Stay Reviews and Ratings


  • kristine
    February 10, 2009
    kristine
    Pretty good psychological thriller. Worth a watch if you are into these kinds of movies.
  • LizaRadley
    February 9, 2009
    LizaRadley
    I seem to have got into a habit of picking seriously confusing films, this being one of them. Another one I'll have to watch again.
  • DrStrangeblog
    February 9, 2009
    DrStrangeblog
    A real puzzler, how to rate a movie that still makes no sense? I lost sleep the first night in confoundment over what actually happened to no avail. So the bigger question is, wherein lies the value of cinema? Is it in the experience or in the understanding?

    I'm a logical per...( read more)son - I like figuring things out. 'Stay' isn't trying to be the next '2001' with some brilliant, ambiguous, mind-boggling ending - it is through and through very much rooted in the psychological thriller department. And just because I haven't figured out WHAT the movie's secret is yet (a visit to IMDB's or RT's forums will help with that), should I let the final 5 minutes determine how I judge its effectiveness? This time, I say no. The experience is what counts more than the outcome. The bold color scheme, striking shadows, beautiful cinematography, absorbing performances, and disorienting editing (in an exciting way) are what I will remember about this film, not that the film appears completely muddled in hindsight. I *want* to understand - that is a sure sign the journey was worth taking.
  • pokeatmyiris
    February 5, 2009
    pokeatmyiris
    An overlooked movie which deserves more recognition. Brilliant performences and a truly memorable... trippy film.
  • taktickle
    January 13, 2009
    taktickle
    "if this is a dream, the whole world's in it"
  • Rexer73
    January 12, 2009
    Rexer73
    Breathtaking beautiful
  • nathpandelo
    January 6, 2009
    nathpandelo
    After you get it, it's pretty damn cool.
  • QueenCityFilms
    January 3, 2009
    QueenCityFilms
    Forgot Marc Forster directed this...a very clever movie that I think a lot of people write off as pretentious...I recommend it.
  • JaneDoeNili
    January 3, 2009
    JaneDoeNili
    Interesting but not my cup of tea.. good actors though.
  • mannjess
    December 20, 2008
    mannjess
    This could have been an amazing movie... but it fell short on a number of levels. [SPOILER AHEAD] Notably, the timeline you're eventually asked to accept doesn't make any sense unless you infer that Henry and Sam are the same character in some delusion, which isn't played out. Th...( read more)e visual effects, split in timeline, and so forth, are all wonderfully done. If only there was actually a point to it all, or the conclusion even made sense on any level.

    The sum total of this movie is similar to taking a whole bunch of possible scripts, deleted scenes, and reshots of the development of some dramatic movie, scrambling them up with no respect to cohesion, plot, or consistency, and then throwing it out into theaters.

    This was a big letdown.
  • godsend311
    December 19, 2008
    godsend311
    Fantastic story that will have you chasing different scenarios until the final conclusion. This is a psychological trip showing how a tragic dead brings about something unexpected.
  • fsu2001rx
    December 13, 2008
    fsu2001rx
    Played on IFC earlier...I've watched this only a few times before, but it's been a while, so good to see it again. Everyone who has written about the film's art and the story itself is right...the movie is fantastic; actors are great...loved the transitions from scene to scene. ...( read more) It's everything you've thought of and talked about at some point when that topic comes up. Forgive me, forgive me, forgive me, forgive me, forgive me, forgive me...........
  • nezuko11738
    December 12, 2008
    nezuko11738
    I don't know how to rate this film `cause I don't understand anything, what this film is about and where it's leading me when I'm watching. Maybe if you understand, you'll love it, but it's not the case for me.
  • number1fan2
    December 9, 2008
    number1fan2
    much better than i thought it would be.
    i'm bordering on 4 stars
  • dandooshnew
    November 28, 2008
    dandooshnew
    a little bit confusing - but that's why i liked it :)
  • lovablemisanthrope
    November 23, 2008
    lovablemisanthrope
    A good film, but this is one of those movies where you either like it or you don't get it and there's really no middle ground.
  • pixygiggles
    November 9, 2008
    pixygiggles
    I'll have to watch this one a second time before I attempt to explain it to someone else. It's a very interesting concept; but I'm just not sure if I completely understood it. With that being said, I still thought it was an excellent movie because I think there is a lot more to t...( read more)hink about in this movie than what first meets the eye.
  • fernandomoss
    November 6, 2008
    fernandomoss
    Kept me interested for the whole running time...
  • epixcz
    November 3, 2008
    epixcz
    Want to see it again :)
  • DerekA101
    October 28, 2008
    DerekA101
    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 ca...( read more)n 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.
  • SaxophoneScone
    October 28, 2008
    SaxophoneScone
    visually stunning and inventive movie butl it seemed an excuse for wizardy.
  • isabelleweber1
    October 26, 2008
    isabelleweber1
    É um filme interessante, mas fica mais interessante quando você começa a entender de fato alguma coisa, ou seja, só no final.
  • blipadouzi
    October 21, 2008
    blipadouzi
    I own it, so I might as well see it once.
  • adarkmemento
    October 9, 2008
    adarkmemento
    This has to be my favorite movie of all time. The characters, although in an unrealistic situation, are lovable and believable, the acting is amazing, the film style is unique and beautiful, and the soundtrack ties the entire film together and carries it forward. Although difficu...( read more)lt to understand at first, this movie is worth at least a second viewing.
  • ndgagne1
    October 2, 2008
    ndgagne1
    Stay is a film, that I'm sure many people are going to dislike. With that being said, I am not one of those people. There were a lot of things I loved about this movie and I find it hard to pin-point any serious dislikes. First of all, the acting was very solid. Gosling portrayed...( read more) a believable mysterious sort of seemingly antagonistic character, with Ewan McGregor playing the protagonist whom serves as a vessel of sanity (through most of the movie) in a very confusing atmosphere. He was very good compared to some of his roles in various other films. The supporting roles were sort of hit or miss, but mostly pretty good. The thing I found most affective about Stay was the confusion that was delivered dose by dose, first in small increments and then increasing exponentially towards the climax. The confusion was almost overwhelming, but thank god, the script allows the audience to rest easy in the end. Accompanying the frantic fantasy were brilliant visuals and emotional scenes that allow the audience to submerse themselves into the viewing experience. I won't spoil the plot, but even after knowing the twist, it's an enjoyable experience.
  • laskaHimself
    October 2, 2008
    laskaHimself
    Schizoid films are pretty popular these days, aren't they? Never mind the confusion, or is there any point of messing with all orders of things - what I really liked about Stay was visual quality. For some time I haven't seen so ingenious, well done (and that many) transitions in...( read more) one film. (Not necessarily) for Lynch fans only.
  • urbanlegend23
    September 25, 2008
    urbanlegend23
    After a couple of rewatches, the film makes a lot more sense - it is a flawed, bizarre tale, but also clever in it's own way. The film has so many interesting camera effects and cuts, it really helps to tell the story in a unique way.
  • mrpopcorn
    September 21, 2008
    mrpopcorn
    Henry Letham: I burned myself.

    Sam Foster: You burned yourself? Why?

    Henry Letham: Practicing for Hell.

    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 ...( read more)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 Stranger than Fiction, The Kite Runner and Finding Neverland is at the helm of this film working a David Benioff screenplay. Stay 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: "Wow, that was really good but I think I've seen that before though". 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.

    Stay 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 Stay though quite good, is not in par with Mulholland Dr or Inland Empire.

    3.5/5
  • CaloAbreu
    September 15, 2008
    CaloAbreu
    Brutal!! While watching the movie there are sooo many ideas on your mind about what is happening and what will happen, but you never guess the real ending! A very good movie! With great actors like Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts and Ryan Gosling!
  • kimmiesha34
    September 14, 2008
    kimmiesha34
    I love the actors in this one, but I might have to watch it a few times to understand it completely.
  • sla2110
    September 14, 2008
    sla2110
    I wasn't even sure how to rate this to be honest..... First of all Ryan Gosling was just amazing, i really rate him as an actor he has this intense mysterious quality that very few people have. The rest of the cast also did a sterling job with this - the cinematography was beauti...( read more)fully done, the way it was filmed gave a real surreal feel to the movie. BUT..... unfotunately i felt like all this was wasted, you never get a handle on what's going on, you stick with it to hopefully get some answers at the end but they just never come!! The whole thing is confusing and frustrating. Having said that the beautiful way it was shot and the brilliant performances still make it impossible to dislike somehow.....
  • heygirlchick
    September 9, 2008
    heygirlchick
    Pay attention and you will get it. It really messes with you.
  • plinto
    September 4, 2008
    plinto
    "There's too much beauty to quit"
  • nonix81
    August 27, 2008
    nonix81
    thrillers are not my COT either
  • pedroslemos
    August 23, 2008
    pedroslemos
    Good light effects and light.
  • barnett4
    August 16, 2008
    barnett4
    This movie was very hard to follow. The story line in this was confusing, and even after it all ended, I was still confused. Maybe I just could not read that much into this movie.
  • roseypie
    August 16, 2008
    roseypie
    It's the type of movie that will make your head ache from trying to explain to yourself why things happen the way they do. As the story progressed, i just had about thought that either Ewan McGregor's character was experiencing some sort of schizophrenia and everyone else was one...( read more) of his multiple personalities. Then a few minutes later, I was thinking that McGregor was going crazy and that Ryan Gosling was just a product of his disoriented imagination. Then, just when almost everyone McGregor meets turns out to be dead, it led me to think about Sixth Sense, but sooner you'll find out it's not at all similar to the plot of the Sixth Sense.

    I really thought that this mystery-drama was cleverly put-together. As complicated as the storyline was, I thought that it wasn't on the verge of trying-hard and ambitious. The cast were a great bunch, though Ewan McGregor's american accent sounded a bit funny at times. Ryan Gosling was indeed a revelation. I've only seen a few of his movies and the boy really does have versatility as he can make that transition from boy-next-door to troubled student to hot-shot attorney.

    I don't plan on seeing this movie any time soon but it sure is worth a second time.
  • Ticha
    August 15, 2008
    Ticha
    I'm still trying to figure this movie out...it's a bit confusing but it's a paranormal movie so I think it is supposed to be like that.
    And Ryan Gosling's performance in this movie is amazing. If you don't like paranormal movies at least you should watch this movie just because R...( read more)yan's acting.
  • mythosslayer
    August 9, 2008
    mythosslayer
    These mystery drama's are definitely becoming favourites of mine, as the story just draws me in each time. This had very decent actors who did their part well and the ending did make me rethink the events in the whole film again. Very well done.
  • roguegirl
    July 31, 2008
    roguegirl
    a good movie....but confusing at times so i couldnt fully enjoy the movie.
  • ColorMePsycho
    July 27, 2008
    ColorMePsycho
    I really, really liked what Marc Forester did with this film. Confusing as it was at times, I really liked the visuals. I really enjoyed watching Ryan Gosling, (as I always do). The first time I saw it, I could stop thinking about this movie. I really love it.
  • Fishyspy
    July 27, 2008
    Fishyspy
    "Tell me they'll remember me." ... "Who?" ... "The world." ... "The world will remember you. Now take off your clothes."
  • catherinebabababa
    July 25, 2008
    catherinebabababa
    "The world will remember you."
  • Goldfish81
    July 25, 2008
    Goldfish81
    This had some very interesting camera and lighting work. I really did not understand what was going on, although I did enjoy the acting. Now that I have read some other explanations of what the heck it was about, I understand. It was a very interesting artistic film, but not o...( read more)ne I would watch over and over.
  • hobster1
    July 21, 2008
    hobster1
    Ponderous film is somewhat challenging to watch, but its provocative plot twists will compel to you find out what happens next.
  • LadyRiot
    July 16, 2008
    LadyRiot
    awesome if you like a movie that makes you think

Summary

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