If I Stay

As a society, we have a fascination with death and dying, however we rarely talk to each other about with any sobriety. Hollywood has dealt with this taboo subject in many films i.e. "The Hereafter", "Ghost", "What Dreams May Come", and even in some wacky comedies such as "Heaven Can Wait". What's interesting is the fact that people watch these films and afterwards go on with their lives in a 'business as usual' mindset instead of pursuing a real meaning to it. I don't know if "If I Stay" will promote any such discussions with people after viewing this, but it can certainly remind us of a subject we need to ponder ever so often in our lives.

Mia Hall (Chloe Grace Moretz) thought the hardest decision she would ever face would be whether to pursue her musical dreams at Julliard playing the cello or follow a different path to be with the love of her life, Adam (Jamie Blackley). But what should have been a carefree family drive changes everything in an instant, and now her own life, being in a coma, hangs in the balance. Caught between life and death in an out-of-body situation for one revealing day, Mia has only one decision left, which will not only decide her future, but her ultimate fate as well. Her life turning on a dime, as it can with anyone, changes drastically in ways that she couldn't even imagine.

Others to round out the cast are Mireille Enos as Kat, Mia's mom, Joshua Leonard as Denny, Mia's dad, Liana Liberato as Kim, Mia's best friend, Stacy Keach as Gramps, Mia's grandfather, Gabrielle Rose as Gran, Mia's grandmother, Jakob Davies as Teddy, Mia's young brother, Ali Milner as Liz, Aisha Hinds as Nurse Ramirez and Lauren Lee Smith as Willow.

This was directed with earnestness by R.J. Cutler ("A Perfect Candidate" (Documentary) '96, "The September Issue" (Documentary) '09, "The Ordained" (TV movie) '13, "The World According to Dick Cheney" (Documentary) '13) plus a ton of TV. This guy is obviously, according to his resume, a documentarian which is interesting that he was able or willing to go out on that proverbial branch and, heaven forbid, think outside the box. For this alone I have to give this guy much credit and not stay in that comfort zone that so many filmmakers gravitate toward. And on top on everything, he's not a bad director of commercial films. It was written by Shauna Cross based on the novel by Gayle Forman, and this is where the trouble with this film ensues. As aforementioned, it's a life/death related film, and I believe the problem is that Cross jumped from one scene to the next in non-sequential order. Films of past have done this, but with a purpose as one realizes by the end of the film. The difference here is this film could have been written in sequential or non and the end product would have been the same. If the end of a film is dependent on how or what order the screenplay is written, the non-sequential approach will excel, otherwise it's really better to just stick to a more traditional approach perhaps with a twist or two later in the film. The chemistry between the lovelorn couple was very effective as was the supporting cast.

If this film teaches us anything it is that how important are our priorities when something tragic happens in our lives? Are we ready or able to 'switch gears' and have the emotional ability to reassess, or will we just fall apart because we cannot deal with 'plan B'?

Out of 4 Stars: 2.5                             Rated: PG-13                           104mins.