“Here’s the secret, baby: if you live, if you die, it’s all up to you,” a kindly nurse whispers to a broken, comatose body. And it is – it really is! – all up to her. Aside from its staggering myriad of issues, R.J. Cutler’s “If I Stay” could be condemned for doling out just really terrible medical advice. Eventually, though, even a trained medical professional that tells nearly dead kids that they can live if they just fight hard enough, is the least of the film’s worries.
Based on Gayle Froman’s beloved and bestselling YA novel of the same name, “If I Stay” centers on high schooler Mia Hall (Chloe Grace Moretz), as she struggles to decide, yup, if she should stay (and if it’s possible to talk yourself out of a coma). The film zips between time frames with ease, telling Mia’s story through a mixture assorted flashbacks, present events and comatose musings. It’s not nearly as hard to understand as it may sound.
When we first meet Mia, a talented cellist who feels out of place with her literally hard-rocking family (her parents are both absurdly, almost over-the-top hip, and even her younger brother favors Iggy Pop over The Wiggles), she’s apparently still struggling to get over her first love, a dude who jumped ship months ago. Huffy and sad over breakfast, concerned about an acceptance letter that’s supposed to be coming from Julliard that morning, Mia’s mood lifts when a snow day is declared, freeing up all the Halls (including Joshua Leonard and Mireille Enos, who are both excellent in their “cool parents, not regular parents” parts) to go have some fun together. That fun will, of course, end in tragedy.
First, though, it’s flashback time, as we watch the story of Mia and ex-boyfriend Adam (Jamie Blackley) unfold, zinging us back in the past for a little catch-up. Adam is the kind of guy who trades on his good looks and musical proficiency (everyone in the film is a talented musician, except for Mia’s best friend, who instead needs to slum at being a talented photographer), because there’s zero chance that any guy without looks or talent could get away with such ham-handed lines as “I see you” or showing up outside some girl’s house and crawling up her balcony. Adam is a straight up weirdo, but he’s got dreamy hair and a hot band, and Mia is awkward and weird and strange (despite Julliard-caliber talent, an awesome best pal, a wonderful family, and a wardrobe befitting a J. Crew model), how could she resist him? As the dumb-teens-in-love story plays out in the past, the present is dedicated to a terrible car crash that destroys the Halls and leaves Mia in a coma. (If nothing else, Adam’s big doe eyes not only keep Mia hot for him, but also allow the audience to roar with laughter at scenes that would otherwise scan as mildly terrifying.)
Finally, she’s in a coma. It took long enough.