If I Stay (PG-13)
27/08/14 22:55 Filed in: 2014
Starring: Chloe Grace Moretz
August 2014
This review was originally tweeted in Real-time from the back row of a movie theater and appears @BackRoweReviews. Though efforts were made to tease rather than ruin this movie’s memorable lines and moments, some spoilers may exist in the following evaluation. The original tweets appear in black, while follow-up comments appear in red. For concerns over objectionable content, please first refer to one of the many parental movie guide websites. All ratings are based on a four star system. Happy reading!
The rock star catches Mia “blissing out.”
Though it’s a completely different style of music from what he plays, Adam (Jamie Blackley) recognizes passion in Mia’s playing…and is inexorably drawn to it and her.
The “guilt and bribery” comment is humorous...and true.
A “wild” date at the symphony.
Don’t worry; very little screen time focuses on the performance. Instead, the audience’s attention is drawn to Adam’s hand, which keeps inching its way toward Mia. Under the circumstances, I suppose that seemed more appropriate than the “mock stretch and place arm over the shoulder” maneuver.
Nurse’s advice to “take control” is a moving moment.
This actress, Aisha Hinds, also plays a caregiver in TVs Under the Dome.
I don’t recall the “How to extract a bee stinger with teeth” procedure in the Boy Scout manual.
Actually, he sucks it out with his mouth, but I worried about how that might translate in a tweet.
The tape job on the chapel ceiling is awful.
But it’s the thought that counts, right? And it’s a very nice thought that pays dividends later in the movie.
Mia creates magic at her audition.
Grandpa, Stacy Keach, watches from the wing. This scene gave me a fit of anxiety because I thought for sure Mia would see her grandfather and allow the distraction to ruin her audition.
Mom’s pep talk is bittersweet.
Some really good dialog regarding the complexity of relationships and some fine acting from Mireille Enos, star of AMC/Netflix’ The Killing.
Grandpa’s conversation with the two Mia’s in the hospital is astounding.
There are many great scenes in the movie, but for my money, this is the finest. Keach turns in a career performance not only in his heartfelt delivery of some very emotional lines but also in how he makes us believe that he’s in tune with Mia’s living spirit. It’s a staggering turn by a skilled artisan. Piggybacking off of his solid supporting role in last year’s Nebraska, I don’t know how the Academy can overlook him for a Supporting Actor nod this year.
I’ve seldom head that kind of reaction to the final scene of a movie.
The movie does end quite suddenly, but I actually liked its resolution. Granted, the theater I was in was composed of about 80% pre-teen/teen girls, so an emotional outburst was to be expected, I suppose. Correction: Heard, not head.
Final analysis: an emotional roller coaster ride filled with teen angst, young love, tragedy and hope.
And a lot of music, ranging from classical to rock…something for everyone.
Rating: 2 1/2 out of 4 stars. Sentimental at times, but a potent reminder of the importance of relationships.
In combination with the similarly themed recent release, The Fault in Our Stars, this movie serves as an effective one-two emotional sucker punch that will see nary a dry eye in the theater. Based on the novel of the same name by Gayle Forman, this twist-of-fate, teen angst tale hits as many emotional notes as Mia (Moretz) does musical ones during her cello performances. Strangely, a recent episode (“Prodigy”) of J.J. Abrams’ cancelled TV series, Believe, featured a remarkably similar premise to the one in this film—a young violin player is traveling with her family to performance when a vehicle in the opposing lane skids out of control, hits her car and claims the lives of her family. This plot is either in the ether or there’s some major artistic appropriation going on. In any event, the scenes at Mia’s house stand out as the movie’s highlight, with the romance, music and accident aftermath elements coming in as a distant second. Though admittedly on the permissive side, Mia’s parents are the kind of non-judgmental, nurturing, encouraging role models that typically raise well-adjusted, highly creative children by being their kids’ biggest cheerleaders. The home scenes radiate incredible warmth and serve as an effective counterbalance to the dire present that awaits Mia at the conclusion of each crosscut flashback. Moretz wholly embodies Mia...she’s really grown as an actress since her Kick Ass days. The film could’ve unraveled into a tangled mass of sentimental schmaltz if not for Moretz’ diligent work at grounding her character in the reality of tragedy…it’s an emotionally complex role and she plays it to perfection. Although it can’t quite be called a teen romance, a melodrama or a weepie, the film flirts with all of the above. While squarely aimed at the teenybopper set, the movie may appeal to some men, if only because of its musical elements. Still, a large percentage of the male audience may find the film’s excessive emotion to be utterly repellant to the degree that they may find themselves being involuntarily drawn to the back door of the theater. Walk toward the light, brothers!