Parents' Guide to

IF

By Tara McNamara, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 6+

Poignant fantasy about loss and the power of imagination.

Movie PG 2024 104 minutes
IF Movie Poster: A purple, furry figure walks down a city street amid human characters

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

  • Bea hugging Blue, the imaginary friend
    1:08
  • IF Movie: A young girl and a large purple, furry figure stand across from each other
  • IF Movie: Ryan Reynolds and Cailey Fleming stand in a hallway, peering at something out of view

Community Reviews

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age 8+

Based on 63 parent reviews

Erik P.
Erik P. Adult
May 27, 2024
age 12+

Like ordering mac n’ cheese for your kid, but it ends up being a much more mature version with bleu cheese, head-on shrimp, and veggies instead of macaroni.

This is a movie for tweens and older. It’s not a comedy and it’s not a kids movie. It’s a sentimental semi-artsy atmosphere piece with a slow pace. It’s ultimately about a 12 year old girl’s tragic loss, and the semi-fun/magical world that helps her cope through it. My 7 yr old daughter and 5 yr old son were both bored at several points. 90 minutes in, I was checking my watch and wondering when it was going to be over too. The funny moments in the preview are the sum of all funny moments in the film. The marketing did this film a disservice by setting the wrong expectation. Given a more correct expectation, and for a more appropriate audience, it’s a good movie on its own merits. Also, I found it oddly insensitive for a movie (supposedly) aimed at young people to have probably 25 instances of “Oh my G*d!” and often from the cartoon characters themselves. They could have used silly/funny statements of exasperation instead and got a few more laughs, but they went all in on something that a lot of kids in the target audience aren’t even allowed to say (whether for spiritual reasons or because it’s impolite and “not something the queen would say”). For some, it can feel deeply unpleasant and insensitive. Not understanding the spiritual beliefs of a certain culture does not invalidate them. We all get deep meaning from different things, and what’s helpful for one person may or may not be for another. But we’re all on the same human team, and respecting what others hold as valuable is how we get to peace, love and mutual respect.
Marcia Morgan
Marcia Morgan Parent of 14, 18+ and 18+-year-old
May 17, 2024
age 15+

I could have saved $30 and just cried at home

"Only very young or sensitive kids are likely to be distressed" I'm 47 and went with my 14 year old and we both cried. It's terribly sad and the trailers do not portray the movie properly. We both wish we hadn't gone. It wasn't fun. It was sad. I'm not sure what 6 year old would want to watch this and the age rating for this is so far off.
See all 63 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In IF, 12-year-old Bea (Cailey Fleming) stays with her grandmother (Fiona Shaw) in her Brooklyn apartment while Bea's father (John Krasinski) undergoes heart surgery. Bea hasn't visited the apartment since her mother's death six years earlier. After spotting an unusual creature who lives with the upstairs neighbor, Calvin (Ryan Reynolds), Bea learns that imaginary friends (IFs, for short) are real. She ends up taking a job to help the IFs who've been left behind as their children have grown—but it turns out that they're really helping her, because imaginary friends are coping mechanisms.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (63 ):
Kids say (28 ):

Writer-director and co-star Krasinski's imaginative fantasy is poignant and full of wonder. It's magical, giving off E.T. vibes, and Reynolds' Calvin is reminiscent of Gene Wilder's Willy Wonka, a quirky pessimist who's outwardly discouraging while secretly rooting for the kid to figure out the puzzle. And, like both E.T. and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the curiosity-meets-melancholy score in IF is central to understanding that while Bea is acting tough, she's also facing something terrifying: the potential death of her father, only a few years after the loss of her mother. It's a lot, but the movie artfully avoids overplaying viewers' emotions. It also serves an important purpose, demonstrating how imagination isn't just a creative outlet, but also a powerful coping mechanism.

Bea's journey with the IFs is ultimately rewarding, even though—it has to be said—the beginning does drag a bit. But when IF hits its stride, it becomes a mind-bending, eye-popping, musical extravaganza that's truly unforgettable. (The movie is worth seeing for that bit alone.) Teens may think the imaginary friend story will be too babyish for them, but even they may be swayed by its sweetness. And for families of elementary school-aged kids and tweens, IF makes for a simply enchanting movie night.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how imagination is made into a character in IF. Can you think of other examples of locations or nonliving things being made into characters? What does that mean, exactly?

  • How do you currently (or how did you used to) play out wild scenarios using your imagination? Did you have imaginary friends? Did that fade? How can we keep our imagination active, and how does that help us throughout life?

  • Discuss the technique used in the movie to access memories. How can accessing a happy, familiar feeling or space help us calm down?

  • What does it mean to have "purpose"? How do Bea's curiosity and compassion lead her to discover her purpose? Why does doing purpose-driven work bring fulfillment?

  • How is Calvin able to realize what isn't working with his IF program once he starts working with Bea as a team? Why is teamwork an important skill? Do you consider anyone in the film a role model? Why, or why not?

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