Imaginary Friends or IF is an upcoming film starring Cailey Fleming and Ryan Reynolds. It is directed and written by John Krasinski.
The film follows Bea a young girl who discovers she can see imaginary friends as a coping mechanism to deal with events occurring in her life. After several events, she discovers that her strange neighbor The Man Upstairs can also see them. Together, the duo begin to help abandoned imaginary friends find a new home.
The trailers do not give away too much information about the overall plot. The trailers center on Bea helping the abandoned imaginary friends.
The Cast
Alongside Fleming and Reynolds, IF has a huge, star-studded cast featuring: Steve Carrel, Kegan Michael Key, Awkwafina, Blake Lively, Fiona Shaw, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, the late Louis Gossett Jr., Alan Kim, Richard Jenkins, Maya Rudolph, Sam Rockwell, Jon Stewart, Sebastian Maniscalco, Chris Meloni, and Liza Colón-Zayas. Director and writer John Krasinski also voices a character in the film.
With a huge star-studded cast, I believe it is supposed to encourage people that the film will be successful. I cannot help but feel like the film will be more style than substance. Given Krasinki’s success with A Quiet Place and its sequel, maybe there’s nothing to worry about. However, the lack of information and overall intrigue does not bode well.
Eerie Comparisons
When the first trailer came out in December, many were quick to connect it to the iconic 2004 Cartoon Network show, Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends.
Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends follows eight-year-old Mac as he is forced to leave his imaginary friend, Bloo at an orphanage for imaginary friends. However, unwavering in his friendship with Bloo, Mac makes a deal with the head of Foster’s Mr. Herriman. As long as Mac visits Bloo daily, Bloo will not be adopted by another child. The series follows the duo as they get into a series of shenanigans alongside the many residents at Foster’s.
As more trailers were released, a suspicious coincidence appeared. In the trailers for IF, a hairy, purple imaginary friend appears named Blue. In the animated show, Bloo is one of the main protagonists alongside a hairy, purple imaginary friend named Eduardo. Perhaps this is a very strange coincidence, but it feels a little too on the nose.
However, there are many different kinds of imaginary friends seen throughout the trailers that bear no resemblance to the ones in the show. This is fortunate because I do not believe the film could handle an imaginary friend like Duchess.
Who Is This Film For?
According to Reynolds, IF feels like a live-action Pixar film. It is a family film with something for everyone. The trailers do not instill much confidence in the film. However, the press junket seems to appeal to kids and fans of The Office.
During the Superbowl, a trailer with no new information featuring the very real John Krasinski alongside Reynolds aired, much to the delight of fans of The Office. There have also been pop-up events for children to interact with imaginary friends showcased in the trailers all across the United States.
Is this a reflection of the film’s quality? No, but it is not doing itself any favors by playing on a nostalgia factor instead of building intrigue into the film itself.
Imaginary Friends will be released in theaters on May 17, 2024.
