We’ve all had imaginary friends when we were kids.  I, for one, had many (don’t judge me).  There’s something about having an imaginary friend; maybe it’s the way they are always there at the back of your mind, ready to be there for you whenever you need them to.  Or maybe it’s the fact that they are everything you could ever want in a friend.  Whatever it was, they gave you comfort and solace.  Now, there is a movie about them.

Yesterday, May 16th, I saw “IF” in theaters a day before it came out in theaters nationwide.  Officially released today, the movie has an A-list cast of Cailey Fleming, Ryan Reynolds, John Krasinski (who also directed the film), Emily Blunt, Fiona Shaw, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, and Steve Carell.  The movie follows a girl, Bea (Fleming), who realizes that she can see kids’ old imaginary friends (a.k.a IFs).  These IFs don’t have their kids anymore because the kids have grown up and forgotten their imaginary friends.  Bea and Calvin (Reynolds) find these grown-ups who have forgotten their IFs and reunite them, making them remember what it’s like to be a kid again.  Bea realizes that you can never not be a kid, no matter how hard you try.

I loved this movie and it exceeded my expectations.  Instead of being some corny movie, it swept you away into a world of imagination.  Overall, I give IF a solid 10/10 Viking Heads (The Viking Times’ rating system).  I’ve never cried so many times in one movie.  In total, I cried four times: twice of sadness, once of happiness, and once again after the credits of nostalgia, happiness, and sadness all within ten minutes (I cried at the end like I was watching Sophie’s Choice for the first time)!  I was an emotional puddle, to put it frankly.  IF will have you transported back to when you had imaginary friends, making you feel like a kid all over again.  And imaginary friends are always there for you, even if you can’t feel their presence.  When you do feel them, however, it’s when you need them the most.  The movie will have you question…

What IF?