Running time: 107 minutes
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Yara Shahidi, Thomas Haden Church, Nicole Ari Parker, Ronny Cox, Martin Sheen
Rating 6 out of 10
The world could have done with the help of seven-year old Olivia Danielson (Yara Shahidi) in averting the global financial crisis we're presently enduring. With the aid of her special blanket, young Olivia is able to foresee the impending fortunes of corporations and in so doing is able to able to help her father Evan (Eddie Murphy), a high powered financial executive. T'was a day when Eddie Murphy's name on the marquee was a magnet. But the poles have been reversed for many a year following his endless stream of hopelessly unfunny movies in which he invariably plays numerous characters. Thankfully here he's confined himself to one role and, shock of shocks, the result is actually rather sweet, with much of the film's charm being attributable to the adorable presence of Shahidi in what is an accomplished and captivating debut.
The ageless Murphy still possesses consummate comedic skills and, when kept in check, they remind you of why he was so popular. A couple of scenes in particular here, one involving him cooking pancakes for his daughter and the other when he enters her imaginary world, capture him at his humorous best.
Murphy‘s character Evan is more involved with his job than his child, who he shares custody of with his ex, Trish (Nicole Ari Parker). Spending all his spare time analyzing the market, Evan has little interest or time for Olivia who, as a result, has developed a collection of imaginary friends and is inseparable from her security blanket she calls her Goo-Ga. Evan is in the running for a major promotion at work, competing with the self-inflated Whitefeather (Thomas Hayden Church) who espouses Native American lore at every opportunity. In an attempt to connect with her father, Olivia imparts stock trading information to him she has gleaned from her imaginary friends. An initially dismissive Evan soon comes to trust his daughter's sagely advice and it is through these exchanges that the two begin forming a bond.
Directed by Karey Kirkpatrick (Over the Hedge) from a script by Ed Solomon and Chris Matheson, Imagine That offers few surprises, taking an all too predictable path towards its inevitable conclusion. But along the way there are some funny and touching moments. However, given the youthful age of its target audience, the film dwells way too much on boring corporate matters and the rivalry between Evan and Whitefeather (played with a straight-faced absurdity by Haden Church).
Murphy showed in his cameo in Dreamgirls that when given decent material, he still has something to offer. Imagine That reinforces that belief, and while it won't deflect people from the conviction that his best days are behind him, it's clear on this evidence that young Yara Shahidi certainly has plenty of good days ahead of her.
Kevin Murphy
