Saved!
(MGM Region 1 DVD)
(2004)
review by Head Cheeze

Brian Dannelly's Saved! could have so easily relied on teen comedy paradigms and been a rousing success, thanks, in part, to it's lead, pop-sensation Mandy Moore. I mean, when you've got one of America's sweethearts in the lead role of a film about a Christian high school, wouldn't playing it safe be the smart thing? Just think of the "tweenies" lined up around the corner for that one, no?

Well, thankfull, Dannelly had no such thing in mind when he created Saved!, a subversively funny, dark, and remarkably effective black comedy.

Saved! focuses on the lives of a quintet of students at a baptist high school in which the the "Three R's" are reading, 'riting, and religion. Watched over by the super enthusiastic Pastor Skip (Donovan), the school is a beacon of hope for bible belters everywhere, as it represents the creme de la creme of christian students, especially the super spunky, gorgeous, and ultra-conservative Hilary Faye (Moore). Hilary and her friends spend their days shopping, squawking, and reaching out to those they feel need Christ in their lives. Hilary's favourite target is the Jewish/agnostic reclamation project, Cassandra (Amurri), a girl who Pastor Skip accepts into his school because no other school would have her. Cassandra, meanwhile, finds herself attracted to Hilary's handicapped (and decidedly less fanatical) brother Roland (Culkin), and Roland shows Cassandra that, despite his appearance, he's as anti-establishment as she is. Meanwhile, Mary (Malone) finds herself pregnant after trying to turn her gay boyfriend straight with sex, and slowly withdraws from Hilary Faye's group. As she becomes more distant, Patrick (Fugit), Pastor Skip's son, finds himself increasingly attracted to the her. All the while, Hilary Faye wants Skip's son to like her, Roland to leave Cassandra, and to expose Mary to Pastor Skip; all of which she will attempt to do even if it does fly in the face of all she claims to be.

Saved! is a very funny film that manages to poke fun at a sensitive subject without being so derisive as to offend. The characters in this film feel very real, and, while Moore's Hilary Faye is something of a fanatic, she's never a simple stereotype. Instead, she's the Baptist Tracy Flick; an overachiever of biblical proportions. Moore is outstanding in this role, crafting a character whose spirtual ugliness, belies her formidable physical beauty (Moore is...wow...this is just one gorgeous gal). Culkin is also great in his small-yet-pivotal role as Roland, oozing a quiet cool one wouldn't expect from the "Home Alone" kid (unless one saw how brilliant he was in Party Monster!). The film features some of the most honest writing in a "teen" comedy I've seen since Richard Linklater's Dazed and Confused, and really captures the awkwardness of high school, clumsy relationships, and the horror of being a teenager in general.

The DVD from MGM is loaded with extra goodies, including a trio of cast and crew commentary tracks, behind-the-scenes footage, deleted scenes, bloopers, and much more.

Apparently hardcore Christians (Baptists in particular) hate this film. One need only peruse the IMDB or Amazon for "user" reviews and one will see dozens of completely asinine comments from folks who've probably not even seen the movie, yet find it "offensive". These people mask their obvious agenda with attempts at film criticism that may steer those who only skim the comments on these pages against giving Saved! a proper look. That would be a shame, because Dannelly's film is neither offensive or anti-Christian; to the contrary, it's message is one of tolerance, love, and empathy. Perhaps were they to watch the film they'd learn a thing or two, eh?