“If I Stay” is the “End of Summer of 2014 Tween/Teen Romantic Tearjerker”. Based on the popular 2009 novel by Gayle Forman, Chloe Grace Moretz (“Kick-Ass”) stars as 17-year-old Mia. She lives with her parents and younger brother Teddy in Portland, Oregon. Mia’s love of music was inherited from her mom and dad, but they were rockers and she plays classical cello. Adam (Jamie Blackley) is the lead singer of a local rock band. He instantly falls in love with Mia while watching her play the cello in school, and together they form what they believe will be an unbreakable bond.
But that all changes when Mia, Teddy, and their parents get into a serious car accident. Mia survives the crash but slips into a coma. Yet (as a cinematic device) she is able to step away from her body and watch as the rest of the day unfolds, and her fate, and those of her parents and brother, are decided. At the same time, through flashbacks, we get to see the key moments in Mia’s life – from early childhood to the current day, as she’s deciding whether or not to fight to stay alive.
“If I Stay” is stronger than I expected, both structurally and emotionally. It doesn’t quite provide the punch of the “Beginning of Summer Tween/Teen Romantic Tearjerker”, the surprise hit “The Fault in Our Stars”, but it’s close. Moretz and Blackley have a likeable chemistry and are most believable in their pre-ER scenes. Mireille Enos (“The Killing”, “World War Z”) and Joshua Leonard (“The Blair Witch Project”) are solid as the ex-rocker parents. And Stacy Keach, as Mia’s supportive grandfather, has two showcase scenes that are the most authentic and heartbreaking in the entire film.
There are predictable elements in “If I Stay”, and minor details are given away early that take away from some of the suspense in the final act. Some scenes are stretched-out simply to fill time, which is necessary since the main storyline (“Will she stay or will she die?”) is fairly thin. And judging from the reaction of the mostly female YA audience in the theater I was in, there may be some dissatisfaction with the rather abrupt ending. Overall, veteran TV/documentary director R.J. Cutler deserves credit for taking this material, including the “out there” premise and making a film that, for the most part, is genuine and effective.
“If I Stay” is rated PG-13 for some language, adult content, dramatic elements and medical scenes. There were tears flowing freely in the theater, so keep that in mind before deciding if this subject matter is for you.
On The Official LCJ Report Card, “If I Stay” gets a B-.