Film File - Imagine That

The title of this film could well be applied to its main star - mainly due to the fact that he has finally delivered a movie almost devoid of his usual bad taste and unfunny attitude. Before he found himself standing in front of his friends' house yelling for his daughter's purple security blanket in the middle of the night, Evan Danielson (Murphy) was just your average financial wizard - focused, successful and driven. But when his daughter Olivia (Yara Shahidi) introduced him to the princesses and their queen living in her imaginary world via that magic blanket, Evan ends up following her on an adventure that forces him to redefine his definition of success. Because he was too distracted by career demands, his daughter had all but given up on her daddy. And when the promotion of a lifetime is suddenly within his reach, Evan finds himself torn between his parental responsibilities and staving off his company rival, the pseudo-mystical Johnny Whitefeather (Thomas Haden Church). Led unwittingly into Olivia's world of imaginary friends, Evan is suddenly plunged into a complete emotional makeover where he finds himself singing and dancing in public and eating mustard-covered pancakes - both of which contribute to carving out a better career. 'Imagine That' is an easy-going, innocent and sometimes chucklesome film perfect for families. Screenwriter Chris Matheson, son of legendary Richard Matheson, who scripted many of the classic Rod Serling 'Twilight Zone' episodes of the 1960s, and Karey Kirkpatrick combine well to deliver a film with some reasonable humour, some smart plot devices, and, most importantly, a certain Mr Eddie Murphy having rediscovered his sense of humour.