WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for IF.
Summary
- IF’s twist of Bea’s IF being Cal all along adds heartwarming surprise to the movie.
- The human-like imaginary friend Cal hints at deeper meaning and connection to Bea’s dad.
- Despite some mixed critic reviews, IF’s audience score of 87% sets it up for box office success.
One small but key detail in IF provides some clarity about the potentially confusing twist of Bea’s imaginary friend. 12-year-old Bea, played by Cailey Fleming, spends a good part of the film exerting her approach to adulthood while still holding on to her childhood. Through the help of Ryan Reynolds’ Cal, a former clown turned friendly neighbor and apparent IF (Imaginary Friend) wrangler, Bea starts to develop a sense of maturity and confidence after dealing with the loss of her mother.
John Krasinski of A Quiet Place acclaim wrote and directed IF, which finished its opening weekend as the number one movie at the box office with a total of $55 million worldwide. Despite the extensive marketing campaign of IF, there was some uncertainty about what the PG-rated original family movie would be about, and more so, who it was made for. IF has divided critics but has earned a very positive audience score of 87%, setting it up to continue its strong box office showing.
IF Confirmed Imaginary Friends Could Look Human Before The Calvin Twist
Armored knight IFs were shown before the big reveal
The greatest twist in IF was the revelation that Cal had been Bea’s imaginary friend the entire time. At the end of IF, Bea goes to say goodbye to Cal only to realize that his apartment, just a few floors up from her grandmother’s (Fiona Shaw), had been unlived in throughout the movie. To Bea’s astonishment, Cal reemerges to confirm that he is her IF even though the vast majority of the other IFs are animated cartoonish characters.
IF viewers with a keen eye might have noticed that there were some armored knights shown earlier in the movie that were part of the IF universe. This hints at the eventual reveal that Calvin is an IF by establishing other human-like Imaginary Friends could exist. While it is somewhat curious as to why Bea’s IF was a human replica while nearly all the others were highly imaginative CGI characters, the Cal twist made for a heartwarming surprise and one of the greatest parts of the movie.
Related
IF’s Rotten Tomatoes Score Has Critics & Audience’s Divided Over John Krasinski Movie
John Krasinski’s IF divides audiences and critics on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics deeming the film “Rotten” and audiences deeming it “Fresh.”
The Deeper Meaning Of Calvin’s Human Look In IF
Cal and Bea’s Dad share many similar traits
It’s evident that Ryan Reynold’s Cal and John Krasinski’s Dad character in IF share some similar personality traits and qualities, which could explain why Bea’s IF was so lifelike. Bea was unsure whether her father would be okay following his surgery, so she likely infused some of his charisma and funnyman characteristics into Cal, who, as a former clown, is also naturally entertaining like Bea’s Dad. Bea also strives to be seen as an adult throughout IF, and Cal gradually guides and validates her on her path to becoming more mature through his “adult” eyes.
IF (2024)
IF, originally titled Imaginary Friends, is a comedic fantasy film written and directed by John Krasinski. A young girl who experiences a tragic moment early in her life discovers she can see the imaginary friends of others who leave them behind as they grow older.
- Release Date
- May 17, 2024
- Studio(s)
- Sunday Night Productions , Maximum Effort
- Distributor(s)
- Paramount Pictures
- Cast
- Ryan Reynolds , John Krasinski , Cailey Fleming , Steve Carell , Matt Damon , Emily Blunt , Phoebe Waller-Bridge , Vince Vaughn , Sam Rockwell , Maya Rudolph , Jon Stewart , Awkwafina
- Runtime
- 107 minutes