John Krasinski re-creates 'Office' bit in 'IF' Super Bowl 2024 ad

Publish date: 2024-07-23

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Super Bowl meets Scranton.

John Krasinski and his pal Ryan Reynolds resurrected an old joke from NBC’s hit television show “The Office” in order to promote their brand-new film “IF.”

The teaser trailer, which is set to air during the Super Bowl LVIII game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers, opens with Reynolds, 47, and “Fresh Off the Boat” star Randall Park.

“You’re not John Krasinski. You’re Randall Park,” Reynolds tells Park, who introduced himself as Krasinski, 44.

“Uh, Ryan, I know it’s been a while since we shot,” Park, 49, responds. “But we spent like four months together, like 10-hour days.”

“Ten-hour days? The real John Krasinski knows I only work four hours a day,” the “Deadpool” star shoots back, as Park looks at the camera.

“Did you just break the fourth wall?” Reynolds replies.

The advertisement continues with the “WandaVision” alum taking Krasinski’s place as the film’s director, explaining how the movie was an idea he had “about seven years ago.” 

John Krasinski and his pal Ryan Reynolds resurrected an old joke from NBC’s hit television show “The Office” in order to promote their brand-new film “IF.” REUTERS/Aude Guerrucci
The teaser trailer, which is set to air during the Super Bowl game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens, opens with Ryan Reynolds (right) and “Fresh Off the Boat” star Randall Park (left). YouTube/Paramount Pictures

Park’s appearance and Reynolds’ subsequent reaction harkened back to a joke in Season 9 of “The Office” when Jim (Krasinski) and Pam (Jenna Fischer) play a prank on Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) by hiring Steve (Park) to pose as Jim.

In the episode entitled “Andy’s Ancestry,” Steve spends the day defending himself from Schrute’s constant accusations that he is not really Jim while the Marvel alum says that he is indeed the Jim Halpert that he has worked with for 12 years.

Park’s appearance and Reynolds’ subsequent reaction harkened back to a joke in the ninth season of “The Office” when Jim (Krasinski) and Pam (Jenna Fischer) play a prank on Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) by hiring Steve (Park) to pose as Jim. YouTube/The Office
In a fit of anger, Schrute holds a picture up declaring that Steve is not Jim and “this is the real Jim,” only to find that both the real Jim and Pam have removed all photos of the couple and replaced them with photos of Pam and Steve. YouTube/The Office

Confused by Steve’s appearance, Schrute attempts to grill the actor about a deal that was made the previous day only to be thwarted when Steve reveals all of the correct information.

Things escalate even further when Steve manages to access the real Jim’s office voicemail.

In a fit of anger, Schrute holds a picture up declaring that Steve is not Jim and “this is the real Jim” — only to find that all photos of the real Jim and Pam have been removed.

“IF” tells the story of Bea (Cailey Fleming), a young girl who can see other people’s imaginary friends, and the Man Upstairs (Reynolds), who both set out on a journey to reunite people with their old imaginary friends. YouTube/Paramount Pictures
The film, which is set to pop into theaters on May 17, also stars Krasinski, Steve Carell, Emily Blunt, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Christopher Meloni and several other A-listers. YouTube/Paramount Pictures

The promotion for the brand-new film, which does not feature Park, is set to air during the Super Bowl on Sunday.

The dramatic comedy tells the story of Bea (Cailey Fleming), a young girl who can see other people’s imaginary friends and the Man Upstairs (Reynolds), who both set out on a journey to reunite people with their old imaginary friends. The film also stars Krasinski, fellow “Office” co-star Steve Carell, Emily Blunt, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Christopher Meloni.

“IF” is set to hit theaters on May 17.

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