Imagine That – Predictable but Sweet

Movie: Imagine That * Trailer * Official Site	In Theaters: June 12, 2009
Runtime: 107 minutes	Directed by: Karey Kirkpatrick
MPAA Rating: PG for some mild language and brief questionable behavior	Gecko Rating:

"Imagine That" is a predictable movie, but it also has some sweet moments of father-daughter bonding.

Eddie Murphy plays Evan Danielson, a successful financial executive who spends more time crunching numbers than with his 7-year-old daughter Olivia (Yara Shahidi). He’s divorced from Olivia’s mom, Trish (Nicole Ari Parker), and the two share custody. 

When Evan gets a chance to move up in his company, he has a crisis of confidence that affects his work. It doesn’t help that he has to compete for the new job with his company rival, Johnny Whitefeather (Thomas Haden Church).

Johnny is this annoying guy who claims to be Native American and is always spouting mystical ramblings about fire, earth, water and spirits. It’s a different sort of role for Church; I think of him in his adult dramatic-comedy roles, like "Sideways" and "Smart People."

Meanwhile, Olivia has just the answers that Evan needs. Her imaginary friends – namely, princesses and a queen – always know which companies are merging or breaking up, and which ones are profitable. She communicates with them via a magic blanket she carries with her everywhere. We’re never sure whether this blanket is actually magic or not, but I guess that’s not the point of the movie.

Anyway, when their predictions start coming true, Evan starts depending on them for financial advice, then passing it along to his clients. Here’s where we get to see some of Eddie Murphy’s classic humor – like singing to the queen to let him into her kingdom and dancing for Olivia to gain access to the princesses. 

All of this provides the catalyst for Evan to bond with his daughter, and it all comes down to a predictable scene where he must choose between his work and his daughter.

Murphy and Shahidi have good chemistry, and the movie has an adequate supporting cast in Nicole Ari Parker and Tom Stevens, who plays Evan’s boss. Another odd casting is Martin Sheen as Dante D’Enzo, the big-wig company owner who must decide whether Evan or Johnny will get the coveted job.

"Imagine That" is a nice enough movie, but you won’t find anything new here. Although Martin Sheen and Thomas Haden Church add interest to the casting, I kept thinking how odd it was for them to be in a family movie (and yes, I know they’ve done family movies in the past).

NOTE TO PARENTS: There’s nothing too objectionable here. Language is fairly mild, including "poop," "stupid," and "oh my God." No violence to speak of, though Eddie Murphy has a few comic stunts. Olivia’s mom is "friends" with a coworker (meaning, she’s going out with him). The overall message is good – that parents should spend more time with their kids.

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