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IMDb > Stay (2005/I)
Stay
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Photos (see all 17 | slideshow) Videos (see all 4)
Stay (2005) -- This movie focuses on the attempts of a psychiatrist to prevent one of his patients from committing suicide while trying to maintain his own grip on reality.
Stay (2005) -- Clip: Talk to me, Beth
Stay (2005) -- This movie focuses on the attempts of a psychiatrist to prevent one of his patients from committing suicide while trying to maintain his own grip on reality.
Stay (2005) -- Clip: Nothing makes sense

Overview

User Rating:
6.8/10   21,377 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 26% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Marc Forster
Writer (WGA):
David Benioff (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Stay on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
21 October 2005 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | Mystery | Thriller more
Tagline:
You Can't Stay Between the Living and the Dead. more
Plot:
This movie focuses on the attempts of a psychiatrist to prevent one of his patients from committing suicide while trying to maintain his own grip on reality. full summary | add synopsis
NewsDesk:
(21 articles)
Hanks Tells Sensitive People to "'Stay Away" from Angels & Demons
 (From ReelzChannel. 13 May 2009, 4:58 AM, PDT)

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (review)
 (From FlickFilosopher. 30 April 2009, 8:59 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
A Mixed Pot of Stew more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Ewan McGregor ... Dr. Sam Foster

Ryan Gosling ... Henry Letham
Kate Burton ... Mrs. Letham

Naomi Watts ... Lila Culpepper

Elizabeth Reaser ... Athena

Bob Hoskins ... Dr. Leon Patterson

Janeane Garofalo ... Dr. Beth Levy
B.D. Wong ... Dr. Ren
John Tormey ... Custodian / Piano Mover #1
José Ramón Rosario ... Cabbie / Piano Mover #2
Becky Ann Baker ... Paramedic #1 / Butch Cook
Lisa Kron ... Paramedic #2
Gregory Mitchell ... Dance Instructor
John Dominici ... Boy / Young Henry

Jessica Hecht ... Boy's Mother
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for language and some disturbing images.
Runtime:
99 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
DTS | Dolby Digital
Certification:
Australia:M | Mexico:B15 | Czech Republic:15 | Netherlands:12 | Argentina:13 | Norway:15 | Germany:12 | Singapore:PG | Finland:K-15 | Hungary:16 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | Iceland:16 | South Korea:15 | Spain:18 | Malaysia:U (DVD) | Brazil:14 | UK:15 (original rating) (cut) | UK:18 (video rating) (uncut) | USA:TV-MA (cable rating) | USA:R

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
At one point, David Fincher was attached to direct. more
Goofs:
Continuity: Because of the nature of the film, various suggested "continuity goofs" are in fact intentional. more
Quotes:
Sam Foster: I've read your file.
Henry Letham: Well can I read your file?
Sam Foster: Tell me why you're here.
Henry Letham: I thought you read the file.
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Writing the Music for 'Stay' (2006) (V) more
Soundtrack:
Who Am I (Animatrix Edit) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
53 out of 72 people found the following comment useful:-
A Mixed Pot of Stew, 29 March 2006
8/10
Author: gradyharp from United States

STAY is a strange bird of a movie, one that you must be rested and in the mood for to watch, and one that asks that you forget the usual linear storyline and stay alert every minute. Directed by Marc Forster (Monster Ball, Finding Neverland, and the upcoming The Kite Runner) and based on a story and screenplay by David Benioff (Troy, The 25th Hour, and the upcoming The Kite Runner!), STAY is more a mind-bending visual excursion that explores some dark psychological questions dealing with life, death, suicide, occult, and a mélange of all of these.

The opening of the film is a twisted visual experience that has to do with a car crashing on a bridge, fire, and a body - all given during the opening credits. We then meet psychiatrist Dr. Sam Foster (Ewan McGregor) as he encounters a college student patient Henry Lethem (Ryan Gosling) whom he is seeing for his colleague, the emotionally exhausted Dr. Beth Levy (Janeane Garofalo). Hesitant to work with a 'substitute psychiatrist' Henry eventually tells Sam he is planning to commit suicide that Saturday at midnight, a re-enactment of his painter idol's absurd life. Sam's artist girlfriend Lila (Naomi Watts) was herself a suicide attempt rescued by Sam and offers her help in dealing with Sam's patient. Sam also gleans advice from his mentor, the blind Dr Patterson (Bob Hoskins) and after numerous attempts to contact his associate Beth for information, Sam strikes out on his own in an attempt to understand Henry before he destroys himself. He looks up Henry's mother (Kate Burton) whom Henry says is dead, discovers when Henry meets Dr Patterson that Henry claims Patterson is his father and is also dead. Ultimately Sam engages the services of a mental institution run by Dr Ren (BD Wong) and gains the promise that the institution will put a hold on Henry so that he will be unable to commit suicide.

In the midst of this race Sam's world begins to crumble, people don't make sense, stories clash, and Sam tumbles around in a state closely resembling madness until the final frames when the entire situation of the film is made clear. Nothing is as it appears when dealing with the thread that separates life and death. The script is clumsy, the camera work is distractingly of kilter, little gimmicks are used to the extreme, and the tiny roles of supporting characters hardly merit the gifted actors such as Hoskins, Burton, and Garofalo. Ryan Gosling is again tossed into a role that is starchy and unidimensional and despite his fine work his character remains aloof. McGregor and Watts do the best they can with the script but end up becoming tropes wandering in from other similar stories.

So why give the film 8/10 score? Because despite all the defects it does engage the mind and forces the viewer to set aside the general principles of understanding and just release the mind to a crazy ride. That is healthy film making and deserves attention. Grady Harp

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Stay (2005/I)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
10 somewhat similar movies - Rubber Reality Movies mira943
can someone explain this movie to me? sponix
Dang! Their perfect accents ! VelvetBabe
Lila and Athena julietabeccar
I might have missed it, but did the movie at all specify keylimepie5
But what about Tristan? pedersen88
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