‘IF’ Is Rated PG, but Is the New Movie About Imaginary Friends OK for Young Kids?

Heads up, bring tissues—Why 'IF', starring Ryan Reynolds and John Krasinski made this mom a blubbering mess.

Fact checked by Sarah Scott

“Sometimes life isn’t fun,” but the new movie IF, in theaters this Friday, certainly is.

I will happily watch anything that stars Ryan Reynolds or has John Krasinski’s name attached to it. So when I saw that IF not only stars Reynolds, but is also written, directed, and produced by Krasinski (who also plays two roles in the film), I immediately knew it was going to be a masterpiece. And it didn’t let me down. Not just because it is great entertainment for kids, but a really fun trip down memory lane for us adults too.

I did not expect this movie to make me a blubbering mess and all in my feels within the first 30 seconds of the film. There is only one other movie that hit me that hard and fast, and that was Disney’s UP (IYKYK). I was admittedly unprepared for the emotional rollercoaster of laugh-out-loud moments mixed with a sweet sense of poignant nostalgia but I was really happy to be along for the ride of this family movie.

The PG rating makes sense given some of the film's themes, but the animated creatures' wholesome nature and their adventure makes it really digestible for young children to understand.

The Themes Of IF

IF is a beautiful movie that takes adult viewers on a journey back to their childhood, exploring love and loss through the eyes of a child, and how creating a world of make-believe becomes a way of resilience against the struggles of the real world. It reminds us parents that our magical childhood may not be so far behind us.

For kids who watch the film, it encourages them to cherish their childhood as long as possible. The film not only celebrates imagination but also the strong bonds of family and friendship.

The plot centers around 12-year-old Bea, played brilliantly by actress Cailey Fleming. She's navigating a challenging time in her life with her father, played by Krasinski. She discovers she can see everyone’s long-forgotten imaginary friends. With the help of her eccentric neighbor Cal, played by Reynolds, they embark on a magical adventure to reconnect forgotten IFs, or imaginary friends, with their now-grown creators.

Fleming is now 17 years old but was just 13 when she began working on IF. She has been an actress since she was 8, portraying a “Young Rey” in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and as Judith Grimes in AMC’s The Walking Dead.

“I’ve never been so involved in something as I have this movie,” she tells Parents. “I have tried to hold onto every moment that I could, and learn from everything that I could from watching John and Ryan.”

As Bea navigates the challenges of growing up in this coming-of-age film, Fleming finds herself on a parallel journey in real life. “I felt that as Bea was growing, I was growing,” she explains. “I just felt very connected to her.”

Krasinski’s inspiration for the film came from his two young daughters, whom he shares with actress Emily Blunt. He tells Parents he always wanted to write a film about imaginary friends for his daughters, but it wasn’t until he saw how the pandemic affected his girls that he decided to sit down and finish writing the film.

“I used to stand in the doorway and watch these girls disappear into this magical world that you know we’re not allowed in, and I remember thinking not only how joyful they were but how authentic they were,” he explains. “They were themselves. They got to do voices and wear whatever they wanted.”

“And then the pandemic hit,” he goes on. “Slowly their light started to go out and they were doing fewer and fewer imaginary games and started asking big questions like ‘Are we going to be ok?’”

He realized his daughters were growing up too fast, and because of what was happening around them, they felt forced to give up on their childhood. So he promised them he would “write a movie about how you never have to give up on that magical world.”

He wrote it at the same time he was producing the YouTube show Some Good News, to “put good energy out in the world,” but also to “talk about big and hard things as long as you do it with love and hope.”

“I’ve never been more scared to show anything to anyone in my entire career,” Krasinski admits of the trepidation he felt before showing the final cut of the movie to his daughters.

“I got two little thumbs up and to this day I’m still processing it,” he beamed. “Finally, I’m in the cool category. They had no idea what I did for a living and Emily was off to the races with Mary Poppins and Jungle Cruise, and now I’m there!”

The Stellar Cast of IF

Not only was the film a love letter for Krasinski’s daughters, but two of the animated characters were created directly from their imaginary play time.

“Ally,” (a pink alligator voiced by Maya Rudolph), was an imaginary friend that lived under their bed, and “Marshmallow” was another real IF created by his daughters, whom Krasinski ended up voicing in the film. Keeping it all in the family, there’s a unicorn IF voiced by Emily Blunt.

Kids will no doubt be drawn to the live-action animated IF’s, particularly “Blue,” voiced by Steve Carell, and each fantastical creature Krasinski created with their own unique backstory and charm.  That includes “Keith,” an invisible prankster IF who becomes a thorn in Cal’s side.

A who’s who of Hollywood stars was enlisted to voice the myriad of imaginary characters including Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Matt Damon, Amy Schumer, Bradley Cooper, George Clooney, Awkwafina, Blake Lively, Maya Rudolph, and Jon Stewart. The late Louis Gossett Jr. voices a wise bear named “Lewis,” and Krasinski admits he was starstruck to have one of his favorite actors he watched during his childhood, starring in a film he created.

While imagination was very much part of the storyline, it was also very much part of the movie-making process. Krasinski helped the actors move past the logistical challenges of interacting with characters that were physically not in the scene by shooting some scenes using puppets and stuffed animals.

“Imagination is part of our job. We do it every day. Especially in this movie, we had to imagine a lot because they weren’t there,” Fleming says.

What IF?

I don’t remember if I had an IF but, I’m sure I must have when I was younger. Before watching the movie, I feared that because of this, I’d feel a bit left out. But the film helps those of us who can’t quite remember still feel like we’re part of the process by tapping into the triggers that bring us back to those special childhood days.

For Krasinski, “it’s the smells, it’s the sounds, it’s the music cues, or it could be a line from a movie that someone says,” that triggers joyful memories of his childhood.

In particular, Tina Turner’s 1984 hit song “Better Be Good To Me,” which he uses in a grand musical number featuring all of the IFs in the film. He says he included it as a way to pay tribute to his mom who was a “huge Tina Turner fan” which made him one too.

“I was an 8-year-old who knew all the words to all the Tina Turner songs," Krasinski says. "Like imagination, your memories are stirred up by things that may not be deliberate. The smell of your mom’s cooking or the music she was listening to make you who you are.”

For me, it’s seeing the waves crash in the ocean and Bob Marley's songs. Hearing reggae brings me back to vacations with my parents in Jamaica, which were probably some of the best moments of my childhood. The film emphasizes that through the right triggers, the magic of childhood is never really lost, even when we become adults.

When you head to the theater, be prepared (with tissues) for an emotional experience that might make you consider the imaginary characters we created as children may somehow still be providing comfort, joy, and guidance in our later years. The “What If?” where anything is possible. Because as Blue says, “All kids need their IFs, especially when they grow up.”

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Read the original article on Parents.