Life changes in an instant for young Mia Hall after a car accident puts her in a coma. During an out-of-body experience, she must decide whether to wake up and live a life far different than she had imagined.
Hit-Girl would positively gag on its phoney hipster-speak, pop homilies and groovy parents.
Too many false notes add up to a Nicholas Sparks-lite teen romance.
Shauna Cross' screenplay swarms with clichés that consistently undermine the story's sentiments, and Moretz's performance swings between affecting and affected. In a movie where the title refers to the choice between the protagonist living and dying it's really not a great sign that you may find yourself willing her to go.
The great Young Adult Allowance Grab continues. This entry comes on like a shrugging Ghost.
Director Cutler can't stem the gushing or make any of the emotions feel real.
If I Stay is aimed squarely at teenage girls and if you don’t fall into that target audience you may well feel the manipulation and wince at some of the less subtle assaults on the tear ducts. On the other hand, incurable romantics will find it a polished and superior weepie that is earnest in its intentions and largely successful in its execution.
Chloë Grace Moretz stars in this tale of a teenager's comatose cosmic experiences, which credits its audience with intelligence.
Mordant young adults might enjoy its maudlin wallow.
General release. Check local listings for show times.