MOVIE REVIEW
Imagine That
Imagine That -- Eddie Murphy In A
Sweetheart Of A Movie
Eddie Murphy as Evan and Yara Shahidi as Olivia in
Karey Kirkpatrick's comedy "Imagine That", which opened
today across the U.S. and Canada. (Photo: Paramount Pictures)
By
Omar P.L. Moore/PopcornReel.com
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Friday, June 12, 2009
Eddie Murphy has been off the mark for much of the 2000s with mostly forgettable
roles in even more forgettable films and with the notable exception of his
impressive work in
"Dreamgirls", there has been a heretofore unanswered all
points bulletin in search of Mr. Murphy's infinite skill and talent from his
films of the 1980s and early 1990s.
Until now.
"Imagine That", which opened today across the United States and Canada, is a
sweet gem of a film and showcases Mr. Murphy's talents without drowning them in
special effects. There's no special effects at all in this tale (except
perhaps a slight hint of one near the film's conclusion) about a workaholic
businessman who is paying more attention to statistics, financials and his
Blackberry than to his daughter Olivia (the adorable Yara Shahidi in her big
screen debut), whose imagination plays a key part in her father's success on the
job.
Evan Danielson (Mr. Murphy) is a Denver businessman trying to climb the ladder
with a portfolio of financial forecasts that could make or break his
relationship with the company where he works. Evan's relationship with his
former wife (played by the alluring
Nicole Ari Parker) is polite and cordial,
something of a novelty for most similarly-situated onscreen marital disruptions
in Hollywood films. The strength of Karey Kirkpatrick's film is in Mr.
Murphy's chemistry with Miss Shahidi, as well as good acting from the youngster
herself. In films like this about imaginary friends (with whom Olivia
communicate) we typically see visuals cueing us to the idea that the imagined
ones are indeed real. Here, Mr. Kirkpatrick and company don't fall for
that trick.
While Nickelodeon and Paramount Pictures teamed up to produce and present this
enjoyable film for kids and adults alike it should be pointed out that there are
a few ragged edges -- the film, written by Ed Solomon and Chris Matheson wanders
and stumbles in places, presenting a potential obstacle for Evan with his former
wife's date Rick (Charlie Koznick) but not following through with it. "Imagine That" however, is most annoying and tiresome when the
character Johnny Whitefeather (played by the normally effective Thomas Haden
Church) shows up, a wannabe Native American who works at Mr. Murphy's job and is
a rival to him. "Imagine That" makes it clear that his presence is nothing
but irritating, and Martin Sheen, who plays the company's head, points out the
offensive nature of Whitefeather's "imitation" of Native American culture and
tradition, as if to underscore the obvious. If Mr. Church's character is
meant to play for laughs, then he fails woefully. Overall though, "Imagine
That" is a funny, cute and entertaining film, marking a wonderfully warm welcome
back to successful comedy for Mr. Murphy, and that news in and of itself has
been a long time coming.
With: Vanessa Williams, DeRay Davis, Ronny Cox, Mel Harris, Catherine McGoohan,
Bobb'e J. Thompson, Charlie Koznick, Lauren Weedman and Stephen Root.
"Imagine That" is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association Of America for
some mild language and brief questionable behavior. The film's duration is
one hour and 36 minutes.
Copyright The Popcorn Reel. PopcornReel.com. 2009. All Rights
Reserved.
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