Can You Imagine? Is a bizarre time capsule of American weirdness

Is it worth your time?

If you like those old black-and-white shorts that play before a main feature, you’ll probably get a kick out of this. It’s for people who enjoy history when it’s a bit messy and weird. If you need a cohesive narrative or high-budget polish, you’re going to hate every second of it.

It’s essentially a listicle on film. Ray Saunders guides us through these curiosities with that specific, slightly frantic narrator energy you only find in mid-century shorts. It reminded me a bit of the frantic pacing in Muscle-Bound Music, though with way less physical exertion and way more random geography.

The Highlights (and the 'Why?')

That tree growing out of the courthouse roof? Unsettling. I spent more time than I’d like to admit trying to figure out how the roots didn't just crumble the whole building. It’s exactly the kind of thing you’d stop to stare at on a road trip, even if your passengers were screaming at you to keep driving.

Then there’s the kid in Salt Lake City wrestling a lion. What? My cat barely tolerates me when I touch his tail, but this kid is just rolling around in the dirt with a full-grown predator like it’s a golden retriever. The movie doesn't even pause to explain it. It just presents the absurdity and moves on to the next oddity.

The Pennsylvania well that freezes in summer is one of those things that feels like an urban legend you’d hear at a summer camp, but here it is, captured on film. It’s funny how some of these feel so much more grounded than the staged nonsense you see in something like Big Pie Raid. At least this stuff actually happened, or so the movie claims.

The Vibe

The whole thing feels like a dusty scrapbook. It’s not trying to be a deep documentary or a profound piece of art. It’s just showing off stuff that is, frankly, just plain weird. It moves fast, sometimes too fast, and doesn't care if you missed the name of the town or the specific date.

I found myself wishing it would linger on the Provincetown town crier for another minute, but nope—we’re off to the next thing. It’s a bit like watching a slideshow from a relative who insists on showing you 500 photos of the same rock formation. Still, I couldn't look away. 🤷‍♂️

It’s short, it’s strange, and it’s completely unnecessary. I liked it.