Imagine That - DVD and Blu-ray Review

By Cyril Pearl -- Video Business, 9/21/2009

PARAMOUNT
Street: Oct. 6
Prebook: now
> Surprisingly appealing, low-key family fantasy starring Eddie Murphy.

Imagine That is a surprisingly pleasant, low-key family comedy about a stressed-out father realizing that he’s neglecting his child. Eddie Murphy stars as Evan, a busy Denver finance man on the verge of a big promotion whose estranged wife (Nicole Ari Parker) forces him to spend a week with their daughter Olivia (cute newcomer Yara Shahidi). Bored and ignored by her dad, Olivia creates imaginary friends to keep herself happy, which quickly begins to bother her father—until those playmates of the mind begin channeling sound financial advice through Olivia. The scenes between Murphy and Shahidi, in which they talk about Olivia’s fantasy world and cavort about Evan’s large apartment, are quite charming and energetic without being loud and silly. The appeal is partly due to the absence of any effects, save the spirit of the two performers, who are quite special in their own way. There’s nothing really new here, and the ending is even more typical than we expected, but it’s nice to see veteran Murphy (he has been making movies for nearly 30 years now) deliver such a well-calibrated, effects-free performance for a family picture.

Shelf Talk: As it did with Dance Flick earlier this month, Paramount is launching Imagine That with a staggered release, making it available for sale and rental on Blu-ray and for rental only on DVD, with a sell-through DVD version to be made available in four to eight weeks. Though it’s a solid-looking and sounding production, Imagine That has nothing exceptional in its presentation or supplemental package that makes it a particularly outstanding Blu-ray release.

Fantasy, color, PG (language), 107 min., DVD rental, BD $39.99, UPC: 097360718447
Extras: commentary, deleted scenes, featurettes, outtakes, set tour
Director: Karey Kirkpatrick
First Run: W, June 2009, $16 mil.