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I really didn't want to see If I Stay. The trailers looked cool and all, but I couldn't help feeling that it was a cheesy rip-off of The Fault in Our Stars. Well, after seeing an advance screening, I can say that If I Stay was actually pretty good in many ways! The story follows Mia, a teenage girl who's family gets into a horrible car accident. She is in limbo between life and death and she has to chose whether to fight to live or not. Now, this type of story has been done before, but not in this way. A huge romantic element was added to the story and really took over the movie. This was one of my big problems. The scenes in the hospital where Mia has to chose between life and death were actually very interesting and held my attention! This is taken away by the romantic flashbacks that seemed really repetitive. The kissing scenes also went on for too long. I'm not saying this because I'm a guy, but because it felt awkward for the audience to see these two kissing for longer than 20 seconds. There was a huge upside to this movie, though: Mia's family. In the flashbacks, the family had amazing chemistry and I really felt for them. In a particular campfire scene, I was actually touched by the events and I actually related to the parents! Mia's grandparents and friends also had me invested in the story. The acting is actually pretty great. Chloe Grace Moretz gives a pretty good performance, even if she isn't totally believable. The supporting cast were great, and actually worked well for this kind of movie. The cinematography, music and direction were all pretty good as well. Another one of the big problems I had was the pacing. The first half of the movie went by fast and the pacing was fast. During the second half, however, the pace slows to a halt and really drags on near the end. Also, it's really predictable. I predicted the ending from seeing thew trailers. Another problem is that many romantic scenes felt extremely cheesy and familiar. I felt like I was watching The Notebook or any other famous romantic flick. Also, the tone was very dark. Even if this wasn't necessarily a terrible thing, a joke here or there may have lightened up the mood a little bit. Overall, though not totally original or unpredictable, If I Stay proves to be a pretty good romantic-drama with fantastic supporting characters and an interesting premise. See it if you're into these teenage romantic book adaptations. RATING: 7/10.
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