Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Decent imaginary-friend horror tale has sex, violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Daniel Isn't Real
What's the Story?
In DANIEL ISN'T REAL, young Luke (Griffin Robert Faulkner) suffers through his parents' breakup, as well as random violence around his city neighborhood -- and then his imaginary friend Daniel comes along to make life better and more fun. After Daniel coaxes Luke into pulling a dangerous stunt on Luke's mother (Mary Stuart Masterson), Luke locks Daniel away in a dollhouse. Years later, Luke (Miles Robbins) -- now a troubled college student -- finds his mother's mental health deteriorating. One night, he unlocks the dollhouse and discovers a fully grown Daniel (Patrick Schwarzenegger), who's ready to be friends again. At first, Daniel's influence is fun: He helps Luke talk to girls like Sophie (Hannah Marks) and Cassie (Sasha Lane). But things take a darker turn as Luke starts to realize that Daniel may be something more than imaginary.
Is It Any Good?
Even if it never really does a memorable deep-dive into psychological or emotional territory, this effective horror movie starts with a good idea and stays true to it throughout its running time. Based on a novel by Brian DeLeeuw -- who co-wrote the screenplay with director Adam Egypt Mortimer -- Daniel Isn't Real lightly travels familiar territory, with shades of Fight Club, Donnie Darko, and American Psycho. It stays somewhat on the surface, especially with the passive main character, Luke, and the way his world helplessly crumbles around him. Daniel is more fun, providing a hint of intoxicating power before letting slip a more threatening side.
Yet director Mortimer manages to keep a snappy B movie pace, and the shortfalls never really bog down the story. The movie ups its game with its shocking opening sequence: an act of random violence in a cafe that doesn't seem to tie in to the rest of the movie until we start to realize that evil itself can be random. Daniel Isn't Real saves some of its best stuff until the climax, as the characters move from the flat, dreary look of the movie's cityscape to a sinister, cavernous, eerily lit place. There, we get shocking transformations and a bloody showdown that briefly jar the movie to life. It leaves off with enough of a satisfying click to make it worth a look.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Daniel Isn't Real's violence. How does the gory/scary horror imagery compare to the shocking real-life images of random public shootings? What's the impact of media violence on kids?
How are drinking and drugs portrayed? Are they glamorized? Are there consequences? Why does that matter?
Is the movie scary? What's the appeal of horror movies? Why do people sometimes like to be scared?
Have you ever had an imaginary friend? What was it like? Did he or she ever do anything naughty?
Movie Details
- In theaters : December 6, 2019
- On DVD or streaming : February 4, 2020
- Cast : Miles Robbins , Patrick Schwarzenegger , Sasha Lane
- Director : Adam Egypt Mortimer
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Black Movie Actor(s) , Indigenous Movie Actor(s) , Polynesian/Pacific Islander Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Samuel Goldwyn Films
- Genre : Horror
- Topics : Book Characters
- Run time : 96 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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