I.F. (Imaginary Friends) Blu-ray and DVD Review

4 star heartfelt and earnest children’s film.

IF is a 2024 American comedy drama fantasy film, written, directed and produced by John Krasinski (A Quiet Place Part II, The Office), who also stars.

It is available to buy now on Blu-ray and DVD courtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment.

“The most important stories we have to tell are the ones we tell ourselves.”

Bea (Cailey Fleming – The Walking Dead, Peppermint) is a twelve year old girl who lost her mother to cancer at a very young age. Now, years later, she is moving in with her Grandmother (Fiona Shaw –  My Left Foot, Harry Potter franchise) while her Dad (John Krasinski) is in hospital awaiting heart surgery.

This is a very stressful time for her and one day when returning from the hospital she spots something, a creature, running in the street. She sees her again the following day, this time with a man, Cal (Ryan Reynolds – Woman in Gold, Deadpool). They enter a house and come back out with a huge furry creature called Blue (Steve Carell – Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, The Big Short). It’s all too  much for Bea, who passes out and wakes up in Cal’s apartment.

Here she is introduced to the creature she saw, Blossom (Phoebe Waller-Bridge – Fleabag, Goodbye Christopher Robin), as Cal explains that she and Blue are imaginary friends whose children have grown up and forgotten about them. Cal has been trying to place them with new children with little success. As she begins to understand the scale of the problem, Bea might just be who they need to help them find new homes.

“He’s the most adorable trainwreck, but a trainwreck nonetheless.”

IF is a very enjoyable watch and although aimed firmly at children still has enough about it to entertain the adults in the family. The Imaginary Friends are brilliant and pretty out there in some cases, including a blazing marshmallow and a glass of water with a talking ice cube.

All kids will love Blue (he’s very huggable) and this film has plenty of feel good factor for children and adults alike. The acting performances are superb, as you might expect for such a good cast and they really get the best out of the script. Just make sure to have some tissues ready for the couple of very surprising reveals at the end.

A lovely film and one which will get watched again and again, well worth adding to your collection.

“Look, there’s nothing we want more than to be with our own kids. But our kids, they’ve forgotten about us, so we need new ones.”

IF is available to buy and rent on Digital and on Blu-ray™ and DVD formats now. 

Bonus Content:

• The Imagination Behind IF—Hear from writer and director John Krasinski plus the cast and crew as they dive deeper into the process of bringing their imagination to life on screen.
• Imagining Imaginary Friends— Take a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of each imaginary friend.
• Giving IFs a Voice— Meet the all-star cast responsible for voicing each character. Hear from Steve Carrell, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and more!
• Blending The Real and the Imaginary— Join John Krasinski as he incorporates a practical filmmaking approach to make the imaginary feel real.
• Tina Turner Forever!— Experience the reimagining of the iconic 80s Tina Turner music video as John Krasinski recreates this legendary sequence with the IFs.
• The Imaginative World of IF— From Brooklyn Heights to Coney Island, go behind-the-scenes with the cast and crew and experience the magic of New York City like never before.
• Gag Reel— You won’t have to imagine the hilarious antics on set once you check out this gag reel!
• Learn to Draw Blue from IF— Learn to draw the loveable and cuddly “Blue” in this fun, interactive tutorial.