My sister and I went and saw this in the theater with our dad. It was really cute and funny. There are very mixed messages here, though. At the beginning (and 97 percent of the movie), Evan neglects Olivia until she starts giving him 'clues' to help unlock his potential in his career. He uses her 'talent' of imagination, which is using his daughter for his own personal gain. Then, at the end, he learns to love her, but the movie starts out making you like an awful character. Nothing to worry about when it comes to violence other than a few comical falls, sexy stuff is just talking about 'Prince Charming' and her mom being "friends" (more than, in reality), no bad language other than a few words, no drinking, drugs, or smoking, no consumerism other than "Red Bull" (a kid gets hyped up on the drink). So father and daughters should watch it together. It has some laughs wrapped up in the 'bundle of fun'!
Imagine That
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Sugary sweet father-daughter comedy is fine for families.
Themes in this movie include: family relationships, growing up
updated 11.23.09
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 6 and Up
The good stuff
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Role models:
What to watch out for
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Violence & scariness:
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Sexy stuff:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of Imagine That was written by Sandie Angulo Chen
Parents need to know that this Eddie Murphy father-daughter comedy is aimed squarely at families, so expect your kids to be interested. The good news is that it's mostly tame and family-friendly, except for a few exclamations like "crap" and "hell" and some possibly off-putting, over-the-top references/jokes regarding Native Americans and their culture. While Murphy's character starts out primarily interested in furthering his career, he ultimately learns an important lesson about putting his daughter first.
Families Can Talk About
Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
- Families can talk about the movie's messages about work-family balance.
- What does Evan learn by the time the movie is over?
- Was Olivia's fantasy world important because it helped Evan get ahead or because it helped them bond?
- Families can also discuss the movie's Native American jokes/references. Are they funny? Is humor based on stereotypes OK?
Have you seen it? Review It!
More on Imagine That
What’s the Story?
Evan (Eddie Murphy) is a successful investment manager who's up for a huge promotion. But the same week that he has to outperform his scene-stealing competitor Johnny Whitefeather (Thomas Haden Church) in client meetings, his ex-wife sends their daughter Olivia (Yara Shahidi) to stay with him. As the week progresses, it becomes clear that Olivia's special security blanket, "Goo Ga," and her imaginary princess friends are prescient about business deals. When Evan loosens up and starts believing in Olivia's unseen pals, it looks like he'll be a shoo-in for the big job.
Is It Any Good?
Murphy's live-action family films are hit (Dr. Dolittle) or miss (Meet Dave) -- IMAGINE THAT seems a bit more like the former than the latter. The premise is simple, the story is like a younger-skewing Bedtime Stories-meets-Bridge to Terabithia (minus all the special effects, since we never actually see Olivia's magical kingdom), and the manic Murphy quotient (how often his comedy goes way over the top) is kept to an amusing but not annoying level. Compared to some of Murphy's recent stinkers, this charming little father-daughter tale is perfect family matinee fare.
The main reason for the movie's appeal is the adorable chemistry between Murphy and Shahidi. The kid isn't just cute, but believably enchanting. Haden Church's Native American poser is funny half the time and borderline offensive the other, depending on the scene. His funniest bit (and perhaps the only laugh-out-loud moment in the movie) is when Whitefeather plies his son with Red Bull, covers him with a ceremonial Navajo blanket, and tries to extract financial prophecies. Silly and a bit stereotypical? Sure. Funny? Definitely.
Movie Details
Studio: Paramount Pictures, Director: Karey Kirkpatrick
Run time: 100 minutes
Theatrical release: 6/12/2009, DVD release: 10/6/2009
MPAA Rating: PG for some mild language and brief questionable behavior
Run time: 100 minutes
Theatrical release: 6/12/2009, DVD release: 10/6/2009
MPAA Rating: PG for some mild language and brief questionable behavior
Our Members Say
See all 29 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title on for age 7 and give it
- My concerns are:
- My highlights are:
Cute Movie for Daughter and Father Days
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I rate this title on for age 5 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate language
- My highlights are:
awesome
I love this movie ! Very age appropriate. FUNNYYYY
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I rate this title on for age 6 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Educational
- Good role models
cute movie
cute movie with a good moral although the dad is a little crazy in some parts including he almost steals something out of someones house after breaking into it i think it was a very appropriate movie
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I rate this title on for age 6 and give it
- My highlights are:
love it
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I rate this title on for age 4 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate language
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
- Negative role models
- My highlights are:
Very BORING, Never want to see it again
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I rate this title on for age 6 and give it
- My highlights are:
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I rate this title on for age 4 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate language
- Excessive consumerism
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Little kid, and very stupid
Hate it. Very stupid and does not make sense.
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I rate this title on for age 6 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate language
The movie itself was very cute and so funny! I watched it with my dad and he was like turning red and dying of laughter. It was all good and nothing bad (except some racism), but the language was kind of innapropriate. Crap, cut the crap, loads of crap, hell, shut up, stupida, and poop were used and even though (with the shows they watch) it's nothing new to your young ones, it's NOT setting a great example. Cut the language, and the movies fine for 6 and up.
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I rate this title iffy for age 3 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate language
Seriously, can't it be clean language for the entire movie?
Won't let them see this one again. There is NO reason to use ANY foul language and yet, there you go...
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I rate this title on for age 5 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate language
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Great movie for the whole family!
Awesome movie!! Our whole family enjoyed it tons - a must-see... Eddie Murphy at his best! I also thought that the little girl did a great job acting...
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I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
- My highlights are:
perfect for any age
It was sooo hilarious its a great movie nothings bad its a most see
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I rate this title on for age 5 and give it
Eddie Murphy makes this movie a pretty funny and good movie.
Eddie Murphy stars in this funny,and sweet father-daughter film. I think that kids ages 5+ will like and enjoy this funny family film. I recommend this for kids who like Eddie Murphy and his funny movies. I gave this funny film a 3 out of 4 stars.
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I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
A great movie about bonding!!!!!!!!! So cute and funny!!!!!
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I rate this title on for age 13 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive consumerism
- Negative role models
Message meant for adults
This movie was about parents learning to put their child before their career, which is really a message for adults, not kids. The father seemed to be nice, but stole from his daughter and used his daughter to get ahead in his career. Another character gave Red Bull to his son to get him to come up with some good stock picks. All my kids (3,5,7,9,11) were bored and did not get what the father was doing with his daughter (he was having her imaginary friends make stock picks for him).
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I rate this title iffy for age 7 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
- Excessive consumerism
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
I can't wait!
I'm just predicting it!
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I rate this title on for age 6 and give it
Good funny
I just saw this movie on Sunday and well, i thought it was pretty good and really funny!!
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I rate this title iffy for age 8 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate language
- Excessive consumerism
Not as innocent as it sounds, but perfect for dads and their tween daughters
There's really nothing that's inappropriate, (except for a moderate amount of mild language) but young kids won't be able to understand or appriciate the financial talk. Over all it's really cute though. It's a great movie for tweens and teens to watch with their dads.
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I rate this title on for age 4 and give it
amazing
real funny a great comedy good job to eddy murphy hilarous
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I rate this title on for age 7 and give it
Pretty good movie for kids and families
While the message was pretty good, the plot and humor could be appreciated by those seven and older. It didn't really hold the attention of my five year old boy, but the ten year old and almost 13 seemed to like it.
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I rate this title on for age 6 and give it
How Is This Bad For Kids 6 and Up?!?!?!?!?
Hey I never saw this but it so deserves the rating it has and I will see it tonight and I think that as many not-so-great words as it has it shouldn't move up a rating because it's about princesses and dancing and probably other stuff. And if it was PG-13, it wouldn't attract the right age audience. I think even 8-year olds wouldn't see it if it was PG-13, and it is clearly directed at the younger kids.
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Ratings at a Glance
| 36% | of parents say it has language their kids can't use |
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