Eddie Murphy, Thomas Haden Church, Nicole Ari Parker

Evan Danielson is a successful financial executive who has more time for his blackberry than his seven-year-old daughter. When he has a crisis of confidence and his career starts going down the drain,...( read more  read more... ) however, he finds the solution to all his problems in his daughter's imaginary world.

Flixster Users

45% liked it

29,893 ratings

Critics

37% liked it

103 critics

PG, 1 hr. 47 min.

Directed by: Karey Kirkpatrick

Release Date: June 12, 2009

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DVD Release Date: October 6, 2009

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Stats: 4,779 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (4,779)


  • October 17, 2009
    Imagine Eddie Murphy's career slowly going down the toilet. Oh wait, if you've seen this movie, you don't have to imagine anything.
    Imagine That is the story of Evan Danielson. A busy stock broker who has little time for his child, after his divorce. Until he figures out that hi...( read more)s daughter can go to an imaginary place, with the help of her guga. A blanket that transports her there. In this imaginary kingdom are three princesses and a queen who are very wise in the ways of financial investments. ( Yeah I was thinking the same thing right about then. )
    Did I mention that this movie features Thomas Haden Church as a nature loving indian named Johnny Whitefeather? I only mention it, because if you do see this movie, you may want to hit the mute button every time he comes on screen. It will save the headache later. Oh how quickly they fall.
    The little girl that played Olivia was adorable and she did get to sing a Beatles song. That was the one star.
    This movie has a simple, although boring message... All you really need is love. In this case, the love between a father and a daughter. Unfortunately for this film, not even love, or the use of a classic Beatles song, or a cameo by the remarkable Martin Sheen ( he must have owed someone a really big favor for agreeing to this pile. ) could save this travesty. It billed itself as a lovable family comedy, but even my seven year old was bored within the first twenty minutes. Bad sign.
  • October 19, 2009
    A financial executive (Eddie Murphy) is up for a new job against a strange Indian dude (Thomas Haden Church). Getting his daughter (Yara Shahidi) for a couple of days turns out to be good for his job. She gets valuable information from her imaginary fairy friends.

    It's a s...( read more)trange but cute movie. It is a bit stupid when Murphy repeats the childish words of his child at work, like "poopy" and his colleagues still take him seriously. But the father and daughter chemistry between Murphy and Yara Shahidi makes the movie worth watching. Shahidi is adorable and surprisingly pretty good,
  • June 20, 2009
    Suprisingly, it's not that bad. It's a cute family film for everyone of all ages. The little girl is adorable!!!
  • June 18, 2009
    It has a good message, but one that is played over and again in other Hollywood movies. This is a very predictable flick. I kept thinking that it was going to surprize me and give me an unexpected turn, but it never happened. The little girl who plays Eddie Murphy's daughter i...( read more)s excellent and definitely has a future in the movies. Eddie Murphy tried hard, but the lines and a good plot were missing.
  • November 6, 2009
    There is not a worse title for this movie which has little room for imagination considering that there is nothing imaginative about this plot. You have a well known story repeated over and over again: the workaholic father who has no time for his daughter, but due to some recent ...( read more)development the relationship begins to grow and the parent learns a very important lesson and decides that his girl is more important than his job. Fatherly love triumphs over work. Sorry I didnt post a spoiler alert, but I think everyone could see this coming unless they have never seen a movie before in which case they wouldnt be reading this anyway. Of course these family films cannot be judged on being predictable or not because they all sort of follow a same trend and try to give a positive message. We all want to see a happy ending in a family film and have fun in the process, but unfortunately the plot is very weak and the journey is not worth the watch. There are very few fun moments and perhaps the only enjoyable character is the daughter played by Yara Shahidi who is just so cute and adorable. Her performance was one of the best things about this unimaginative film.

    Imagine That wastes some great talents, such as Eddie Murphy who plays a more serious role than what we are used to seeing him in. I enjoyed him much more in Daddy Day Care, I think that in this one he doesnt have too many funny scenes. There are a couple moments which put a smile on your face, like the scenes in which he has to dance with the imaginary princesses in the middle of downtown Chicago or the final scene in which he dresses up as a King. This film has its warm moments but for most parts it drags and even the kids began to get bored in the theater. Another wasted talent here was Thomas Haden Church. He is usually great in his films, but I dont think he fit the part this time around. His character was a little out there. He played a supposedly native american who was Eddie Murpheys competition at a financial advisory business and who used stupid metaphors that didnt feel believable and didnt work as a comedy either.

    The main problem with this film is that most adults wont want to watch it unless they are dragged by the kids. The movie aims at a young audience, but at the same time the whole emphasis in the financial business may bore a lot of the children. The movie drags during several parts and it seems to jump from a serious and adult theme to a childish one and viceversa. The ending was predictable, but sweet and with a nice message however it is not enough to save this movie and I wouldnt recommend it. Imagination can be a very powerful subject, but this film doesnt explore it very much and only uses imagination in a superficial way.
  • November 5, 2009
    I liked it better when Adam Sadler made it 2 years ago!!!!
  • November 3, 2009
    Cute, but predictable.
  • November 3, 2009
    Very Funny Movie. Johnny Whitefeather the native american was especially good.Worth a look .
  • November 3, 2009
    Great cute family movie. It was a nice change from everything else that has been coming out lately.
  • November 2, 2009
    Cute, adorable and magical. I love the way the Eddie Murphy's character gets to know his daughter through her own world.

Critic Reviews


June 12, 2009
Kyle Smith, New York Post

Cutesy? My pain was acutesy as the entire plot yawned before me. full review

June 12, 2009
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle

Imagine That has a few nagging problems, none of which is Eddie Murphy's fault. full review

June 12, 2009
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

Given the movie's early creative promise, the ending is disappointingly trite. full review

June 12, 2009
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

Murphy rises to every occasion, not only with the crisp wit that has long been his hallmark, but with restraint and tenderness that serve him well. full review

June 11, 2009
Pete Hammond, Hollywood.com

After the debacle of last summer's dreadful "Meet Dave", Eddie is back at his best in his funniest comedy in years, a feel-good winner with something for everyone. full review

June 11, 2009
Claudia Puig, USA Today

It's too bad there's little to distinguish this predictable tale from any other comedy about an overly busy father who finally connects with his child. full review

June 11, 2009
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Imagine That is amusing without ever being break-out funny. full review

View more Imagine That reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • liliecv1
    June 24, 2009
    wouldn't have IMAGINE how wonderful and fun is was gonna be :D.

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Imagine That Trivia


  • "1500 years ago, everybody "knew" that the earth was the center of the universe. 500 years ago, everybody "knew" that the earth was flat. And 15 minutes ago, you "knew" that humans were alone on this planet. Imagine what you'll "know" tomorrow." which movie does this quote come from?   Answer »
  • "I do know that for the sympathy of one living being, I would make peace with all. I have love in me the likes of which you can scarcely imagine and rage the likes of which you would not believe. If I cannot satisfy the one, I will indulge the other."   Answer »
  • There were turtle named Verne and racoon named RJ. They tried to live in a whole new world that they could ever imagine as animals..   Answer »
  • In The Matrix who said "I imagine that right now, you're feeling a bit like Alice. Hmm? Tumbling down the rabbit hole?"  Answer »

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