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| OCTOBER 27, 2005 | Send features
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Movie Review
Psychological Snoozer
Unanswered questions leave Stay
unstable
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By Mark
Roberts
The Shorthorn staff
Don’t be fooled.
The title of this film, Stay, is a plea to the audience more than
anything else.
Marc Forster directs this complex and unoriginal drama about psychologist
Sam Foster (McGregor) and his interactions with imaginary beings
and the mentally unstable.
McGregor’s work would be noteworthy if only I could stop looking
at his pants. Forster makes a point to show — but never explain
why — Foster dresses like a stereotypical nerd, complete with
ankle socks below slacks that are six inches too short. McGregor
cannot save this film without any character depth or his native
British accent.
Gosling breaks the chains of bad directing just enough as Henry
Letham, the tormented patient near the edge, and earns at least
half of this single star review.
The other half-star comes courtesy of a decent soundtrack.
The remaining four stars are hidden by awful cinematography and
porous storyline. Forster and cinematographer Roberto Schaefer try
too hard when jumping from one scene to another. The result, in
technical terms, looks like a clunky, morphing transition intended
to put the “psychological” into this “psychological
thriller.” It’s annoying because it simply doesn’t
work.
Another unsuccessful technique Forster uses is the déjà
vu effect for the lead character. Multiple times in the film, Foster
will walk into situations or places he has already been. The director
never commits to this sporadic phenomenon or explains its purpose
in the film.
After films like The Sixth Sense, audiences will sit through 90
minutes of film to see a plot twist bring the story together. Stay’s
plot twist is more of a slight curve that neither fills in the blanks
nor reveals a deeper meaning.
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STAY
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Ryan Gosling,
Naomi Watts
Director: Marc Forster
Rating: R
Ranking: 1 star
on a 1-5 scale
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