America’s new sweetheart Chloe Grace Moretz takes the stage in the movie If I Stay,  based on the bestselling book by Gayle Forman.  Never having read the book, I can’t make a fair judgement on which is better, but I can make a judgment on the movie.

The storyline was something different, for a change. Instead of a cliche chick flick with a predictable happily ever after, this film provides the audience with an enjoyable drama, tragedy, and romance, all in one.

Mia Hall (Moretz) is on the verge of a perfect life. She has a cello audition for Julliard, she’s dating a popular lead guitarist, Adam (Jamie Blackley), and her family is her number one support system. But when a fatal car accident lands her and her family in critical care, Mia must decide if she’s ready to move onto the other side, or if she wants to stay and continue on with her life, even with the possibility it might be without her family at her side.

If I Stay engages viewers as Mia goes through an extraordinary out of body  experience while she’s in a coma. Director, R.J. Cutler, goes back and forth from Mia’s flashbacks to a waiting room full of anxious relatives in a hospital, while Mia is narrating the whole thing. It keeps you on the edge of your seat, eager to see what comes next. It also makes you want to curl up in a ball and cry.  But the whole time you’re watching, all you can think about is the ending. And the ending was a huge disappointment.

After watching this movie for about an hour and a half, most of the audience has become devoted to the side they think Mia should choose. Which is why in the last ten seconds of the movie, when Mia basically just shouts her decision and movie goes to credits, everyone feels so let down. It’s almost as though we, as viewers, get an emotional attachment to all these characters, and then it’s just over. It seems like there should be another 20 minutes added on to the end, explaining what happened.

As the credits rolled down the screen, everyone just sat there, waiting for something else to come on, but nothing did.

Given, the director had to create a cliffhanger in preparation of the sequel, Where She Went, but the abruptness of the finale was unfair to the audience. If I Stay is an incredible, inspiring film that makes you appreciate life and all it offers, and it’s worth seeing. Just be careful that you don’t put your heart and soul into finding out what’s at the end; because you will be disappointed.