As a director, John Krasinski is known primarily for making bleak horror movies; his A Quiet Place series have become a major franchise, and turned Krasinski from a likable TV star into a major mainstream filmmaker. But of course, Krasinski was first known for TV and comedy. So his new movie, IF, is perhaps less of a swerve than it might seem.

In it, Krasinski teams with Ryan Reynolds for a family film that Krasinski himself both wrote and directed. It begins with the notion that kids’ imaginary friends are real, and proceeds from there with this question: What happens to kids’ imaginary friends after they stop imagining them? (In this case, “IF” is an acronym for “imaginary friend.”)

You can get a sense of what happens next in the trailer below:

READ MORE: The Best Movies to Show Kids to Get Them Hooked on Film

Here is the film’s official synopsis:

From writer and director John Krasinski, IF is about a girl who discovers that she can see everyone’s imaginary friends — and what she does with that superpower — as she embarks on a magical adventure to reconnect forgotten IFs with their kids. IF stars Ryan Reynolds, John Krasinski, Cailey Fleming, Fiona Shaw, and the voices of Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Louis Gossett Jr. and Steve Carell alongside many more as the wonderfully unique characters that reflect the incredible power of a child’s imagination.

The YouTube description of this video mentions that it also comes from “the studio trought you Annihilation.” What? That was a disturbing sci-fi horror movie. This is (seemingly) a charming children’s film. Is it secretly a disturbing sci-fi horror movie? Do the IFs turn on the humans at some point? Do the IFs come from the Shimmer???

IF is scheduled to open in theaters on May 17, 2024.

KOOL 101.7 logo
Get our free mobile app

The Top Google Trends For Movies of 2023