THB #536: IF

I don’t want to write this review.

I really like John Krasinski. And he has made a film with a giant, beating heart, worn on its sleeve. If films were criticized based on soul, IF would be one of the greats.

But here is the problem…

Fantasy needs to have grounding. There are exceptions to all things, but however fantastical an idea is, that fantasy is pushing against the audience’s sense of reality. The Wizard of Oz is a road movie. Dorothy needs to get to the Emerald City and Oz to get home. Her companions each has a single, absolute goal in joining her. Star Wars is a hero’s journey and an orphan coming of age and seeking his destiny to save his galaxy, far, far away. Each of those who join him/he joins has clear motivations, from Leia’s leadership to Han Solo’s pirate-y ambition. Even 2001: A Space Odyssey, whatever it means, is grounded in the minutiae of hardware and software and the very functional idea of being in space.

I don’t know why no one convinced John Krasinksi that he had…