Take-38: Was the movie 'IF' (2024) interesting?

[Movie Tagline]
"You will surely meet the precious things you had forgotten."

[Setting of the work]

　The era is modern day. The location is New York City, New York, USA, in the area around Manhattan Borough to the southern tip of Brooklyn, specifically near Coney Island. Coney Island is a peninsula and neighborhood known as a suburban resort and tourist destination in New York.

[Original Title]
"IF"

[Runtime] 104 minutes

　Hikaru Ijuin's late-night radio show "Shin'ya no Bakachikara" has a segment called "Soranou Hour."　I absolutely love this segment. It's a slightly scary and mysterious segment where listeners send in postcards saying, "I have this memory, but what on earth was it?"—and it really makes you realize that childhood memories are incredibly ambiguous...

　Even if it's not an imaginary friend, I'm sure there are people who have had exchanges like, "Who was that uncle who used to come to our house?" and their parents replied, "We don't know anyone like that."

　Or, "I feel like this strange person lived in the neighborhood... wait? When did they disappear? No, were they actually there?" and so on.

　There are moments when such "lids on memories" suddenly slide open, and I really love those moments.

　How is everyone's movie life going?
　I'm Paysanne, a stray cat from N City. 𓃠

　Did you have an "imaginary friend"?
　For those who say "🙅 No, I didn't," aren't you just unable to remember whether you had one or not?

For those who say "🙆 Yes, I did," how about recently? Can you see them?
　Do you forget them because you can't see them anymore, or can you not see them because you forgot them...

　If there is anyone who thinks, "No way, this is just a movie for kids or young girls, right?"—if you think that even a little bit, I actually want those people to watch it. I think you will definitely want to scold your "former self" after watching it. 😂
　You might even feel a bit sorry. Because I was a little bit like that myself. 😊

　Also, for those who have become adults, gone to college, or entered the workforce and sometimes think things like,
"I'm no good."
"I have no talent."
"I haven't been having fun lately."
──is that really true?
　The feelings of genuine fun and excitement, just like imaginary friends, might just be something you've forgotten... This is a work that makes you think about that.

　The original title "IF" is an abbreviation for the imaginary friends that appear in the story, but we must not forget that it is also the "IF" of imagination—the "what if" of "it would be nice if it were like this" or "it would be fun if it were like that."

　To be honest, I thought it would be good enough if I could just write something like "Blue is cute 😆" or "It was heartwarming ✨."
　I never thought I would be able to honestly write that it was "genuinely interesting from the bottom of my heart."
　It's very well made. 🤔
　I cried five times. 😭
　In the final act, I was wiping my tears and preparing to leave, thinking "I'm okay now," but then right until the very end, it just welled up again...
　(｀；ω；´)
　In the end, I pulled my hat down low so the staff waiting at the exit wouldn't notice that "this guy is crying over Blue..." and snuck out. 😂
　In that sense, it was unexpected, a real dark horse for me. 😢

Well, as you can see, it's like Pixar's 'Monsters, Inc. (2001)'... plus it has a bit of a 'Toy Story (1995)' vibe, but if it were just that, I think I would have only thought 'hmm' about it.

Of course, I watched it primarily keeping in mind that it is a 'kids' movie' for children who will likely be exposed to more and more films from here on out, but if I had watched this when I was in middle or high school, it might have become a movie that stayed with me forever.

I mean, no matter how you look at it, it's designed so that 'the ones who cry the most are the adults' 😅

My blind spot was that I had assumed on my own that it would be another 'moving story where the protagonist is helped by an imaginary friend (hereinafter 'IF') they used to see as a child and becomes positive.'

When I actually saw it, it was the opposite. It was a work where the protagonist helps the IFs who are 'mainly forgotten and have nowhere to go.' But actually—there's a twist like that.

Speaking of Pixar, there's the movie coming out this summer, 'Inside Out 2 (2024)'—even though I haven't seen this '2' yet, I'm already imagining that the setting of this 'IF' might be used around '3'.

The protagonist herself helps the Joy and Sadness that helped her in the past—maybe they'll wrap up the trilogy with a story like that—or so I imagine. Well, that's probably a story for the distant future, though 😂 (I should watch '2' before I start imagining things, haha)

Now, about 'IF'—the Japanese title doesn't seem to have a very good reputation in public.
I also would have preferred the original title 'IF'. However, I don't really like it when they add subtitles to Japanese titles on their own, but I feel like the word 'Daijoubu (It's okay)' is a word that modern Japanese people actually need a little bit... If anything, like 'Dead Poets Society (1989)', I even thought it might have been fine as just 'Kimi wa Daijoubu (You're okay)'... (I'm sure there are differing opinions on this, though, haha) 🤔

'Blue' is a big, fluffy guy as shown on the poster, but he's definitely not the only main character, so I thought it was unnecessary to put 'Blue' in the title 😅

I don't dislike them, but I'm the type of person who couldn't quite get into the vibe of movies like 'Night at the Museum (2006)' or last year's 'Haunted Mansion (2023)'.
So I thought this 'IF' might not be for me either... but in the end, it was the type of movie I'm weak against. Of course, in terms of my tear ducts 😢

Rather than the main story of the young girl and the 'IFs', I was pretty much torn to pieces by the sub-story 😭

By the way, halfway through, I thought, 'Hmm? Is Blue actually the imaginary friend of the father when he was a child?' but I liked that it betrayed those 'common predictions' 😁

Because I felt like if it had done that, it would have become 'cunning.' Yes, that 'cunning' tear-jerker quality common in these kinds of movies? I felt the director's sense in not bringing that out openly and pushing it on the audience. (Well, I cried a lot, though, haha)

The director also played the role of the protagonist Bea's father, John Krasinski. A new film of his is also being released in July, and it goes without saying that he has appeared in and directed the 'A Quiet Place' series. (Though I am writing it now, haha.)

The protagonist was played by Cailey Fleming, the girl who played young Rey in the 'Star Wars' sequel trilogy.

The voice cast also included An Officer and a Gentleman (1982) and 'Iron Eagle (1986)', and more recently, he appeared in 'The Color Purple (2023)' released earlier this year. Louis Gossett Jr.'s performance in this film was his last. 😢 May he rest in peace.

He played the role of a teddy bear named 'Lewis'. Even in the film, he delivered such wonderful lines that it felt like his own 'last will and testament'—as if he knew his death was coming.

The voice of 'Blue', the title character, was played by Steve Carell. Personally, I remember his serious performance in 'Foxcatcher (2014)', but he is a versatile actor who has also played silly characters in films like 'Dinner for Schmucks (2010)'.

Other 'IFs' include the unicorn Uni, voiced by director John Krasinski's wife Emily Blunt, the flower-shaped 'IF' Sunny voiced by Matt Damon, and others such as Sam Rockwell, George Clooney, and Awkwafina, which is quite a star-studded cast.😊
A special guest, 'that person'—a super famous star—was also credited.

Well, my real goal this time was just to see Ryan Reynolds before the July release of Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) lol

I was thinking, 'Wait? What does a normal (?) Ryan Reynolds look like, and what kind of acting does he do?🙄'

It was a film I might have passed on, but I'm glad I took the plunge and went to the theater. This was an unexpected treat, or rather, a hidden gem😊

Now, finally, regarding the little twist in the last scene, I think many people might have experienced that same feeling of 'Oh, I get that.'

As I mentioned at the beginning, I often use the phrase 'the lid on memories.' In fact, when I returned to my hometown of Nagasaki a few years ago, there were many moments when this 'lid' would slide open.the lid on memories

That 'Ah!' feeling when you come face-to-face with something you had completely forgotten...

The water pipes I used to climb on as a child, the eerie iron gate at the entrance to the graveyard, the old apartment building that was rumored to be haunted, the glass soda bottles that aren't sold anymore that I used as piggy banks... 'IFs' are still there near things that might seem trivial to others, and I found myself falling into a sensation where memories would link together and come flooding back. It wasn't just images floating in my brain; at times like these, 'the feelings from that time' come back, don't they?the feelings from that time

This happens with movies too, doesn't it? When you suddenly remember a film that had completely slipped your mind, and you get a chill as if a memory from a past life has suddenly returned.

With that in mind, it might be nice to go explore nostalgic places sometimes. I'm sure your own 'IF' is waiting for your return there😁

'You're going to be okay'
I hope those words reach all of you too😆

Well then, until next time!

[12 movies branching off from this one, chosen by me]