Let's play imagine, shall we? Imagine that Eddie Murphy had the ability to find intelligent projects that spotlight his myriad talents. In "Imagine That" Murphy plays a financial executive on the verge of losing his job, so he turns to his daughter's imaginary friends for help. Now imagine that this is a strange fable that illuminates the past decade's stock market shenanigans or the plight of overworked parents, or celebrates the imagination and often understated intelligence of children.
Unfortunately, real life is much more messy. "Imagine That" is a total wreck, unfunny and insulting, and a movie whose messages are so toxic I wouldn't dream of taking a child to see it.
Murphy plays Evan Danielson, a powerful player in a financial firm who is in brisk competition with one of his colleagues, Johnny Whitefeather (Thomas Haden Church). When Evan is on the verge of losing his job, his daughter Olivia (Yara Shahadi) and her imaginary friends bail him out by making accurate stock market predictions.
Sadly, "Imagine That" peddles in nasty Native American stereotypes, hasn't a single strong female character and rewards people who are mean and greedy. Murphy acts in a vacuum, barely relating to the people -- and the child -- right in front of him.
Like celebrity children's books, "Imagine That" is a movie that thinks it's being clever and inventive, when it's really just a tired excuse for adults to indulge in bad behavior and pretend it's for the kids. Simply awful.
