Step 1: Imagine That this innocuous family comedy could very well bring a smile to a little girl’s face, especially if she sees it with her daddy.
Step 2: Now imagine Eddie Murphy tapping into his inner little girl. He plays Evan Danielson, a workaholic financial advisor whose career is sliding a little. When his daughter, Olivia (Yara Shahidi), starts predicting solid stock tips – told to her by the queen and princesses who live in her make-believe world called Goo-Gaa – Evan decides he might just have to use his imagination, too. So he rubs Olivia’s security blanket on his face; dances and sings in public to ward off dragons or gain entrance to a castle; and runs around his kitchen like its a hidden cave. At first, Olivia loves the extra attention she is finally getting from her father – until she realizes it isn’t really about her but about her Goo-Gaa and getting Dad that big promotion. That is, if he can outperform a rival, Johnny Whitefeather (Thomas Haden Church), who uses mystical Native American mumbo jumbo to get his point across. But Evan soon realizes how much actual fun he has been having with Olivia – and gets his priorities straight.
Step 3: Imagine Murphy wanting to recapture some of that Daddy Day Care success. Channeling Bill Cosby, Murphy definitely has a way with kids. Imagine That comes to life the minute Evan starts acting silly, singing in a falsetto voice about Soba the dragon, eating ketchup and mustard pancakes or teaching his daughter how to sing The Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love.” Shahidi, in her first feature film, also holds her own with her funnyman co-star and charms her way into your heart. Church, however, overdoes it. His pretentious Native American speak is not only annoying to Evan, but to us as well.
Step 4: And finally imagine Murphy wanting his big-opening status back. Sorry, Eddie, probably not this time. I mean, I sort of like it when he downplays the obnoxiousness, as he did in last summer’s Meet Dave. He is actually quite sweet in Imagine That, making that fat-suited Eddie Murphy a faint memory. But alas, some people may not agree with me. That’s OK.
Level of difficulty in watching Imagine That: Moderately easy. It should be enjoyed by the young and the young at heart.
