Eddie Murphy played a meaty role in the Oscar-winning musical Dreamgirls. It was a far cry from The Nutty Professor, Daddy Day Care or Dr. Doolittle.

Most people, still shuddering from the terrible Norbit or Meet Dave, forget that Murphy can and has stepped past his manic comedy roles to play more mature parts. In Imagine That, Murphy portrays a father looking for a clue on how to reconnect with his daughter. Just in time for Father's Day, this movie is a surprisingly nuanced look at the joys of fatherhood and has more in common with Dreamgirls than with his sillier comedies.

Murphy plays Evan, a high-flying financial wizard at a snazzy, money management firm in a high-rise downtown. He's the company's top agent, but his position is being threatened by a new rising star, Johnny Whitefeather (Thomas Haden Church). The Native American's mumbo jumbo wins over all but the most skeptical and drives Evan crazy. Estranged from his wife Trish, (Nicole Ari Parker), Evan has one daughter, Olivia (Yara Shahidi). Although he remains besotted by her, Evan is baffled and intimidated by the one thing he doesn't understand:  a little girl.

Olivia lives primarily in an imaginary world, much to the concern of her teacher and mother. Putting a little blanket over her head, which she calls a Goo-Ga, she whispers secrets to her imaginary friends for hours. They are the princesses Koopeta, Moppeta and Soppeta and are more real to her than her classmates. She relays messages from her invisible friends to anyone who will listen. Her busy father never listens. But when the princesses' stock picks prove preternaturally accurate, Evan starts to pay attention. He even pretends to enter the magical kingdom with Olivia in order to get tips from the princesses. As he relies more and more on Olivia's friends, he loses track of his daughter's needs. What will he put first? His career or Olivia's wellbeing?

The biggest problem with this movie is the princesses. The magic of their advance knowledge is never explained. Everything else about this movie is grounded in a sweet reality that the mystical princesses seem patched in from some other movie.

As Olivia,Yara Shahidi is a precocious nine year old who lights up the screen. Already in demand, she plays opposite Angelina Jolie in the upcoming film Salt and appears in the new ABC show In the Motherhood. The child shines with innocence, imagination and vulnerability.  She and Murphy make a good team, building humor and chemistry between them.