Saved! (2004)

Really Surprised!

Better Late Then Never

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

.Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

In age when teen comedies are dominated by sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll, this movie, brought us to by Brian Dannelly, offers a slightly more conservative touch to the largely populated genre. That is a trip to the world of Christianity, or in other words, a religious satire of teens coming to terms with challenges that put their faith to the test. Capitalizing on an underpopulated blend of cheeky PG-13 humor and bold social commentary on religion, this movie offers good-spirited wit that makes the best of its attempts to pitting viewers with satirical jabs at teen Christianity without diving into execution that could rub Christians the wrong way. It does so, unfortunately, by playing things safe to the point where too many punches are pulled and good laughs come few and far in between. On the other hand, one of the biggest accomplishments it holds is by delivering a kindhearted, if occasionally bold tale without being forceful with its predictable message. So, you won't have to go in expecting an hour-and-half sermon. The film follows high school senior Mary Cummings (played by Jena Malone), a born-again teen girl attending a Christian high school with her friends Hilary Faye (played by Mandy Moore), a devout Christian who strives to get everyone in her class "saved", and Veronica (played by Elizabeth Thai), a Vietnamese girl raised by an African-American couple. Then there is Hilary's handicapped brother Roland (played by Macaulay Culkin) who falls short of Christian faith and falls of a Jewish, cigarette-smoking outsider Cassandra (played by Eva Amurri Martino) who's doesn't quite fall into the category of a good girl. Upon learning her boyfriend Dean (played by Chad Faust) is gay, Mary tries to save him; and her does by losing her virginity to him, only for this parents to send him way to something called the "Mercy House". When she discovers she is pregnant, she becomes subject to unwanted social rejection by her friends who began to turn on her. There is plenty of poking fun at Christianity which some of the conservative right, predictably so, did not take too kindly to. By no means does this film try to push the boundaries with raunchiness or mean-spirited hostility against believers of Christ. Director Brian Dannelly's approach fires a few good moments of laughter such as a scene in which the lead character makes performs a questionable act in attempt to get boyfriend her boyfriend to divorce from his homosexuality. After all, being gay is a big no-no in the Christian community. Sadly, there just isn't enough good jokes to go around. The film's attempts at satirizing the devout religious nature of the characters are less satisfying and struggle to hit the dynamics of the culture in which teens who grew up in households where attending church was a requirement. There is an overarching belief that establishing a character with faith requires him or her say Jesus in nearly every single line, which happens so with Mandy Moore's Hilary who grows into hypocrisy when her former best friend is nine months from becoming a mother. Balancing kind-hearted humor and religious subtext can be tough trick to pull off, especially when trying to perform the former without tapping into humor Christ-followers may deem edgy. But the film's satire on faith often too shallow borders on the line of pushing a ham-fisted agenda. On the other hand, it doesn't take away from the performances by Jena Malone, Macauley Culkin, Mandy Moore, and Elizabeth Thai who play their roles with good spirits. Patrick Fugit; playing a skateboarder and son of church pastor is fine as well, while Eva Amurri Martino burns fuel as the "bad girl" of the crowd who looks at everyone's spirituality with a cold shoulder. In the end, at least holds a kind heart rather than thrusting with an hostile attitude towards either side of the religious spectrum. Saved! isn't a home-run in the crowd of teen comedies, or does it meet the criteria of a finely-crafted "Mean Girls at bible school" tale. But the film offers just barely enough cleverness and heart to compensate for the flawed satire that gives the story momentum. Religious or not, it is not too great, or it is definitely not an overtly conventional drama with a hammy agenda that would have otherwise rendered the film into a cheesy afterschool special.

Like the serpent in the Garden of Eden, this movie is very deceptive. It starts out innocently enough but it soon becomes clear that it is anything but pro-Christian unless Christians choose to look at it as a cautionary tale to keep the faith. Once it does become clear that the film is anti-religion it comes as no surprise during the end credits that the "technical" authority is a book entitled "The Case Against God" - an atheist tome. No wonder so many of the comments on this board are positive from kids who already don't believe in God. This movie must have been right up their alley. The villains of the film are all Christians and the heroes are the teens who rebel against God. Not even the adults are depicted as being able to properly mentor the kids in the right ways of God. The Mandy Moore character is played over the top and only accepted when she too seems to lose her faith. The others: a girl who gets knocked up trying to "save" her gay boyfriend; Moore's crippled brother; a misfit Jewish troublemaker and even the school principal's missionary son all rebel against the faith and come off the good guys. They even crash the school prom (at an obviously parochial school) for what reason, really? They claimed they had a right to attend but really? What right did a 9-month pregnant girl and a couple of gay boys have to crash this prom? Their answer: Jesus loves us too. As I said, if Christians want to view the film as a way society tries to vilify it, then fine. If not, it only reinforces the atheism rampant among youth today.

Ratings: Comedy: 09 Acting: 10 Satire: 09 Relevance: 09Having watched Juno and agreed to its rating on IMDb (about an 8.00 at the time), I was sceptical on what this movie would have to offer. Boy, was I surprised!The plot is well crafted and the humour very biting. The acting is flawless, whether it be Malone, Moore, Martino or Culkin. Malone does deserve special mention though, as she shines throughout.Juno made the topic of teen pregnancy heavy. Saved! treats it in a lighthearted manner and still gets a lot of messages across.Watch it - it's cute and great at the same time.

Now that they made this piece of crap movie, I am waiting for a similar movie made about an Islamic school and the radical hatred they teach there. Won't happen since that would be politically incorrect. Bash the Christians, but the islamics nuts (religion of peace, yeah, right) are totally off limits. My own child attended a Christian school. I will admit there are problems with them just like there are with any school. However, as I have said, I find this movie totally hypocritical. If they made this same movie about an Islamic school and the hatred they teach, there would be riots and Hollywood would be on fire. Then again, perhaps that is not such a bad idea. This movie is a piece of crap. Skip it.