Viewers rave about Ryan Reynolds’ new family film IF: ‘Such a fun movie’

Reynolds stars in a new film by the actor / director behind the Quiet Place series — but his latest monster movie couldn’t be more different.

Former The Office star John Krasinksi broke through as a film writer and director with the super-scary movie Quiet Place franchise – and while his latest offering also features its fare share of monsters, it couldn’t be more different.

IF – short for Imaginary Friends – is a live-action/animated family comedy film written, produced, and directed by Krasinski.

The film tells the story of a young girl named Bea (played by Star Wars and The Walking Dead star Cailey Fleming) who discovers that she can see everyone’s imaginary friends. Armed with that secret superpower, she embarks on a magical adventure to reconnect forgotten imaginary friends – or IFs – with the children they’ve lost touch with over the years.

Cailey Fleming plays Bea, a young girl with a special superpower.

Ryan Reynolds leads the cast as Bea’s neighbour who can also see IFs, while Krasinski himself plays Bea’s father.

And after its release in cinemas earlier this month, audiences are loving it, taking to social media to share their reviews.

“IF was such a fun movie … I need to go see it again. I loved the ensemble of Imaginary Friends,” tweeted one moviegoer.

Another viewer said they were “pleasantly surprised. Got some good chuckles out of me, few emotional moments and a bit of a twist that I caught onto … the movie actually leans more towards an adult audience.”

“IF was a really funny, sweet, and silly movie. It’s about childhood, what we leave behind to grow up, and what stays with us. The imaginary friends were voiced by a dynamite cast – Christopher Meloni as Cosmo was a riot. This was a lovely little story,” raved another fan on social media.

Ryan Reynolds plays Bea’s neighbour, a rare adult who hasn’t lost the ability to see IFs.

“Took my wife & daughter to see IF & we all, like, wept openly … I thought it was pretty delightful, honestly,” wrote another viewer, praising Krasinski for “creating a magical realism that sucked me right in.”

Another instant fan went even further, tweeting that “#IFmovie was a MASTERPIECE! I know I know but this movie was so emotional. I would say that john Krasinski made a Pixar movie.”

High praise indeed.

Meanwhile, the film served as a mini-Office reunion for Krasinksi and everyone’s favourite bad boss, Steve Carell.

Krasinksi recently told People that he wrote main imaginary friend Blue – a large furry, friendly monster – with Carell in mind, but without any idea that he would agree to take part.

“For him to sign on was a huge boost,” he told the outlet. “It felt [like] that stamp of approval from family.”

IF is also something of an Office reunion, with Krasinski (left) enlisting Carell (right) to voice the lead monster.

And things got emotional when time came for Carell, who starred alongside Krasinski in the beloved noughties workplace mockumentary series, to voice the character.

“When [Carell] came in, I thought I would have the best time ever, and I did. But the first thing he did was make me cry, which sounds sad but it was amazing.”

He revealed Carell gave him “the greatest brother speech about how proud he was of me and how much he loved the script.”

“He said, ‘I knew you’d go on to be a writer-director.’ I said, ‘I didn’t even know that.’ He just said, ‘I’m so proud of you and keep going, and I’ve watched everything and [I’m] cheering you on from the sidelines,’” he said.

IF is in cinemas now.

Originally published as Viewers rave about Ryan Reynolds’ new family film IF: ‘Such a fun movie’