IF

Notably a new idea in a sea of sequels, reboots, and franchise entries that tend to emanate from Hollywood, IF is an imaginative entry directed by John Krasinski (The Office; A Quiet Place) focused on the conceit of reuniting lost imaginary friends with the children who conceived of them.

Running throughout the trailer is LCD Soundsystem’s 2007 hit “All My Friends”, which offers a simple but effective refrain that intertextually reinforces the plot. Moreover, it’s a charming choice designed to attract the interest of Gen X and Millennial parents who would no doubt consider bringing the family to this outing (besides of course the stacked ensemble cast of notable stars).

The trailer begins with a fairly typical orchestral arrangement meant to induce awe and wonder as we see Ryan Reynolds tip toe around what looks like a child’s bedroom. There are minor synch point embellishments, such as Reynolds’ foot landing in synch with the beat. Inter titles, also synched, lay out the concept of the film. At 0:32, after a break in the score for comedic effect, we hear the first vestiges of the well-identifiable synth texture of “All My Friends”. One more punchline later, the track begins in earnest, with the lyric “that’s how it starts” arriving with the director’s title card.

Notice at 0:46 that there’s the inclusion of a small embellishment of high pitched percussion to the track, alluding to the whimsical score earlier. Mostly, however, the score takes a back seat to dialogue and exposition.

Some epic percussion and synth embellishment accompany song's key line (“if I could see all my friends tonight”) as we re-enter the action at 1:16. An orchestral trailerization of the song then takes the fore at 1:24, with surging strings and strong percussion accents. As we see a montage of various imaginary friends, additional harmonization is inserted in the strings, further amping up the sense of drama and wonder. A final battery of percussion on the beat ends in a dragon’s roar at 1:43 for tension and a subsequent one-liner by Reynolds to brings things back into comedic territory. An extended title card for the cast at 1:49 with names appearing on the beat underscores both that it’s an ensemble cast and that there’s significant star power on tap to back the original concept. A final punchline leads us out.

Sometimes a relatively simple concept, well-executed, is the order of the day; using “All My Friends” and offering some standard-fare orchestral elements for a modern trailer absolutely caters to the parental demographic while offering the right feel.

IF arrives in theatres May 17th, 2024.

— Curtis Perry