'If' is sentimental and sweet, if somewhat mismatched

Following the passing of her mother, Bea (Cailey Fleming) arrives in New York where her father (John Krasinski) is due to undergo surgery. While recuperating, Bea stays with her grandmother (Fiona Shaw) but ends up befriending a neighbour named Cal (Ryan Reynolds), who has the same ability as her - to see Imaginary Friends in the world around her...

It's hard to approach something like 'If' without immediately drawing a comparison with the House of Mouse's multitude of artistic efforts. From Steve Carrell's furry monster seeming like a vague cousin to John Goodman's Sully from 'Monsters Inc', or the '80s robot voiced by Jon Stewart that is uncannily like the titular robot from 'Wall-E', the movie is on a tightrope between familiarity and theft. Yet, it's not before long that you realise that it isn't Pixar, but Steven Spielberg that's inspiring this. Case in point, director John Krasinski enlisted frequent Spielberg collaborator Janusz Kaminski as cinematographer. There's more of 'ET' and 'Hook' in the script than anything else, and more to the point, it's leaning heavily into the kind of earnest sentimentality of the same.

'If' is nothing if not remarkably lacking in self-awareness. There isn't a hint of cynicism throughout, and exists in a world entirely of its own - save for the fact that Coney Island is still closed, though the urban neglect surrounding it isn't presented in glaring detail. 'If' has to exist in this world, because even without all the imaginary friends, it still couldn't possibly be real. The sentimentality is far, far too much and the tone of the movie tugs so forcefully on your heartstrings that it's bordering on emotional blackmail at certain points. That being said, it's impossible not to pulled into it.

Paired with Ryan Reynolds on full charm offensive, Cailey Fleming gives the story the necessary innocence to smooth over any inconsistencies in the tone, while Fiona Shaw and John Krasinski move in and out of the flow with general ease. The voice cast, meanwhile, is made up of every name you can think of - George Clooney, Emily Blunt, Blake Lively, Jon Stewart, Vince Vaughn, Bill Hader, Awkwafina, Maya Rudolph, Matt Damon and Sam Rockwell all voice characters along the way, but none of them ever get as much screentime as they deserve, while Steve Carrell and Phoebe Waller Bridge occupy the rest of it.

Compared to other efforts by more gilded directors and with studio access to instantly recognisable characters, 'If' does a commendable job of keeping the theme right in the forefront - that childhood imagination and levity is something worth keeping around - but tonally, it's all over the place. It veers into maudlin family drama, swings back out into slapstick comedy, then into an all-singing, all-dancing musical number, before it's back to a family drama once again. Both 'A Quiet Place' and its sequel were heavily inspired by 'Jaws' and it's clear that Krasinski is himself deeply enamoured with the work of Steven Spielberg. Here however, it feels as though Krasinski may have bitten off more than he could manage for his third movie and though it's sincere and enjoyable, it creaks under the weight of its own ambition.