her mum to cancer, and now her dad (Krasinski) is preparing for heart surgery. Thus, young Bea has had to move in with her grandmother (Fiona Shaw) for the summer.

Troubling times, but good old dad is a beacon of positivity, and he urges his worrisome daughter to enjoy her time in the city.

Sound advice, and it looks like Bea will follow it – but who is that mysterious child that’s been following her around? And what’s the story with the oddball neighbour in the apartment upstairs?

Eventually, nosy Bea ­discovers the truth: the neighbour’s name is Cal (Ryan Reynolds), his roommate is a purple furry creature called Blue (voiced by Steve Carell), and the mysterious child is, in fact, a humanoid cartoon butterfly named Blossom (Phoebe Waller-Bridge).

Imaginary friends, says Cal, are real, and for some reason he and Bea can see all the ones that have been abandoned by their former kids.

It’s Cal’s job, then, to help the grown-ups remember their IF besties and/or to find new children for these peculiar beings to play with.

To help Bea understand the IF world, Cal brings her to an amusement park on Coney Island, full of forgotten IFs.

Bonkers stuff, and I’ll admit, it sounds positively delightful. There are times when Krasinski’s film walks and talks like a live-­action Pixar feature. Look closely, and you’ll spot shades of Up, Toy Story and Monsters, Inc.

Keen observers will also appreciate a neat reference to Henry Koster and Jimmy Stewart’s Oscar-winning 1950 comedy, Harvey.

Sadly, IF boasts neither the wit nor the ingenuity of its dazzling influences. Instead, it’s a tale with nowhere to go, a film that commits to nothing and rarely fulfils its true potential.

Krasinski knocked it out of the park on A Quiet Place, a freaky sci-fi horror that relied heavily on daring visuals and complex sound design. Here, the acclaimed writer-director is off his game, and his latest effort is bland, uncoordinated and sometimes hard to follow.

IF comes with a patchy internal logic that’s impossible to ignore

Why doesn’t Bea ever talk about her dead mum? Do we really need a sick dad, too? What, exactly, are the rules of this imaginary world, and why does Bea’s grandmother let her run around the city all day?

Important questions, and I know what you’re thinking: this is a children’s fantasy, these things hardly matter. But they do, and IF comes with a patchy internal logic that’s impossible to ignore.

It’s a film without obstacles, without adventure and often without excitement. There are no memorable gags, no real puzzles to solve.

It feels like a short story that’s been stretched beyond breaking point and our starry contributors (the voice cast includes Emily Blunt, George Clooney, Blake Lively and Matt Damon) are given nothing to do.

As for Reynolds, the sarky, self-aware shtick is beginning to wear dangerously thin at this point.

There is a good project in here, somewhere, and with a sharper script, it could have been something special. We’ll just have to imagine what that might have looked like. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​