The Fault in Our Stars was not the only film this year to be based on a book of a teenage relationship and impending trouble. If I Stay is based on the young adult novel written by Gayle Foreman in 2009. Rather than a plot centered on cancer, it focuses on a victim of a car accident now in a coma. Like the book, the film’s primary target is teenage girls, but should you stay for this movie?
The plot focuses on Mia Hall, an aspiring cellist who’s the daughter of a former rocker turned teacher and travel agent. She is currently dating Adam Wilde, a popular rock star, and has a large appreciation for music. On a snow day, she travels with her family to see her grandparents, but their car collides with an oncoming truck leaving them in critical condition. However, Mia has an out of body experience in which she witnesses the events unfold in front of her as she’s in the hospital. She sees what happens to her family and the people who come visit her. She is reminded multiple times throughout the movie that in her condition she must make the choice of whether to live or to die. The plot relies on multiple flashbacks to show Mia’s life before the accident.
The plot and dialogue are straightforward. It contains all the elements of a story aimed for teenage girls and little for other audiences. It didn’t make me cry because the concept itself relied on a person who is in charge of their fate; even if bad things happens, her life or death is based on a decision which takes away from suspense. Not only that, but the choice she makes is at the very end of the movie; we don’t see the consequences or benefits of her choice when the characters say multiple times that this decision is what drives the story.
What irritated me is the opportunity to emphasize how important one’s life is to a person yet some characters don’t blame her if she chooses to die. Sure the conditions may be difficult but what drives some characters is their ability to overcome tragedy, and they shouldn’t be encouraged to give into it. I felt that the characters were pretty predictable. There’s the rock star boyfriend who has trouble maintaining his relationship because of his profession, there’s the dad who gave up his rebellious past for the sake of his children, and the story itself is essentially a teenage version of It’s a Wonderful Life. I will give credit to the writer for making it so difficult for the girl to decide.
The biggest saviors of the movie are the actors. Mia is played by Chloe Grace Mortez, best known for her roles in Kick-Ass and Hugo. I’ve always enjoyed Mortez’s performance, no matter how good or bad the movie is, and here is no exception as she brings the sense of fear and conflict into her character. The rest of the supporting cast succeeds in putting some heart into the performance, and I applaud their efforts. I also was fond of the soundtrack with its mix of rock and classical music.
Aside from the actors, soundtrack, and some memorable moments, If I Stay just didn’t get to me. You could argue that I was not the target audience, but I do like films that are not necessarily targeted for me. Just because I’m not a teenage girl doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy the screenplay and characters, but they just didn’t work for me in this case.
I haven’t read the book so I can’t say if they made any changes that would infuriate the fans. If you liked it check it out because this movie may be for you. I know a number of people did enjoy watching this and tear up, and I won’t judge them for that.
-Brady Lass