Why I Saw It: Sin City: A Dame to Kill For bombed so spectacularly and with such mixed reviews that I determined it wasn't worth it.
Cast: I'm an unapologetic Chloe Grace Moretz fanboy at this point. From Kick-Ass to her 30 Rock appearances to Carrie, she's always good and this is no different. At 17, she can already carry a movie with ease. She's no Shalaine Woodley (yet), but the Fault comparison is not one that If I Stay can escape this summer. If I've seen Jamie Blackley before, I couldn't tell you what it was in. He's a respectably generic romantic lead. "The high schooler who dreams of making it big in a band" is a cliche by now, and I doubt the book was written before that was the case. Mirieille Enos and Joshua Leonard play the cool parents. Jacob Davies is effectively the younger brother. Liana Liberato plays the best friend you wish you had. I need to single out Stacy Keach, as the grandfather. because he gets the single biggest tear-jerker moment, and let's be honest, that's what we're all here for in this movie.
Plot: Mia (Moretz) is an aspiring cellist who falls in love with an aspiring rock star (Blackley). Their relationship is told through a series of flashbacks. The movie begins much later though, when Mia gets into a car wreck with her family and, inexplicable, ghost-Mia is able to follow everything in the hospital, while actual Mia is in a coma (or something like a coma. I don't know how medical terminology works). It's all set in Portland, and, in the same way that The Fault in Our Stars felt specific to suburban Indiana, this felt specific to Portland, with the talk of music collectives and somewhat bohemian parents. It's all very geared toward the young adult audience, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I was acutely aware while watching it that this movie wasn't meant for me.
Elephant in the Room: Is summer over? Well, Sin City bombed and this couldn't beat a fourth weekend competitor in Guardians of the Galaxy. It's still looking like it's going to be a record-breaking August, but yeah, the summer season is over. Everyone prepare for a good month or two of studio-burn offs and awards hopefuls trying to be the first one out of the gate for Oscar season (btw, too late. Boyhood is already out).
To Sum Things Up:
Chloe has yet to disappoint me. The movie around her though is pretty unremarkable. I'm always bothered when a movie is clearly based off a book. The characters and dynamics are a counter-culture ideal and most of the lines from the big scenes play much better on the page (I assume) than they do acted out. The movie is fine, and there is a specific audience that will love it. The actors are all engaged and take the material seriously. The material simply doesn't translate to the screen as well as one would hope. Remember Charlie St. Cloud? There's your favorable comparison.
Verdict (?): Weakly Don't Recommend
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