With his latest movie, Imagine That, Eddie Murphy has almost made it official that his “raw” days are all but over and it’s strictly family friendly for the father of seven. The film leaves (very) much to be desired, even though it manages at points to be touching in it’s attempt to illustrate the importance of fathers’ role in the lives of their children.
In his direction, Karey Kilpatrick makes the most of the all but absent humor that Ed Solomon and Chris Matheson provide in the script. He also manages to create a connection among the cast and between the audience with the genuineness that lies among the implausible plot.
Murphy plays Evan Danielson, a high powered financial executive working to close the ultimate deal. He is forced back in to the driver’s seat with respect to fatherhood after being assigned to care for his six-year-old daughter Olivia (Yara Shahidi) for the week because of his ex-wife’s (Nicole Ari Parker) additional workload.
Olivia’s imagination, which she uses as a coping mechanism to fill the void where her father should be, is seen by Evan as a weakness until the magic of her “friends” proves to be an asset to his career.
One can’t help but believe there are more than a few instances of art imitating life reflecting Murphy attempt to balance daddy duties with a career as a film star and producer.
Yara Shahidi is a precious professional in front of the camera. Her timing and instinct are a refreshing upside to the film. She manages to effortlessly create a natural father/daughter team between herself and Murphy.
Thomas Hayden Church’s over the top performance as Johnny White Feather, Evan’s career adversary, quickly fizzled with his unorthodox Native American traditions meshed with money market operations.
Overall, the film falls extremely flat in between the upswings in a way that makes it impossible to reach level ground.
The first sign of the film’s decent into below par takes place during Evan and Olivia’s first trip into her fantasyland. All of the things that make for a must see for children are absent. There would be no special effects, no booming voices from beyond – just a futile attempt to create the impression with a blanket, silly dances and singing to transport the audience to Olivia’s world.
The audience never quite arrives with her, and neither does the film.
