GC Movie Review of "Imagine THAT" Starring Eddie Murphy

Rated: PG
Genre: Comedy
Theatrical Release: Friday June 12, 2009 Wide
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Thomas Haden Church, Nicole Ari Parker, Ronny Cox, Martin Sheen, Yara Shahidi
Director: Karey Kirkpatrick
Screenwriter: Ed Solomon, Chris Matheson
Producer: Lorenzo Di Bonaventura, Ed Solomon
Composer: Mark Mancina
Studio: Paramount Pictures

Synopsis: In Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies’ family comedy “Imagine That,” Eddie Murphy stars as a successful financial executive who 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.

For some time now, we’ve all watched as funny man Eddie Murphy has graciously tipped his profane and adult laced persona for a more family oriented actor. And we like it. From “Dr. Doolittle”, “Daddy Day Care”, “Shrek”, and now “Imagine THAT” releasing Friday June 12, we get to see the Eddie Murphy that has always somehow seem to entertain the kid within us all.

In his new installment of family fun, (Eddie Murphy) plays Evan Danielson, a successful financial wizard on the brink of making an even bigger name for himself by getting promoted to the position of a lifetime. Focused, driven, and competitive Evan hasn’t become this successful without paying the amazingly high price of losing his wife Trish (Nicole Ari Parker) and a having a shallow relationship with his 7 year old daughter Olivia (Yara Shahidi).

Trish is so over the fact that Evan chose his job and not their marriage; she’s moved on. However, it’s really important to her that Olivia and Evan connect. She remains in the picture as his conscious. She refuses to let him off the hook of Olivia’s heart. Her daughter needs her daddy and Trish is there to make sure he gets that point.

Torn between his two most important roles, Evan has no time for Olivia. When he’s with Olivia, she invisible to him; as well he’s emotionally absent from her. His career is all that matters to him.

The lack of attention from her dad has forced Olivia to befriend her purple security blanket aka The Goo-Gaa. In the Goo-Gaa, she has imaginary friends, princesses (Moppida and Koopida), dragons and the Queen that allow her to feel safe.

Desiring her safety and security to come from her daddy, how does a little girl get her daddy’s attention? She tells him that her friends under the Goo-Gaa have the answers to all of his financial questions. He asks questions about stock purchases and mergers, they answer correctly and he becomes more successful and deserving of the promotion; except that he has a rival, the mystical whirling Native American Johnny Whitefeather (Thomas Haden Nelson).

Despite his constant need to stay one step ahead of Johnny, Evan begins to have fun with Olivia. She’s convinced him to indulge in high pitched singing, visiting a far away island- in his office, and eating pancakes with ketchup, mustard and chocolate syrup. But the moment that seems to matter the most to her is when she convinces him that he must dance in public in order to get the Queens attention; and he does it.

Olivia kinda knows that her dad may be doing this just to get the answers he wants for his career, but she in turn also seems to be getting the answer she wants as well.

Things take a sticky turn when Evan has to choose between Olivia’s school concert and the promotion deciding meeting with his mentor and boss, financial guru Dante D’Enzo (Martin Sheen).

“Imagine THAT” is a great family film. It really doesn’t matter that it’s semi-predictable. Daddy –daughter relationships are powerful and lifeAll you hope for is that the girl gets her daddy.