Plays well to it's audience

Rating: 7/10 (14 September 2014)

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