Movie Review: IMAGINARY

By ABBIE BERNSTEIN / Staff Writer

Posted: March 8th, 2024 / 03:48 AM

IMAGINARY movie poster | ©2024 Lionsgate/Blumhouse

Rating: PG-13
Stars: DeWanda Wise, Tom Payne, Taegen Burns, Pyper Braun, Veronica Falcón, Betty Buckley, Matthew Sato, Cecilia Leal
Writers: Jeff Wadlow & Greg Erb & Jason Oremland
Director: Jeff Wadlow
Distributor: Lionsgate
Release Date: March 8, 2024

IMAGINARY plays something like if ALICE IN WONDERLAND, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, and INSIDIOUS all got together and had a lively tea party that never went fully mad. That IMAGINARY has a PG-13 rating probably has something to do with its relative restraint, but so does the filmmakers’ evident desire to hit a specific set of notes.

Children’s book author and illustrator Jessica (DeWanda Wise) suffers from nightmares. Jessica’s musician husband Max (Tom Payne) has two daughters by his previous marriage, angry teen Taylor (Taegen Burns) and sweet little Alice (Pyper Braun). Jessica is determined to be a good mom to both girls, even though Taylor makes it clear she feels the best thing her new stepmom could do is leave.

The whole family moves into Jessica’s sprawling childhood home. Although Jessica left at age five, she remembers being happy here. This was before her mom died when she was five, her dad became unable to care for her, and she was raised by her grandmother.

The house still has crayon drawings on the walls of Jessica’s old bedroom, and plenty of her childhood artwork in the basement. The basement has all sorts of nooks and crannies, where an exploring Alice finds teddy bear Chauncey.

Chauncey has a pull string, but it just plays music. However, Alice acts like Chauncey is talking to her. She engages with him. Jessica, Max, and even Taylor think it’s cute when Alice adopts a slightly different voice for Chauncey.

Is it really a spoiler if it’s on the poster? The audience is clued in that whoever or whatever Alice has befriended, he’s not imaginary and he’s not a friend.

There’s some intriguing, textured back story. Alice and Taylor still miss their mother, even though she is unstable to the point of having been violently abusive. Jessica has an unacknowledged memory block about details of her childhood, and Jessica’s old babysitter (Betty Buckley) clearly knows more than she’s telling.

Wise is warm and empathetic, and Braun is likable as young Alice. Burns treads the line well between mean girl and caring sibling.

The maze-like sets and evocative décor, courtesy of production designer Meghan C. Rogers, add a lot to the proceedings, giving IMAGINARY a suitably dark fairytale vibe.

For a good while, director Jeff Wadlow, who co-wrote the script with Greg Erb & Jason Oremland, demonstrates skill in suggesting dread. Then there’s a big twist, which at first is impressive, but then loses its initial significance and becomes confusing. Why does this twist matter in the larger scheme of things? We also start wondering about matters of selection, geography and numbers, to name a few questions that arise late in the proceedings. The movie has to pack so much new information into its concluding section that it starts to seem a bit thrown together.

Since IMAGINARY seems to be actively aimed at becoming a franchise, it is highly possible that its mysteries may yet be explained. Meanwhile, it’s diverting and prompts a few shivers, even if its climax leaves something to be desired.

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