IF

John Krasinski can take a break after two movies with blind aliens that kill everything that make noise. In fact, he's already left the director's chair to next month's prequel, A Quiet Place: Day One, to Michael Sarnoski. Meanwhile, let's see how he does with a family-friendlier film of his own creation: IF. 

Bea (Cailey Fleming) and her dad (Krasinski) move in with her grandma Margaret (Fiona Shaw) as he awaits heart surgery. Bea's quite worried for him after her mom's (Catharine Daddario) off-screen death from cancer. One night, she meets her new neighbor, Cal (Ryan Reynolds) and his imaginary friends (IFs). All of these not-so imaginary friends had kids who outgrew them, and Bea & Cal are the only ones who can see them. It's up to her to help Cal find new kids for them. Either that or get their old kids to remember them. They do both

Yeah, I did my best to sum up the premise. What makes the pivot weird is the film's complete lack of stakes. It brings up the possibility that IFs could disappear forever if they're completely forgotten. But it never comes close to acting upon that threat. All they face is boredom in a magical retirement home. We get an intriguing plot thread - helping the grown-up kids with their adult problems - very late into the film. What's worse is Bea's dad, whose "broken heart" doesn't loom over the film as much as it should. That's what made it hard to get invested in the climax, where he apparently suffered from some complication, even if Michael Giacchino's emotional score is quite effective. 

So, who are these IFs? The merchandisable highlight is the purple lug Blue (Steve Carrell), while the most visually appealing one is the glossy cartoon butterfly Blossom (Phoebe Waller-Bridge). All of them are visualized with well-done CGI, while their eclectic character designs are as appealing as their personalities. All of them are voiced by a huge cast of well-known actors, some of which include the superhero Guardian Dog (Sam Rockwell), Uni the Unicorn (Emily Blunt), and the IF patriarch, Lewis the Teddy Bear (Louis Gossett Jr., posthumously). The film's funniest aspect is realizing the IF Krasinski also voices. Apparently, Brad Pitt is in it as an IF, but I didn't see him ... or hear him. As imperfect as the third act is, it's still powerful seeing the IFs glow when they resonate with their former kids.

The film's production design and cinematography are also proficient. Grandma's apartment building is initially as menacing as a haunted house, particularly when Bea gets a glimpse of the irate landlady (Barbara Andres). But as she and we get accustomed to the place, the landlady soon reveals herself a lot friendlier than she initially appeared. The IFs retirement home is the setting of another visual highlight when Bea remodels it with her imagination. In terms of real locales, you can't go wrong with its splendorous location filming at Coney Island. Its technical proficiency isn't surprising considering production designer Jess Gonchor (several Coen Brothers films) and cinematographer Janusz Kaminski are involved. Maybe they'll get noticed next year for the Oscars ... maybe not.

The film has a decent human cast. Fleming as Bea does pretty good with the imperfect story; you can at least sympathize with her as she struggles with her dad's mortality. As for the adults, Krasinski is funny, Shaw is quite pleasant, and Reynolds is reliably fun. Alan Kim is also amusing as Benjamin, a clumsy kid whom Bea tries to find an IF for. Bobby Moynihan is underutilized as Jeremy, Blue's former kid, though what we get from him is memorable. 

It's not a matter of IF, but when. When are you going to see IF? IF you're looking for a warm family film with a likable cast of human and cartoon characters, then IF is the film for you. Its heart is in the right place even if its story is all over it. Still, that cast should keep your attention through it all. It's a film you got to see to believe in any format you can. Now, let's see about the other family films coming out this year. I'll be waiting; will you?