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Not Quite Saved!
Sarcastic comedy aims for redemption, but has to settle for forgiveness.

Starring: Jena Malone, Mandy Moore, Macaulay Culkin, Patrick Fugit, Eva Amurri, Martin Donovan, Mary-Louise Parker, Heather Matarazzo, Elizabeth Thai
Directors: Brian Dannelly

Reviewed by Kevin Cunningham

THE PITCH: A teen who's grown up in a religious town and school tries to de-gay her gay boyfriend by having sex with him, believing it to be God's will. When unprotected sex ends only as it karmically can, she goes through a crisis of faith. IN OTHER WORDS: A mix of Clueless and Where the Heart Is in a world of Dogma-type religious zealots.

Something I love to do after seeing a movie is reading reviews, rather than before. It's always fun to see what people thought. After reading various reviews for Saved!, I can only come to the conclusion that there are a number of reviewers out there who base their reviews only on the trailers and reputations of the films, and don't actually see them.

Saved!, of course, is the second film of the year to break the most unspeakable subject in a business that knows few boundaries that won't be crossed: religion. It's hardly as controversial as The Passion of Christ, but anything that dares discuss religion, seriously or in farce, is going to get it's fair share from both sides. What's more, critics from both sides seem to be split on what the film is saying. Critics from religious roots either find the film to be an attack on Christians and Christian values, while others praise it for bringing Christianity to the screen for teenagers. Meanwhile, other critics who come from very liberal areas are split between enjoying the attacks on what they view as one of the biggest targets in America not sitting in the White House, while others seem to dislike it for not going far enough.

For once, when it comes to religion in America, I have just one request for critics and movie-goers. Sit down, shut the f**k up, and just watch the damn film.

Saved! presents a story that, like Mean Girls, exposes some of the hypocrisies that exist within this culture while celebrating it. It is not strictly an attack on the Christian lifestyle as much as it is an analysis of the ideals within it, and the complexity of mixing it with real life when much of America oversimplifies it. In that regard, this film is eye opening. Though many people I know here in California think it's exaggerated, the kinds of assemblies shown in this film, where the youth pastor/principal does a flip on-stage and yells "Who's down with G-O-D?" is not exaggerated at all. That's the way things are at such youth rallies. It's things like that which gives the new young Christian movement such an aura of ridiculousness. Although the church has embraced many aspects of youth culture as a part of church life, it comes off as just sad for a lot of people when the preacher is trying to talk like Coolio.

The good news is that the main characters of this film are portrayed with serious depth and confusion concerning Christianity. Jena Malone's role as Mary is filled with an awakening, realizing that messages from God are not very clear, and very subject to misinterpretation. And even as she tries to rebel against everything Christian, she still holds some respect for the values, if not the teachings, of what she's been brought up with. Unfortunately, her character's journey is very predictable, so it falls on the supporting cast to keep things interesting.

And that's where Saved! is redeemed. Macaulay Culkin, back in show biz, is particularly enjoyable as Roland, the crippled brother of the school's resident cheerleader figure, Hilary Faye (Mandy Moore). He's a quiet rebel, instead of being open about, he goes through the motions without really buying most of it. When the school's lone Jew and rebel without a cause Cassandra (Eva Amurri, from The Banger Sisters) confesses that she's not really a stripper, Mac replies without hesitation "I'm not really a Christian" with the same tone as one would talk about a stripper. Amurri herself is fun to watch as the rebel who shows some surprising heart, both towards Roland and Mary. Patrick Fugit (Almost Famous) shows up as a skateboarding dream boy, but he has little to do but look cute for Mary to crush on.

However, the showpiece of this film is Mandy Moore, who unlike her pop star-turned-actress peers, plays off her good girl image as the closest thing to a villain that this story has. She has the best lines and she delivers them with the greatest irony, and it's when the film veers off from its story to pick on Hilary Faye that it keeps people's interest.

Unfortunately, Hilary Faye is one of the pieces of the film that also feels incomplete as the film spirals towards it's climax. As Hilary finds her popularity being challenged, she shows a deeper and more interesting character: a Christian who's truly given it all to God's word but with the belief that she would receive instant rewards. Unfortunately, as soon as this depth appears, it disappears as the film heads towards it's unlikely resolution, which all feels rushed and falls into place far too perfectly, even for a film where God plays such a primary role. Particularly the gay boyfriend of Mary's who comes back out of no where (but acting like he's had a ton of backstory we should be recognizing), and suddenly finds out he's a daddy. It's just too convenient, no matter how much faith you have.

In the end, people should watch this movie and realize that Christians, no matter how crazy it seems, are no different than any other group of people, be them classified by ethnicity, gender, locale, religion or any other definition. They're real, they aren't all the same, they have complex problems within their lifestyles. And most of all, they're still represented and pigeonholed by the most visible, extreme, obnoxious, and annoying members of their ilk, those who are least worthy of being representatives of their cultures.

But it's still okay to laugh at them, because somewhere, someone's laughing at you, too.

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