User Reviews

If I stay is a beautiful, moving film about a teenage girl and the life or death decision she must make. Mia is a teenage girl that has a wonderful, quirky family, a boyfriend who loves her to pieces, and a bright, ambitious future. But, all of that changes when she and her family are in a fatal car accident. While Mia's body is in a coma, her mind journeys back to all of her memories, triumphs, heart breaks and future. She has to make the decision on whether or not to fight and stay alive, or let go and leave this world. Will Mia stay?

I love this movie. It made me laugh, cry and it helped me to see all of the good in my own life that I should cherish, because you never know when it could all change. The cinematography is beautiful. Most of the film is filled with memories that Mia has and the way they are portrayed is very neat. The music is also beautiful. Mia is a cellist and a lot of the film focuses on her dreams of becoming a successful musician, so the film is filled with beautiful classical music.

My Favorite character is Mia played by Chloe Moretz. This film shows so many aspects of Mia's life, so it's easy to find something to relate to. She has a great passion for playing the cello and dedicates most of her life to it. She has difficulties relating to her parents and even her boyfriend since their musicals tastes are far more edgy than hers. She has to face her insane loss and she has to choose between many different things in life. There's something about her life that I think anyone can relate to, so she's a wonderful character. Chloe does a wonderful job portraying everything she's going through and she moved me to tears many times.

This film makes me think about my own family and everything I would do for them. It makes me think of my life and all the joys and sorrows I've faced. There was not a dry eye in the audience because this film provokes unique memories for every individual. I felt especially connected to Mia's family because I too have a younger brother and am very close with my parents, so I was very touched by Mia's situation.

I give this film 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 13 to 18 because of the intense emotions and mature content. Make sure you check out If I Stay in theaters August 22nd.

Reviewed by Raven D., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic.

'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 parenthood…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 Stacy Keach, as the crusty but lovable old Grandpa, made the cheat seem even more unexpected and surprising. Keach, much like Robert Loggia, seems like such an honest, sturdy, and dependable actor.

But having said that, about 80% of the success of 'If I Stay' belongs to young Chloe Grace Moretz in the central role as Mia. Moretz is earnest enough in her craft to make us care about young Mia even through her most puzzling and selfish interludes.

Moretz followed 'If I Stay' with a supporting role the high-profile action film 'The Equalizer,' with Denzel Washington. And combined with 'If I Stay' and Moretz' affecting characterization in the title role of the most recent remake of 'Carrie'—not to mention Hammer's under-appreciated 'Let Me In' and the 'Kick-Ass' pictures—it's plain that this is one young actress who's going places. Fast.

I liked 'If I Stay.' But I think I already told you that.

I was really excited to watch this after seeing the trailer, and not to say that I was disappointed but I was kind of expecting a bit more. The whole story basically revolves around her first love and whether she should stay. Though I appreciate that it wasn't as lovey-dovey as most young romances (or high-school relationships) tend to be, I would've liked if there was more to the story other than that.

The music element was pretty cool, and I wonder if she really plays the cello herself, because it looked really authentic. Same with the other actors in the band.

The acting was pretty good, it wasn't spectacular but it was good enough for the film. Moretz surprises me by the range of her characters, as I first knew her from Kick-Ass which is profoundly different. Blackley does a good job too, though I guess I didn't really feel the connection between the two,and maybe that's why I felt that there was something missing from the film. I didn't sympathize with them and so thought that the film was just all right. Though the parents had real character to them and they played the part of a family really well.

Another thing I noticed was that when Hall was a 'spirit' people still tended to move out of her way and it was really obvious. There was this one scene where her friend opens a door and she pushes it a bit further as if for the person behind...which was Hall as a spirit. That was not good. Do people actually see or hear her? If not, it should be consistent throughout. And it also seemed as if she could touch things, though people didn't notice.

Read more of my movie reviews at: championangels.wordpress.com

What sleight of hand! A moving love story between a high school cellist prodigy & a rising rock star (slightly older). If I stay implies a choice is to be made. Perhaps there is. Who am I to say? If there is no one knows for sure, & if they proclaim otherwise, they are a clear & obvious fraud. This story revolves around this existential question & successfully gives deep & equal background for both. Many will flat out cry, & I remember two instances of prolonged hard blinks, fighting off tears.

The maturation of Chloe Grace, as I call her, has been sublime to watch. I rarely watch Carson Daly, but remember the genuineness & wit from his interview with her before an early hit movie. This was ingrained into my memory as someone to keep track of. She displays masterful acting, as the female lead. If I could buy stock in an actress, she would be my blue chip 1st choice.

It gives me great pleasure to recommend this movie. It was enjoyable to see the clear chemistry between boy & girl. They were successful in portraying the emotions of true love, the give and take, and sacrifices that make it endure. Chloe Grace Moretz outshines everyone else in the story. The supporting cast was good, but never had the chance the moment she was cast. The ending seems predictable but it was far from it. The director makes two equally compelling cases for her choice. Enjoy this movie about young adult love, and don't be surprised if you compare it to your own love stories. I rate this a very solid 7/10 stars on the back of Chloe Grace's performance. Others, who enjoy this genre more than I, may well rate it 1-2 stars higher. Chloe Grace continues to rise in her mastery of the art.

Knox D. Alford, III

"Sometimes you make choices and sometimes they make you." Mia has a great and loving family. A boyfriend who is in love with her and she is one step away from her dream of going to Juilliard. All that changes after a car wreck leaves her alone and fighting for her life. Watching her family and friends at the hospital and looking back over her life she must decide to stay living and chase her dreams or let go and be with her family. First thing I have to say is that while this is a sad movie it wasn't as depressing as I was expecting. The movie did a really good job of making it emotional without feeling forced. The movie was able to stay away from becoming overly melodramatic or too cheesy. On the other hand though the movie was a little generic in some parts and you were able to see certain things coming. The whole movie you are trying to guess whether she will stay or go and I had a feeling that the choice would make or break the movie. I could see points for both sides and I have to say that I thought the ending was perfect. Overall, a movie that wasn't cheesy but it was a little generic in some parts. The ending was perfect and really helped the movie. This was better then I was expecting. I give it a B.

Anyone interested in this film already knows the premise by now if they have read this far, so I won't rehash it.

All I will say is that this film could have easily been contrived and cheesy and hokey and clichéd but rather, the end is result is truly one of the finest, most real representations of youth and love I have seen in a long time. And the fact that it seemed so genuine is exactly why I have not cried in a film so much since...."The Perks of Being a Wallflower." Chloe Grace Moretz has already proved she is a force to be reckoned with, but by an accomplishment like playing the key character in a film that was made to be a tearjerker without coming across as completely laughable shows what a strong actress this young woman truly is.

Excellent, relatable script, wonderful direction and perfectly edited, the fact the a bunch of tween girls went "Huh? What? That's the end?" when the credits began to roll proved that R.J. Cutler knew exactly when to end this film at the precise moment. There was no need to overstay the welcome.

Make sure you have some Kleenex.

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.

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.

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 endings, I felt in this case a less hopeful ending would have been better suited to really make her decision difficult. Not Requiem For a Dream level hopeless, but rather cutting the whipped cream and cherry on top. However, I do have to say that with the route they chose, the last ten seconds of the film were perfect. The place where the last shot cut could not have been better.

In the end, If I Stay is just another average teen romance movie, and it's not even all that interesting. The trailer makes the movie seem like a tear-jerking drama that takes place all in her mind about her decision to live or die, when in reality, it's a high school love story consisting of 70% flashbacks that only spends a small portion with her out of body experience. I REALLY don't want to give this movie anything below a 6/10 because of how much I had been looking forward to it for so long, but I have to give it a 5/10. It's even possible that in the future my score will go even lower. While it is somewhat entertaining, If I Stay is a rather weak romance movie for teens and is overall very forgettable.

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.

Surprise, surprise another weekend, another movie based off of a book. I start my review off this evening with the latest popular drama entitled If I Stay… Why we have yet another somber, emotion engorged screenplay when we just had one, I will never know, but Hollywood is eating up the profits from movies like this. So with the hot little topic these movies are at the moment, I go once more into the dimly lit theater to determine if this movie is worth your hard earned money. What is my verdict? Like always, please read on to find out.

The key factor that these movies go for is the ability to bring about some type of emotion. If I stay is no different, though in this flick… you can pretty much guess what emotion is filling the screen. From the trailers, one should be prepared to go in for a tear jerker movie, filled with sad and morbid factors for the whole nine yards. In my theater, there were plenty of emotional fans crying, gasping, sobbing, and any other description you can think of as Mia (Chloë Grace Moretz) faces her trial of choosing to live. Before you turn away though, If I Stay surprisingly has some happy emotions to it as well, spread amongst the misery to help lighten the mood. Perhaps this is what kept me interested in the movie, as the delivery did a nice job balancing both happiness and sadness. Integrating the disaster amidst memories of Mia's life is a great approach, helping to establish and develop a backstory without giving it all away at the beginning. While I'm sure fans of the book already expected this, but I appreciated the development of the relationships with her family and friends, gradually building up to where the movie starts. The timing of these memories was spot on, each memory slightly deeper as Mia fights to hang on to life, using a different aspect of her life to carry on. Of course, the movie is full of morals about the various components of life, each done in an artistic fashion that is filled with glorified movie magic. One can certainly appreciate what the story has to teach, enough to oversee a little of the cheesiness in some of the scenes and dialog.

Of course the balanced emotions are only one part of the strengths of this movie. The acting is not half bad, with Moretz doing a good job at playing the awkward girl role. Moretz is dynamic and I enjoy her broad spectrum of characters she can play and the way she brings her lines to life. In this role she gets to act like a real person, reacting to the situations life deals her as she tries to break out of her comfort zone. Yet, for me there was a little too much crying and weakness in this character, her drawn out rants of crying and screaming a bit taxing for my patience. Of course this fits with the theme of the movie though and helps one relate to the turmoil she is feeling. Playing her opposite is Jamie Blackley who is perhaps the central point in Mia's world. Blackley's character is an attempt to represent the wild, unruly side, but his character is more relaxed than wild. The audience will get more than their fill of his songs that fit well with the scene he brings to life. However, some of the songs are simply shoved down our throats in an attempt to promote the actor's talent at singing songs that sound all the same, (like a Taylor Swift album). Regardless, I like how real his character is, and not some extreme, high on life, rogue whose bad boy attitude has all the girls swooning. The rest of the cast was fine, and well fitted into the story, but they were all rotating around the giant love relationship in this movie.

This brings me to the next part of the review, some of the weaker aspects of the movie. Despite the relationship being a little more realistic than others, it still has its moments of sheer fantasy and movie magic that sob lovers will enjoy. The predictable nature of the movie is also a bit old as well. While I did enjoy the balance of memories in the story, it was obvious where the tale was going with the underlying themes in it. Such predictability is overshadowed by the slow pace of this movie, as the lack of any exciting events leads to movie to be slightly boring. I'm still weaning myself away from the action, but this movie seemed to go around in circles instead of covering any forward ground. One minor thing is while I normally love songs that help bring out the emotions in the scene, this was a little too somber for my taste. Soft and classic rock fans will rejoice in the soundtrack, but it just didn't do much for me in this movie, and once or twice made me very sleepy.

Overall If I stay is an emotional tale that drama lovers I feel will love. It's got great life lessons, an intertwined tale of both joy and sorrow, and some decent acting that fit well to bring the novel on the screen. Yet, don't let the trailers and commercials overhype the movie, nor should you go in comparing it to the book. While I have not read the novel, my track record leads to usually disappointment, so try and block that mindset if you can. Is it worth a trip to theater? My opinion is not really, as there is very little quality that would look better on a bigger screen. Truth be told it's a great girls night out movie, or a movie you can treat your significant other too in hopes of getting reciprocation. The scores for the film are:

Drama: 7.0 Movie Overall: 6.5

Music is a recurring literal and allegorical motif in If I Stay. In keeping with this tired trend, if If I Stay was a song, it would be a weapy Avril Lavigne ballad: fake, melodramatic, and boring. It's blandness to the nth degree, with little to no style OR substance to pull it out of its own self-absorbed pretension. Who will this movie appeal to? It's too slow for tweens, too tepid for adults. Unless you're looking for something stupid, vapid, depressing, clichéd, annoying, and laughless, don't bother. The movie's essentially a fantasy for shy teenage girls: the dreamy, popular older band-boy inexplicably notices you, pursues you, and falls in love with you. She's a shy but stuck-up classical cellist jerk. Her love interest is a selfishly immature hipster jerk. They are a match made in conceited jerk heaven! But when a tragic accident puts you on the brink of death, your conscience must decide: do I keep living, or do I avoid pain by dying? This pretense could make for some interesting storytelling, with a ghost having to watch her life play out without affecting it…but nope. Moretz, who I normally like, is given nothing to work with and turns in her worst performance to date. A bevy of Portlandia-style caricatures parade around screen shooting for authenticity and consistently missing. I couldn't contain my eye-rolling at the onslaught of cynical clichés and bad quips about the "power" of music. Some decent scenes of actual musicianship, a couple of good performances (Grandpa), and a modicum of sweetness are completely overwhelmed by the inauthentic and never-ending dullness.

I thought it was pretty good the first time. To be honest, I was half asleep when I first saw it, to the extent that I didn't realize I had seen it just based on the name of it, so I accidentally started streaming it today without realizing I had seen it before several months ago. I know, this doesn't sound supportive of this movie. For the record, I almost never watch movies more than once...I get too bored. After it started this second time, I did realize immediately that I'd seen it before, but I figured I'd stop it the moment I became bored, which I knew was inevitable given that I'd seen it before. Well, somehow I watched it all again, in its entirety. This time, I saw more depth than I'd seen before. Bottom line, this is worth watching. Of course, it's not perfect, and the main character looks like she's 12 rather than 17 or 18, which is a little bit creepy. But it has heart, and it's beautiful. Granted, I don't totally agree with the ending, but up until then it brought up questions that were very meaningful for anyone who has experienced loss. Kudos to this movie for being unexpectedly watchable for a 2nd run, and for actually being better another time around.

I saw IF I STAY last night! This movie, directed by R.J. Cutler, is based on a novel by Gayle Foreman about a teenage girl named Mia, played by Chloë Grace Moretz, who has an out of body experience after a massive car wreck that leaves her comatose. As Mia's life flashes before her eyes, she must decide whether she will live with her life forever altered or embrace the serenity of death. I really have to give this movie it's props for two reasons. First of all, for those of you who were wondering if Chloë Grace Moretz can really act or is she just the flavor of the month, the jury is in and it's unanimous, the girl has got some skills. Her performance is wonderful and she really effectively showcases the full range of emotions that a teenage girl can have. Moretz is not the only actor here that's good, the whole cast does a great job especially Mireille Enos and Joshua Leonard who play Mia's ex-rocker parents and Stacy Keach who plays Mia's grandfather. The second reason to like this movie comes from the script. It is so carefully written that it manages to keep you attached to living in the moment despite watching a series of segments that take place in the past. If I have any complaints it is that it runs a little long and things get trope-ish from time to time in a really CW kind of way and they get REALLY iffy near the third act when Mia's boyfriend, played by Jamie Backley, shows up with a sack full of melodrama. Overall I'd say that If I Stay is a good movie. It knows it's audience and plays to it really well and despite a few hiccups and possibly overstaying it's welcome a little, the people it's made for will enjoy it. If I Stay gets a 3.5...out of 5

Mia Hall (Chloë Grace Moretz) is a cellist. Adam Wilde is a locally-known indie rocker and the new kid in school. He falls for Mia hard. Her best friend is Kim Schein (Liana Liberato). She's stressed about getting into Juilliard. Her parents (Mireille Enos, Joshua Leonard) are formerly alternative folks. They talk her into a family outing on a snow day and they get into an accident.

Chloë Grace Moretz puts her incalculable charms at work. She brings as much life as possible to the rather conventional young adult melodrama. The romance doesn't have the best chemistry. It would help if Jamie Blackley is a more compelling actor. The flashback structure doesn't have enough drama to offer. The movie slowly runs out of story rather than build to a climax. The only question is whether she lives or dies. Their relationship is never in question and it has no real mystery to reveal.

Greetings from Lithuania.

"If I Stay" (2014) is so sweet and cheezee that unfortunately it comes as a disappointment for me. There is absolutely no chemistry between two leads, and when a movie about love and life has no chemistry between lovers, it's a problem.

"If I Stay" is nothing new, nothing original, just an empty eye candy at running time 1h 40 min. It drags. The pacing is OK but the screenplay is so predictable, so one dimensional and cheezee that at moments i had my eyes rolling over the screen. Chloë Grace Moretz has nothing to do in this flick, it's definitely far from her best.

Overall, for 14 years old girls this will do just fine, for all older i can say, you can safely skip this. It's not a bad movie by any means, just unfortunately it's very predictable, it has nothing new or exciting to offer and at running time 100 min. it drags and repeats itself - it has well intentions, but unfortunately it just doesn't click.

I really, really loved this book version. I remember, when I read it, i couldn't even breathe, because was crying so hard. Was really looking for the adaptation. So the movie? Well, yeah, it was something. Not so sure which something, but not the 'oh-gosh-this-shook-my-world' kinda feeling. I mean, I really loved Mia, she was this cute girl you can relate to easily, but she also got this freaking talent with her love, the cello. Basically she was the girl I loved in the book. Chloe was amazingly good in playing her, it was good to see that something can be made exactly the way you imagine while reading. But Adam? Hey, Hollywood you sure can do better! It was like watching the twilight series again, (not like it didn't hurt enough for the first time). And it wasn't because of the two love-struck teenagers who fall madly in love in a very young age. Nope. This feeling come to me, because Jamie Blackley resembled Kristen Stewart so sadly much. OMG! NO FACIAL EXPRESSION! NO ACTING! Remember, when you went out on a cold winter day for too long to play in the snow and then for hours you couldn't move the muscles on your face, because they froze? This was Adam. He already was someone. Probably at the beginning of the shooting he was someone already, and couldn't change his face during the movie, because he was cool like that. Uhm, big, fat no. His character is a shallow, love seeking, insecure, possessive asshole, who cannot get over himself. And it sure as hell didn't come from the book. Where did you put the kind, loving, caring boy he was, dear film-makers? This point was the biggest disappointment of this film. On the bright side Adam Wild fans, Jamie has a strong, catching voice, you can believe him having a career in music. As for the soundtracks, pretty much all the song were great. Even if this wasn't Shooting Stars, just some weird Willamette Stone. Loved the classical music blend into all this modern drama. At some points I felt right it wasn't really worked out everywhere. Some places are not clear how they can explain, if they do a second movie from Where she went. And maybe there were too much memories and not enough time in the hospital to give time to the viewer to let this tragedy sink in. Or maybe it's just me knowing the inner fight this girl had going on while deciding if she stays or not. That's for sure, that there where great lines with excellent timing in If I stay. Somewhere I was just so shocked about how artfully the power of these sentences were emphasized. OH, and loved the parents, their characters were amazing wish-i-had-them- here as well.

It was a real intense roller coaster of emotions raging form sappy to happy, to sad, to dark.

I like that the movie had a music base to it. I enjoyed the story of the main character, Mia's passion for the Cello, which only seemed to contradict her parents passion for Punk Rock. Although not really a fan of the indi rock scene a lot of the movie focused on It did not halt my enjoyment overall.

Huge fan of Chloë Grace Moretz who plays Mia. Mostly because of her role as Hit girl in the Kick Ass movies, but it was cool to see her do other things. She has a real connection with the kid who played Adam, which made their own screen relationship entertaining to watch.

Romance is not really my thing, and it gets a little to sappy when it revolves around teen love stories, but I thought it was worked well.

Like the ghost story element as well. It was touching to see how fulling a person's life can be in such a small period of time, not just for her but for people around her.

This was a good one.