If I Stay (2014)

The cello is my favorite musical instrument. One of my favorite movies of all time is the Japanese Oscar Best Foreign Language film winner "Departures" and a cello played a prominent part in that one. "If I Stay" is another film in which a cello takes center stage, and I would not miss it even for that reason alone.

"If I Stay" is a dramatic film about a shy cello-playing teenager named Mia Hall. She has cool supportive parents, who were once in the punk scene. Her boyfriend Adam is the front man of an up-and-coming rock band. Everything seemed to be going swimmingly with her. She is awaiting for her acceptance letter from the Julliard School. Then one beautiful winter day, a tragic car accident happens.

I was looking forward to good cello music, and it did not disappoint. Those music in those scenes showing Mia auditioning for Julliard were breathtaking. As it turns out though, the cello music is not the only thing good about this film.

This film is a tearjerker of the highest order. The script was written in very emotional language by Shauna Cross based on a best-selling novel by Gayle Forman. Thankfully, the cast, though mostly unknown except for the lead actress, does very well in bringing this script to life.

Chloe Grace Moretz is really a phenomenal young actress. She gained attention as the ultra-violent It Girl, the best part of the "Kick Ass" films. Now a little more grown-up as Mia, Moretz provides this role the grace and elegance. A lesser actress may have made those death scenes mawkish and those romance scenes cheesy. Those cello-playing scenes were killer scenes.

Jamie Blackley was fine as Mia's boyfriend Adam. He seemed uncomfortable at times, and his chemistry with Moretz was not entirely convincing. I like the actors who played Mia's parents Denny and Kat better, Joshua Leonard and Mireille Enos. That New Year's Day scene where Kat was drying the dishes while Mia washed was especially well-written and well- acted out.

I had seen Liana Liberato in her devastating film debut as a victim of child rape in "Truth." She also did well her as Mia's loyal friend Kim. I think this is the first time I have seen perennial bad guy Stacy Keach in a role that made him so emotionally raw as Mia's grandfather.

The storytelling, with its weaving in and out of past and present events, was very well-edited. However, the pace taken by Director RJ Custer can feel very slow and repetitive at certain times in the middle, which made me look at my watch a few times. Overall though, it was effective in its intention as a tear-jerking romance. Your handkerchief or tissue paper will definitely get wet with this film with its many touching scenes.

Fmovies: When I first saw the trailer for If I Stay back in April, I got chills and it quickly became one of my top five most anticipated movies of the summer. From then on, I stayed away from all other trailers and clips so that I could see the movie knowing as little as possible, to the point where I'd put the TV spots on mute and run out of the theater when a trailer came on. Based on the trailer I saw, I honestly expected something similar to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, or a dramatic Inception. However, after having finally seen it this weekend, I am sad to report that If I Stay is nothing like that at all, and is instead probably my most disappointing movie of the summer.

If I Stay follows Mia, played by Chloe Grace Moretz, an 18 year old girl who likes classical music and cello, and who's still not quite over her ex, Adam (Jamie Blackley). Then on a snowy day, her life is completely turned upside down when her family and she get into a deadly car crash, sending her into a coma. In this coma, she has an out of body experience in which she needs to decides either to die and go up to heaven or live with the physical and emotional repercussions, all while flashing back to the relationship she and Adam had.

The movie is primarily made up of flashbacks to the relationship that Mia and Adam had, and the chemistry that the two of them share isn't very strong and can be described as okay at best. Chloe Grace Moretz is a talented young actress who really gives it her best in this film, whereas her costar Jamie Blackley ranges from decent to mediocre. The relationship between their two characters is cute and sort of fun for the first half of the movie. However, in the second half when their relationship slowly starts to go downhill, Adam becomes a jerk and is unlikeable and unreasonable, which made me have a tough time feeling bad for him when he was an emotional wreck. Also, with Adam and Mia's relationship, something felt missing. Rather than true love, it felt like a typical high school relationship where the two people think they're love, then someday breakup and later realize that they never actually were in love.

Then all the other characters are either annoying or underdeveloped. Mia's parents are somewhat likable, however, most of their jokes and dialogue come off as either flat or cringe-worthy. Then there's this couple who is close friends to Mia's parents, and they are present in the hospital for most of the movie and in many of the flashbacks. In one scene they talk about never wanting to have children, but then they are later seen in another scene with a baby (referred to as their son) who is then never referenced or seen again afterwards. The one exception to all this would be Mia's grandfather, played by Stacy Keach, and he had one scene in particular that I did really like (those who have seen the movie can probably guess what scene it was). Perhaps I am just being biased since I do enjoy Keach and his acting, but I do think he gave a good performance.

Now I have some things to say regarding the ending. I'm not going to outright say any spoilers, but I'm kind of going to imply what happens in the end. Therefore, if you do not want anything spoiled about If I Stay, skip this next paragraph.

Mia makes her decision to stay or leave based off of a five minute speech that one character makes to her, and then the movie ties itself up really nice in a bow and leaves everything real hopeful and bright for the characters. While I do like happy

A Warner Brothers/MGM film. 'If I Stay' is a tearjerker film about a teenage-girl who experiences an out-of-body experience whilst in a coma.

The teenage-girl is played well by Chloe Grace Moretz. As film opens we discover that she is part of a sickly-sweet family that seems just too perfect. Off out together, they are involved in an accident. Miss Moretz's character, Mia Hall, comes to, but does not understand why she is being ignored by the emergency services, as she stumbles about in a dream-like state. Seeing herself, she starts to understand, as she goes to the hospital. These scenes all occur at the start of the film, the rest of the film is based at the hospital, with the majority of the film being flash-backs.

Director RJ Cutler has done a good job here. The scenes at the accident are, as said, rather dream-like, thus capturing the confused state of Miss Hall. Miss Moretz captures well the disorientation of her character. Both Director Mr Cutler and actress Miss Moretz capture well the out-of-body experience. As a disembodied spirit, Mia Hall has no physical abilities thus travel can only be achieved via open doors etc.

Thus, 'If I Stay' is completely different from 'Ghost' and 'Truly, Madly, Deeply', both of 1990. Those films were about the interaction of living breathing humans and the spirits of dead humans. Not so in this film. 'If I Stay' does however share one thing with both of those other films, a love story.

Flashbacks tell us that the teenage schoolgirl Mia Hall, has fallen in love with older boy Adam, played by Jamie Buckley. The two were attracted to each other, and did fall in love, but were troubled with what might be described as musical differences. Thus this film has a major musical plot-line that reminds of the recently screened 'Begin Again'. The films are similar in many ways, the major one being that we viewers get to hear a fair bit of music. Mia and boyfriend Adam are both musicians, though very different ones. However the music does provide one further link to 'Truly, Madly, Deeply'.

The two young lovers are ably supported by a great cast, all of whom are good, but special mention should go to those playing family members. Joshua Leonard plays Mia's father. He and the Director got the flashback scenes just right, they are also funny, as we see the younger wild rocker turn into the more sedate parent. Hair-styles in those scenes was particularly good. Mireille Enos, playing the mother, has some poignant scenes with her daughter. However the most emotional scenes were with veteran actor Stacy Keach. He gives a stand-out performance, particularly in one very emotional and very important scene.

Preparing for her role in Kick Ass (2010), Miss Moretz trained with a stunt-crew for three months and also did most of her own stunts. For her musical role in 'If I Stay', Miss Moretz is also reported to have engaged in much musical study. Last year she gave a tremendous performance in the 2013 remake of 'Carrie'. Here, in 'If I Stay', we once again see Miss Moretz play a somewhat shy girl, that sometimes seems dreamily unaware, but that at other times capture perfectly the utmost depths of the rawest of emotions.

Shauna Cross wrote the screenplay of the Gayle Forman novel. Director RJ Cutler has done a great job. Outside shots, particularly those featuring different seasons, were done well, ably capturing the sense of passing time.

This teenage love-story sha

If I Stay fmovies. hey I loved this movie. If a movie stirs my emotions to a point where my body can't control itself, cry, laughter, anger etc, then in my mind it's done it's job. Movies are escapism. If you don't feel like you've been transported into the movie, then you're just not into it.

As a father I relate to this movie, the sacrifice the father makes for his talented daughter.. It well and truly stirred my emotions. It's a 10 in my book. The concept might appear cheesy to some, but it was up my ally.

If you're a romantic at heart, you will enjoy this flick. If you don't want to embrace being taken on a journey of what it might be like in he next world, then go check out something else.

This is a well balanced romantic drama. The movie has a good balance between family tragedy of a horrific car accident and teen romance of young love. Also the theme of music is well shared between classical cello and Pacific Northwest rock band. The romance is a convincing tale - not too passionate for their age but with the real problems of differing paths and East Coast (Juillard) vs West Coast (rock band). This is a problem that face many couples and it's good to see proper issues as the problem instead of trumped up melodrama. The story felt more real than "The Fault in Our Stars" and less sentimental too. In fact although the tale is a sad one, it's the best of the recent teen based romance movies far better than "The Giver".

Chloe Grace Moretz proves she can do anything from horror (Carrie) to action (Kick Ass) to moving romantic drama. Her face is sensitive and expressive. Even though she is very pretty she is such a good actress she can still pull off the shy musical prodigy without being fake. Her love interest is played by Jamie Blackley who does a good job without overacting. He isn't too good looking so it's a believable romance. The ex rocker type parents seem like they couldn't have had such a beautiful daughter but never mind. Stacy Keach is surprisingly effective as her grandfather.

Well done - moving, involving, rings true.

'If I Stay' is without shame a picture aimed straight at the tear ducts, presumably in the belief that a good crying spell is both therapeutic and cathartic for the spirit. And the picture mostly works hard to earn its tears honestly: The characters are attractive and appealing and likable, and the actors playing the characters also are attractive and appealing and likable. This is the rare picture which features no bad guys. Everybody's a good guy.

Based on Gayle Forman's 2009 young adult novel of the same name, 'If I Stay' chronicles the emotional experience of a buttoned-up 17-year-old cello prodigy Mia Hall, played here by actress Chloe Grace Moretz, and her worlds-colliding romance with an up-and-coming young rock-and-roll guitarist named Adam. That both Mia and Adam are on the cusp of professional breakthroughs in their musical pursuits accounts for most the of the ups and downs in their relationship.

Unfortunately, their romance is in the middle of one of its downs when Mia and her family are involved in a catastrophic auto accident, casting Mia into an out-of-body experience in which she can observe the people she loves, but not communicate with them or interfere with their actions.

'If I Stay' is a picture that gives you the kind of satisfaction you get from being on time for an appointment, following your doctor's orders, eating the right cereal, taking your medicine as prescribed, or getting a flu shot: You might rather be watching 'Guardians of the Galaxy,' a 'Fast and Furious' movie or 'The Expendibles,' but you just know that a movie with this much cello music in it has got to be good for you.

And it is fairly good. Young Mia has wonderful support from her parents, a set of amiable former rockers played appealingly by Mirielle Enos and Joshua Leonard. Leonard especially, late of 'The Blair Witch Project' hysteria of 1999, has matured into a solid character actor and possesses a sort of good-natured, loopy appeal which in 'If I Stay' contrasts nicely with the buttoned-up performance of Moretz as his daughter.

In the film, it's shown in flashbacks that Mia's folks grew up and embraced responsibility when it became apparent to them that the late nights and party lights did not blend well with parenthoodÂ…an epiphany which makes even more perplexing their almost pushing young Mia out the door to be with her rocker boyfriend.

As Mia's rock guitarist boyfriend, Jamie Blackley is somehow manages to be sullen without actually pouting, and is simultaneously withdrawn and inarticulate about romance yet strong-willed and verbose about music. You can see why Mia's attracted to Adam, but if you're like me you might be more than a little conflicted about their falling into bed quite so quickly, especially if, like me, you view the picture with your girlfriend's adolescent daughter present.

Unfortunately, at some point—I'm not exactly not sure when, but I think it's about an hour into the picture—the narrative becomes sticky and manipulative, and the picture begins to rely on broad characterizations, familiar stereotypes, and the familiarity of plot devices from movies past, to sort of swindle the tears from the audience.

And that's too bad, because by that point I'd already decided I enjoyed the picture, and was unprepared to modify my opinion. That the scene which I believe began the manipulation featured the showcase moment for veteran actor St