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IMAGINE THAT

Starring: Eddie Murphy, Yari Shahidi, Thomas Haden Church, Nicole Ari Parker, Vanessa Williams, Ronnie Cox and Martin Sheen

Directed by: Karey Kirkpatrick

Rated PG for some mild language and brief questionable behavior

Genre: Comedy

By John Delia

Eddie Murphy goes back to his comedic roots and comes out a winner in the loveable and laughable Imagine That. Expecting a so-so and ho-hum movie after seeing the trailer I was amazingly surprised by a sweet film that had some great moments, including a delightful performance by Yari Shahidi. If you want your heart warmed with a lot of chuckles along the way, then Imagine That is a must see.

The movie centers on Evan Danielson (Murphy) a genius when it comes to predicting the right companies to fill financial portfolios. He’s on top of the world at his company until his boss gets hoodwinked into swaying his trust to his rival Johnny Whitefeather (Church) who has won him over with mystical Native American powers. Sold on Johnny, Evan has to win his boss back.

On one particular day, Evan’s elementary school age daughter Olivia (Shahidi) has drawn pictures all over his notes just minutes before an important presentation. Having no choice bit to give in to his frustrations over the artistic mess but, he uses the drawings to explain his position on financial choices and amazingly comes up with winners. When Olivia explains that her imaginary friends under her blanket gave her the visions, Evan enlists her help in getting back to the top.

After the flop Meet Dave, I was wondering if Murphy could muster up a good performance and make me laugh like he did in the 48 Hrs, Shrek and Beverly Hills Cop series. There he was this guy (or Donkey) who was all into himself and made me laugh with his co-stars getting the butt of his antics. Well in Imagine That he proves he still has the mojo and opposite Shahidi, his charming little co-star, the two giggle up the screen.

Directing plays a big part in the film as keeping the freewheeling comedic plot on track really takes talent. And especially when you are dealing with Eddie Murphy. I liked the way Kirkpatrick deals with the relationships throughout, never discrediting the other characters, just putting them in a comical light. Church’s Johnny Whitefeather is a good example of this showing his goofy ideas of how he comes up with predictions on choosing the right stock portfolios. We see him as a crackpot, but Eddie’s character is really no different.

Imagine That is rated PG but fun for the whole family and projects some important values such as communicating with your children. The film contains some mild language and brief questionable behavior so be cautioned of this before attending.

FINAL ANALYSIS: A very good film for the whole family. Now, imagine that! (3.5 of 5 Palm Trees)