Imagine That (2009) User Reviews

This movie was GREAT don't listen to...

[mark-547-569815 · 7/10 · 4 October 2009]

Look, I don't know what people have against Eddie Murphy films (they always seem to get a low rating on IMDb) but if you watch them for what they are they are FUNNY.

@jogliore from United States What's wrong with you? My wife and kids watched this movie and loved it. I loved it. It's funny. It makes you laugh. The acting is good enough for the type of movie. It's a family comedy - not godfather!

Anyway, we really enjoyed this movie just like we enjoy most of Eddie Murphy's movies.

Have a sense of humour guys. Come on - this deserves much better!

7/10 Mark A.

Best Eddie Murphy Film for years

[stephengraley · 7/10 · 10 October 2009]

Yes eddie Murphy's Film Career has been on a bit of a downward spiral and with the exception of the Shrek films it would have gone down the toilet a lot quicker but this is just a feel good fun film.

The movie does not aim to be something special just when the end credits role it makes you feel good. Thomas Haden Church's character is just mental and he pulls it off really well with a crazy performance. There are some real gem scenes in the movie, hilarious when eddie murphy and his daughter have to say grace but i wont spoil it.

On the whole this was just a fun movie to watch and enjoy and makes you realise how great it is to have children in your life just when you are wondering why you had children !!!

Fun but forgettable

[Gordon-11 · 11 October 2009]

This film is about a high ranking executive in a financial corporation, who falls into his daughter's fantasy world.

"Imagine That" is a fun movie that is suitable for both adults and children. Eddie Murphy does a good job to entertain, but this time he dances and sings with his daughter. It is a refreshing change that his movie is without any gross or crude humour. In between the fun scenes, it explores family relationships and how people prioritise their loved ones. It is particularly sad that parents nowadays may be emotionally distant from their children because of heavy work commitments, which is so well portrayed in this film. Of course, "Imagine That" does not dwell in such a topic, but instead is a forgettable comedy.

What audience is this supposed to be aimed at?

[dockbennett · 6/10 · 23 September 2009]

I just saw this film with a group of children, whom we took as part of our Holiday Care programme here in Brisbane, Australia. As there were no toilet trips, I actually managed to see it all!

Overall, I thought it was a pretty good and entertaining film, but it was hard to know to whom it was aimed at. The business meetings Murphy went to and various discussions about same were certainly not down to children's levels, and a lot of kids in the cinema clearly got quite restless, including some of ours, at least one of whom complained about the movie being "boring". But when Murphy went on his comedy antics, it was a bit too juvenile for adults.

I thought Eddie was great, as was Yara Shahidi as the young girl, in an absolutely lovely, natural performance, while Thomas Haden Church was amusing as the fake Indian. But what was with the imaginary friends?? Were they real? If not, how did the girl get all the right information about the businesses? If they were... well... the film didn't seem to relay that. Wasn't it all generally another morality tale about parent/child bonding?

And what was with all the Beatles songs?

Certainly a pretty entertaining picture, but who is it for?

Funny Family Movie....

[guljannat · 7/10 · 26 August 2020]

Good Funny movie to watch with the family. We enjoyed it.

A Family Night Winner

[OutsideHollywoodLand · 5/10 · 2 February 2010]

Sometimes a little film can be a big surprise. Eddie Murphy has been making a lot of little films lately, some with mixed results. His latest small carat movie, Imagine That, twinkles in all the right places.

Eddie Murphy once again plays a workaholic parent, Evan Danielson, who is too busy to notice the world immediately outside of his corporate office. The world, in this instance, is his adorable daughter, Olivia, played by Yara Shahidi. Olivia copes with his absence by enjoying a fantasy world of her own, complete with three wish-granting divas, dragons, and castles.

Evan, a stressed-out stock consultant, is embroiled in a battle for a promotion against the legendary Johnny Whitefeather, played by Thomas Haden Church. Whitefeather is a New Age snake-charmer, complete with half-baked motto's that pass for ancient Native American wisdom. Evan finds it hard to compete with his incense, power chants, and dirty tricks until Yara and her divas lend him a hand.

For those who fondly remember a standard high-amped Eddie Murphy vehicle, this story may seem a bit simple. The script is a bit weak, falling back on the frustrated ex-wife routine, and yes - the ending is tooth-numbing sweet. Yet it's the genuine chemistry between Murphy and Shahidi - and the cutthroat conflict between Evan and Johnny - that is sure to delight the family on movie night.

Maybe the Buddhists do have it right - less is more.

Nice family watch

[harry_goel · 7/10 · 16 February 2020]

It was a nice feel good movie to watch with family. My kids enjoyed watching it. It didn't get boring anywhere and didn't feel like it was needing dragged. Most of all, I liked the daughter's acting.

I Liked It

[michaeltrivedi · 6/10 · 28 December 2019]

The little girl in this movie is fun to watch. She is a kid, though she has rebelliousness and seriousness that is usually only seen in adults.

Eddie Murphy movie at its best. It had the hard working parent aspect, and the child that is failing because of it. But there hope. And it makes them stronger.

I liked it a lot

6 stars

Imagine That!, it sucked

[MCMAYNERBERRY · 2/10 · 22 June 2009]

A successful financial executive (Eddie Murphy) has more time for his BlackBerry than his seven-year-old daughter (Yara Shahidi). When he has a crisis of confidence and his career starts going down the drain, however, he finds the solution to all his problems in his daughter's imaginary world. Where to begin.... i know! Why this movie was bad. Well for starters Eddie Murphy hasn't taken any good roles since Beverly Hills Cop and Thomas Haden Church is more smarter than to accept a role like that. Now i know it's a kids movie, but even the kid sitting next to me said it was a con. My advice, either wait until the DVD or just don't bother. Imagine That 2/10

Surprisingly good...

[paul_haakonsen · 6/10 · 9 January 2016]

I had some restrictions about sitting down to watch "Imagine That". Why? Well, because it was an Eddie Murphy starring opposite a child movie. And given Murphy's track record for the past many years hasn't been that impressive. But this movie was a surprise that blindsided me.

While the story is a bit corny, then it is also very well-told, beautiful and it sinks right in. The director, Karey Kirkpatrick, knew exactly how to blend comedy in with a good story. And I will say that if you haven't already seen "Imagine That" then you should the time to do so, regardless if you are a fan of Eddie Murphy or not.

Eddie Murphy is back in great shape in this 2009 movie, and it was a pleasure to see him back on the screen in something that was actually worth watching. Alongside him were some other impressive actors, that being Thomas Haden Church and Ronny Cox. However, the most impressive performance was young actress Yara Shahidi, she really stood her ground before Eddie Murphy, and she nailed her role right on the money.

"Imagine That" is a good and entertaining movie and it comes with a storyline that will appeal to all fathers out there. I was genuinely entertained by this movie and can warmly recommend you spending about an hour and forty-five minutes to watch it.

A movie that means well, but wasn't made well

[geniuskentyk-1 · 5/10 · 9 July 2010]

Eddie Murphy has been off his A-game in 'comedy' lately. The past few movies he's been in have been flops, sucky films, and/or not funny (kind of like Will Ferrel). Well, I was skeptical of 'Imagine That' and thought that I would die from watching a movie that had bad reviews. After seeing the movie, however, I actually enjoyed the movie a little. The actor that portrays Murphy's daughter is a natural and her character has cute moments. 'Imagine That' doesn't really have any 'laugh-out-loud moments'; it's funny sometimes, but not a 'bursting with laughter' kind of funny. I actually read a review that said that 'Meet Dave', which was the last Eddie Murphy film (and was also a big flop), had more laughs than 'Imagine That.' While watching this movie it started to remind me of a kids movie that Eddie Murphy was in a few years ago, called 'Daddy Day Care.' I liked 'Daddy Day Care' a lot more than 'Imagine That' (i don't know if it's because i was younger then…), but I still wouldn't say that 'Imagine That' is a horrible movie. It's an 'okay' movie; not too good, but not too bad.

Pretty Good

[anniec295 · 7/10 · 24 October 2009]

I was surprised actually. Eddie Murphy always seems to create those "family fun-way-to-cliché" type movies. And yet-I liked this one. And yes- it was cliché, but it was cute and funny. The little girl was quite the little actress as well! The soundtrack was also all Beatles so what's not to like? Though I do not like the updated versions they chose, it added a lot to the flick. The'bad guy' or I suppose antagonist is an overly stereotyped Native American, but come on people-don't be so defensive. Besides, we find out later that he is a very small percent of Indian and is, in fact, just a jerk. It had moral value and sweet moments. Worth a rental I'd say.

What's with all the hate?

[PopcornLovesMovie · 9/10 · 8 October 2009]

I love this movie. Somewhere in the fantasy lies a lot of truth and realism. How would we act if we found out our kid have this magical power to predict the future? Exactly like Eddie did! Well, maybe not quite so exaggerated like him but you get my point.

I also felt the kid's acting were great. She did act like a kid would be, with all the faults and insecurities. Dakota Fanning wasn't this good when she was her age.

This is a great family movie. It really is. It teaches us some morals, but not in a conceited, fairy tale, only happen in movie ways. It shows us straight up that Eddie does in fact used his kid for his personal benefit. And we all have to make hard decisions at times.

There are some fairy tale moments and some really good morals that both kids and adults will connect with and enjoy together.

Stressed businessman gets useful tips from daughter's imaginary friends. Bless.

[hitchcockthelegend · 6/10 · 29 July 2012]

I'd call myself an Eddie Murphy fan, I've lost count of the number of times I have had to convince sceptics that he once ruled the cinema world back in the 1980s. There are those who seem to have a poisonous agenda about the man and his work post 1990. Yep, there's a lot of rubbish there on his CV, but quite often it's harmless rubbish with some value to the easy going film fan, in fact the number of outright offencive stinkers are surprisingly low in his 30 year career (Norbit, good grief!).

Which brings us to Imagine That, a genuinely sweet film that is devoid of blunderbuss effects and plays out via good human interactions. True, it's fanciful fluff that ends up as you'd expect, while a splendid cast featuring Thomas Haden Church, Ronny Cox and Martin Sheen are going through the motions and earning an easy dollar. But it never once gets tired and Murphy gets on occasion to show his comedic chops.

Some of the more adult threads involving corporate politics will go over the heads of the kids, and likewise the father/daughter imaginary friends angle only resonates with those of a similar persuasion, but the film is trying to cover all bases. Clearly it doesn't all work, otherwise the picture would be better thought of, yet a decent family time filler it rounds out to be. I wouldn't advocate spending money to rent it, mind, but there are worse things in cinema life than watching this with a child you hold dear. 6/10

I can imagine this movie being better than it turned out

[Beta_Gallinger · 5/10 · 31 August 2011]

I have seen former "Saturday Night Live" comedian Eddie Murphy in a bunch of films, but most of them haven't been very good. This is the most recent film I've seen him in, and I've just watched it two years after its release. I didn't hear of it while it was playing in theatres, but since it was such a flop, that's not surprising. Unfortunately, "Imagine That" is basically yet another lacklustre piece of fluff starring Murphy. Watching it about 24 hours after "The Sweetest Thing", a 2002 romantic comedy which was ironically very bitter to me, I have to say that I think this 2009 release is a LOT better that that film (though comparing them does seem pretty ridiculous, since they're not the same kind of film), but it's still not a film I can praise too highly.

Evan Danielson is a financial executive who has a six year old daughter named Olivia, and she has a security blanket and likes to talk to her imaginary friends, since she doesn't seem to have any real ones. Since Evan focuses so much on his work, he tends to neglect his daughter. The financial executive was at the top of his company for eight years, but has finally been facing some competition lately since the arrival of Johnny Whitefeather. Evan's career is now going down the tubes, but as this is happening, he is introduced to his daughter's imaginary world, a world with her imaginary princess friends and their queen in it. He plays along, and finds that the solution to his recent career trouble may lie in Olivia's fantasy world! However, there's more in his life than just his job, and he may have to decide what's more important, his work or his family?

This movie is supposed to be partially a comedy and partially a drama, and the comedy aspect definitely fails for the most part. The part that made me laugh the hardest was probably Evan singing in a high voice at one point while in Olivia's imaginary world, and hardly anything else made me laugh at all. An example of something I didn't find very funny was the two times Olivia screams when deprived of her security blanket, and Thomas Haden Church in the role of Johnny Whitefeather doesn't do much for the film, either. Parts of Evan's rant about his daughter's drawings during a meeting are mildly amusing, but not the poop part. There are touching moments in "Imagine That", so I guess the movie doesn't COMPLETELY fail as a drama, but the drama is still not good enough to make up for the lacklustre humour. Those flaws plus the fairly uninteresting premise make this a pretty insignificant family flick, and I just MIGHT be able to rate it 6/10 instead of 5, but it's still far from a must-see.

Suited for a young audience

[Kingslaay · 6/10 · 29 December 2020]

Im usually a fan of an Eddie Murphy film and this was an easy film to watch. I have seen so many of these films that it wasn't anything original. It is still a feel good film where the winner takes all in the end and lands the top job. Nothing to read too much into, innocent and simple story.

Formula but still watchable

[sergelamarche · 6/10 · 20 May 2020]

Typical comedy with Eddie Murphy. Lots of antics and the message of taking the time to live with your children. Very formula that one.

At a loss of words for this film. Entertaining, but just a godawful mess

[aidanratesmovies · 2/10 · 8 February 2022]

It has a couple good chuckles, and some entertaining moments- but ultimately- Imagine That is too much of a bizarre fever dream to have any true enjoyment out of. First off, lets just talk about the acting in this film, or really the lack of- what the hell happened with this movie? You had comedic superstar Eddie Murphy, along with his former 48 Hrs co-star Thomas Haden Church, and freaking Martin Sheen (not that he hasn't starred in worse to be honest, but still). Every single performance is incredibly over the top, cringeworthy to watch, and just embarrassing. It honestly made me wonder how Murphy still had a few years left on him to make these kinda films! I honestly wonder what the writers were thinking making this movie too. Oh it's about a girl with a magic blanket, seems cool! Actually the dad is the main character! Okay kinda weird, but maybe it's exciting and the two have a good bond! Nope the first excruciatingly long 30 MINUTES of this film is a depressing tale of a father who doesn't know how to take care of his kid. Okay well, maybe the blanket does something cool, you said it was magic? Yes, it can predict the stock market! How interesting for the 6 year olds in the audience!!I...I don't know even where to begin, not to mention (and I really hate to say this) the way Murphy is being portrayed in the latter half of the movie before his big deal trying to get the magic blanket gives off some major pedophile vibes- which is an alarming and misguided subtext for a kids movie whether it was intentional or not. I did laugh at a few jokes, but it was hardly enough to cover up this films sorry excuse for a plot let alone its execution of it (also forgot to mention all the Native American things Church's character presents and it does NOT age well) In the end, this film is a spectacular mess. That's all I can honestly say.

My Rating: 2/10.

Alright

[alecblair-96768 · 6/10 · 29 January 2020]

It was alright, the storyline was kind of eh, funny here and there, other than that, enjoy the movie if you want.

unlikeable unfunny

[SnoopyStyle · 4/10 · 23 November 2013]

Evan Danielson (Eddie Murphy) is a big financial executive recently separated from his wife Trish (Nicole Ari Parker). His daughter Olivia (Yara Shahidi) is having difficulties and lost in her imaginary world.

This started horribly with Thomas Haden Church playing a weird Native American cartoon Johnny Whitefeather. It's cringe worthy. Eddie Murphy does his jerky absent angry father figure. It's all very unlikeable. Bless her heart, the little girl looks like she's a regular kid. But this isn't really a kiddie film.

It's a redemption movie. When Olivia draws all over his notes, it provided hidden insights into some investments. The big problem is that none of it is funny. The idea has potential but there's a constant mean-spirited tone.

There's no heart to this movie.

[Shopaholic35 · 4/10 · 1 March 2015]

It's so sad to see a parent taking their child for granted. The world is so jaded and money focused. Money can't buy you everything and when your child grows up you will regret your decisions in life as it will be too late. Well this is another one of those movies where the absentee parent learns what life really is about from their child and changes their ways before it's too late.

The big problem with this movies though is Eddie Murphy's character only realises how wonderful his daughter is after he exploited her for his job. It's selfish and he never really changes even though they pretend he does. In fact he gets rewarded for his horrible behaviour. So basically it's an OK movie but the message sucks. Not a fan.

Enjoyable and quite funny

[zoil16 · 9/10 · 1 March 2010]

I was pleasantly surprised with this funny flick. I was in the mood for a fun family film, and this delivered. If you don't expect an academy award winner, then you should find this movie very entertaining. Eddie Murphy really puts in a highly energized performance and so does Hayden Church. Watching these two duke it out in their financial meetings is pure comic gold. Best part has to be when Murphy goes through his stock pick notes that have been doodled on my his daughter - "this stock is gonna drop its pants because they have a poopy diaper...........". This movie makes me want to go find an imaginary person and become friends with them.

Awesome.

A lovely feel good movie

[leonmessyb · 7/10 · 17 July 2022]

It's not original as similar concepts/plots have been done in other films and the ending was quite predictable in almost every regard. However, this isn't some mystery or suspense thriller where there needs to be intricate plots and twists. This is a family film and an enjoyable one at that. It is heartwarming, engaging and you become really invested in the main characters. The acting is great including the child star who plays Eddie Murphy's daughter. Not as funny as you would expect from an Eddie Murphy film, but still some funny moments. All round I really enjoyed this movie and I think if you don't go in expecting everything to be realistic from a FANTASY family film, then you will too.

Don't Get The Hate

[slightlymad22 · 7/10 · 7 February 2018]

Continuing my plan to watch every Eddie Murphy movie in order, I come to his last movie of the decade, Imagine That (2009)

Plot In A Paragraph: A workaholic Dad (Murphy) finds the solution to all his problems is in his daughter's imaginary world.

I actually enjoyed this one. OK following Meet Dave, the only way was up, due to the bar being set so low. But I did like it. OK, we've seen the workaholic Dad, who doesn't pay attention to his kids in countless movies, it over plays its message at times and Thomas Haden Church was seriously annoying, but overall it's an enjoyable 90 minute kid flick.

It's nice to see Murphy with Ronny Cox again, whilst Cox has aged a lot since their Beverly Hills Cop days, Murphy looks the same. Martin Sheen has a small role and is as reliable as ever. It's your typical family movie, and whilst it doesn't have an laugh out loud moments, I did find myself smiling a lot and it has a real charm to it.

It was a bad end to the decade, as Imagine That became the second Murphy movie in a row to not place on the top 100 grossers of the year, as it only grossed $16 million at the domestic box office. Personally I found this much better than the likes of Daddy Day Care, which did much better!! But it looks like audiences were tired of Murphy's family movies too.

Imagine what? A better movie?

[Kamurai25 · 6/10 · 19 April 2020]

Decent watch, not likely to watch again, and can't really recommend.

As excited to as I was to watch Eddie Murphy again, this was a little disappointing. The beginning of the movie makes it seem like it's going to be like Hook, but it quickly diverges away from it being an Eddie Murphy movie: the daughter is the real protagonist. Her dad becomes a middle part of a story that is too full of reality and not enough of imagination.

Usually, the formula is straight man and funny man, but with this family movie set in high end adulthood they decided to go two straight men losing there minds over a promotion.

It just doesn't make for a great story in the middle. There is a wonderfully touching premise of a daughter and father growing closer together, but that's more of the beginning and the end.