Featured Audience Ratings

• Anthony L

  
  Suggest that Life is an illusion and you can pretty much get away with anything. Anything learnt here is serendipitous but many would say that is the art of physiotherapy, read between the lines my friends but for all the puzzling 'what the hell is going on' moments, there… More
  Suggest that Life is an illusion and you can pretty much get away with anything. Anything learnt here is serendipitous but many would say that is the art of physiotherapy, read between the lines my friends but for all the puzzling 'what the hell is going on' moments, there are plenty of pretty bits of filming, good acting and interesting twists and turns. It also feels like Marc Forster's love letter to 50's noir thrillers, albeit an updated version but still lots of green. I'm somewhere between liking it and thinking it was a load of old baloney but it does look good.

• Candy R

  
  Ryan plays a young student who is distraught after his parents and girlfriend are killed in a car accident. He tells his psychiastrist that he will kill himself in 3 days. Ewan locates all the people who have been in contact with Ryan in an attempt to find him and save him.

• Lady D

  
  Ryan Gosling dazzles once again in this film, in a deep, mind twisting tale on the edge of sanity, that will gradually lose you if you allow it. I've seen this film several times now and have to admit, this is the first time I have watched it and got the ending!

• William S

  
  I really can't waste my time on this one - I'm far too depressed as it is. Put succinctly, possibly the most painfully annoying film of all time (not including 'Vanilla Sky')... Hurry UP and die already! And I've so had enough of Ewan McGregor and his phony… More
  I really can't waste my time on this one - I'm far too depressed as it is. Put succinctly, possibly the most painfully annoying film of all time (not including 'Vanilla Sky')... Hurry UP and die already! And I've so had enough of Ewan McGregor and his phony American accent.

• Conner R

  
  This is actually a lot better and more deep than it gets credit for. Some truly great performances from Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts and especially Ryan Gosling. The whole nightmare aspect is so interesting and manipulative, it's just a bonus to the already well done story and… More
  This is actually a lot better and more deep than it gets credit for. Some truly great performances from Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts and especially Ryan Gosling. The whole nightmare aspect is so interesting and manipulative, it's just a bonus to the already well done story and character development.

• E.J. B

  
  Stay is a film that almost requires at least two viewings. The first will take you on a ride where you will have no idea what's going on until the last fifteen or so minutes. The second viewing will allow you to see how the film's style explains what the last fifteen… More
  Stay is a film that almost requires at least two viewings. The first will take you on a ride where you will have no idea what's going on until the last fifteen or so minutes. The second viewing will allow you to see how the film's style explains what the last fifteen minutes will reveal. It's quite frustrating, but also fascinating. What Stay is essentially about is how the mind pieces together life. We always form one simplified impression of a particular person, and usually that impression stays with us. Many of the characters appear to the main character in the same way he last remembers them. This film also allows its main character to come to terms with certain aspects of his life that have left him in a state of remorse, of constant grief. In a sense, Stay is a twisted redemption story. For who, I cannot say, for I would need to reveal spoilers. The less you know of this movie, the better. Hell, you won't even know what this movie is about until the last fifteen minutes. Some people will be turned off by this mystery-thriller. It calls to mind the work of David Lynch, mainly his masterpiece Mulholland Dr (coincidentally, the film that made Naomi Watts a star). Stay is a far lesser film than Mulholland Dr, mainly because its payoff is underwhelming. Any movie that hides its secrets for as long as Stay does can't live up to its promise. But nonetheless, Stay is fascinating to watch. It's a competent exercise in style over substance. Strangely enough, in this case, the style IS the substance.

• Jens S

  
  A pretty confusing, sometimes even nerve-wracking psychological thriller with an excellent cast and very interesting camera work and editing. The story follows a psychologist who is trying to save a new patient, who announces his suicide for the following weekend. As reality, past and… More
  A pretty confusing, sometimes even nerve-wracking psychological thriller with an excellent cast and very interesting camera work and editing. The story follows a psychologist who is trying to save a new patient, who announces his suicide for the following weekend. As reality, past and imagination starts to melt into one more and more, it requires quite some concentration on the audience's side to stay focused on the events. The hints are there, so the ending may come as a huge twist to some, but is not entirely unpredictable. In the end everyone has to make up their own mind about this. The talents included are top notch, but up until the end it left me emotionally cold, which it probably shouldn't have. Still, decent and worth checking out.

• Greg S

  
  A psychiatrist is assigned to a suicidal art student when the boy's regular therapist has a breakdown, and finds the case has metaphysical as well as psychological dimensions. Neatly done psychological thriller is well scripted (up until the final revelation) and is likely to… More
  A psychiatrist is assigned to a suicidal art student when the boy's regular therapist has a breakdown, and finds the case has metaphysical as well as psychological dimensions. Neatly done psychological thriller is well scripted (up until the final revelation) and is likely to impress newcomers to the genre; unfortunately, while dedicated fans of this sort of stuff may have some fun, they're likely catch the twist early on and to have seen it executed more spectacularly before.

• Pierluigi P

  
  Marc Forster is another filmmaker that falls into the category of visual onanist, though his style has served him well in other works, here is almost irritating, besides the story doesn't help a bit. A multicoloured, nice looking artsy cinematography (if only was handled with… More
  Marc Forster is another filmmaker that falls into the category of visual onanist, though his style has served him well in other works, here is almost irritating, besides the story doesn't help a bit. A multicoloured, nice looking artsy cinematography (if only was handled with measure) and the acting are the only worthy departments.

• Derek A

  
  Stay is a lot like fine wine. If you don't like it, then you REALLY don't like it. But if you like it, then you appreciate it for it's beauty. This is exactly how this film is. Stay is a thought provoking film that most people won't actually understand , but… More
  Stay is a lot like fine wine. If you don't like it, then you REALLY don't like it. But if you like it, then you appreciate it for it's beauty. This is exactly how this film is. Stay is a thought provoking film that most people won't actually understand , but those who do can talk about the events in this movie for hours. It's one of those films that will confuse you until the shocking end. Once you realize the ending, you can go back and analyze everything that happened and draw a symbolic reason for it happening. It's amazing, and extremely smart. I can't go into anything because even the slightest bit of information would be a spoiler. If you have seen it and wish to ask, feel free. The acting was great, most notably by Ryan Gosling. The camera-work was unique and very effective. I loved it. If you can enjoy thought provoking, intelligent movies, then this movie is up your alley. I need to thank a friend on Flixster here who personally recommended this to me.

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>Henry Letham: I burned myself. Sam Foster: You burned yourself? Why? Henry Letham: Practicing for Hell. </i> Standing in for a sick colleague, renowned New York psychiatrist Sam Foster is confronted with disturbed art student Henry Letham. Seemingly inspired by his… More
  <i>Henry Letham: I burned myself. Sam Foster: You burned yourself? Why? Henry Letham: Practicing for Hell. </i> Standing in for a sick colleague, renowned New York psychiatrist Sam Foster is confronted with disturbed art student Henry Letham. Seemingly inspired by his idol, a painter infamous for committing suicide on his 21th birthday, Henry announces he will shoot himself Saturday at midnight--the moment he turns 21. Foster, once having saved his suicidal girlfriend Lila, takes the threat seriously but fails to simply have Henry taken into custody. Instead, while trying to track his patient down, Sam is gradually drawn into the world of Henry's obsessions. From this point of the review, I can already tell you that this movie is not what it seems. Yes, there is a big, fat, juicy twist at the end but for the sake of the spoilers, I will leave it to you to find it out. Marc Forster who also directed such films like <i>Stranger than Fiction, The Kite Runner and Finding Neverland</i> is at the helm of this film working a David Benioff screenplay. <i>Stay</i> is one of those bizarre, weird, oddball kind of film so from the get-go you have to pay attention and look closely. This is not a story where everything has got to be spoon fed to you, you have to guess and guess and piece all the clues and puzzle pieces and trust me, you will have a hard time doing the task. I had to re-watch this again to fully understand the concept and with every passing scene, the scenario gets even weirder and more bizarre than the previous scene so you really have got to pay real good attention. Once you reach the ending the big, fat, juicy twist at hand and you realize: <i>"Wow, that was really good but I think I've seen that before though"</i>. That's exactly what I felt when the supposed shocking ending wasn't really that shocking to me, it was a so-so twist, nothing new to offer to the table. The acting, quite okay, though this ain't Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts' defining moment in Hollywood. They were just average to my taste but Ryan Gosling on the other hand, was pretty amazing as always. He nailed the role and I think he's the best thing in the movie. <i>Stay</i> is a film in the same vein as a Lynch film but nowhere near it. A David Lynch film is like having a wide awake brain surgery and <i>Stay</i> though quite good, is not in par with <i>Mulholland Dr</i> or <i>Inland Empire</i>. <b>3.5/5</b>

• Mark H

  
  Ponderous film is somewhat challenging to watch, but its provocative plot twists will compel to you find out what happens next.

• Emily A

  
  Aw man, what the hell is this? With a tagline like "You can't stay between the living and the dead", you'd think that this would be halfway interesting. It's not. It's confusing, and when it's not it's boring, and when it's not either… More
  Aw man, what the hell is this? With a tagline like "You can't stay between the living and the dead", you'd think that this would be halfway interesting. It's not. It's confusing, and when it's not it's boring, and when it's not either it's infuriatingly disappointing. The entire cast is wasted, and the director seems to focus all of his attention on his cool little in-camera tricks. You're supposed to look THROUGH the camera, not AT it!

• Curtis L

  
  The movie itself at the time kinda sucked. I mean, it was neat to look at, but I really didn't understand how awesome it was until afterwards when I thought about it. It's about a guy dieing in the middle of the street, and the whole movie is his dilussional… More
  The movie itself at the time kinda sucked. I mean, it was neat to look at, but I really didn't understand how awesome it was until afterwards when I thought about it. It's about a guy dieing in the middle of the street, and the whole movie is his dilussional interpretations of the people around him trying to help him, and him deciding whether or not to die. Pretty cool all the symbolism in it.

• Craig S

  
  <b><u>Directed by:</u> Marc Forster.</b> <b><u>Starring:</u> Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Ryan Gosling.</b> There are times when a critic is extremely wrong about a film, either they just don't like it or they see the movie in the… More
  <b><u>Directed by:</u> Marc Forster.</b> <b><u>Starring:</u> Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Ryan Gosling.</b> There are times when a critic is extremely wrong about a film, either they just don't like it or they see the movie in the wrong way and it comes through all muddled to them. This film was the latter to critics, they ended up writing that they couldn't understand it.....were they all narrow minded? This film is a very original, visual and mind bending film and by the end of it, when all is said and done, have a think about it, think outside the box, have a second viewing if you need it and then it should come to you. I had heard about this film being helmed at first by David Fincher, that would have been something to see but instead he dropped out and was replaced by Marc Forester, who certainly doesn't disappoint. He shows how visual he is here behind the camera with some very unique camera tricks and very well controlled setups. The script is certainly unique and well written and at first glance the ending may seem a bit of an easy way out, but give it a second thought. The performances are great, the only one I was a little let down by was Ewan McGregor, who seemed a little off in parts. Ryan Gosling showed alot of potential in this film and The Notebook and I can't wait to see his recent efforts. Overall, I feel the critics were completely narrow minded about this film, I will admit the film doesn't really offer anything at the end, but I can't deny the script is very intriguing and original and it is matched by a very unique visual syle.

• Lafe F

  
  A plodding time-travel and fragmented memory of a plot. The premise is good with a psychologist trying to stop a client from killing himself within three days. It's dark and gripping, which has a bit of a reward at the end of the twisted plot. Ewan McGregor is great in almost… More
  A plodding time-travel and fragmented memory of a plot. The premise is good with a psychologist trying to stop a client from killing himself within three days. It's dark and gripping, which has a bit of a reward at the end of the twisted plot. Ewan McGregor is great in almost anything.

• Megan S

  
  So I can't make my mind up about what to rate this movie. This was one of the movies that made me say "wtf?" outloud at the end. But then I watched some of the special features and then it made more sense. I like movies that leave you a little confused at the end and… More
  So I can't make my mind up about what to rate this movie. This was one of the movies that made me say "wtf?" outloud at the end. But then I watched some of the special features and then it made more sense. I like movies that leave you a little confused at the end and then you can go online and look around at all the theories. But at the end of this one I didn't even have a theory. And the whole time I was watching the movie it felt like I had seen it before. The imagery was beautiful especially the spiral staircases and the transitions were amazing. The special features point out all these little things that they did to show that you weren't in reality. I mean it's crazy all the things that the filmmakers paid attention to, like Ewan McGregor's pants being too short actually meant something. *SPOILERS* I get it now that the guy was having a near-death/out-of-body experience but it was so damn weird because it wasn't from the point of view of the person who was dying.

• James A

  
  When mainstream meets artsy you get this hunk of crap.

• Drew S

  
  Started out kind of interesting, but then just completely went to shit. There is absolutely no reason for this movie to have been as convoluted as it turned out to be. The plot is a total mess, the ending sucks and the entire movie just feels like a "hey look what I learned in… More
  Started out kind of interesting, but then just completely went to shit. There is absolutely no reason for this movie to have been as convoluted as it turned out to be. The plot is a total mess, the ending sucks and the entire movie just feels like a "hey look what I learned in film school!" session. Some of the visuals are really innovative, and the editing can be pretty clever, but the movie is bar-none an utter waste of time...especially considering the awful, unconclusive ending.

• Roy G

  
  A disaster from beginning to end.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings