Saved! Review
by Mark R. Leeper (markrleeper AT yahoo DOT com)November 25th, 2004
SAVED!
(a film review by Mark R. Leeper)
CAPSULE: A right-wing evangelistic clique of girls
rules the social order at a Christian high school.
One begins to question their values. For a light
comedy this film says a great deal about some
serious issues. The script shows a few rough edges
but it beats many films of much higher pretensions.
Rating: +2 (-4 to +4) or 7/10
Sometimes the TV show "The West Wing" will take a small story, perhaps even a family story, and place it in the White House.
Conversely some films will take issues of national importance, but have them play out in a neighborhood or a high school. George Orwell told the story of Russia under Communism, setting it in an English animal farm. ELECTION was a serious film about national politics and more but was told as a high school comedy. SAVED! is a perceptive and wryly witty comedy about the evangelical right, but it is set in a Christian high school. Even the name of the school sets off alarms. It is the American Eagle Christian High School.
In the senior class at American Eagle Christian High School at the top of the food chain is a holier-than-thou clique of girls who form a singing trio called the Christian Jewels. Because they appear so fervently Christian, they have the full approval of the school faculty. Pastor Skip (played by Martin Donovan) represents the latter. Leading the singing clique is Hilary Faye (Mandy
Moore) and happy to be accepted in the group is our central character Mary (Jena Malone from CONTACT). As Mary starts senior year she has everything going for her. She is in with the Christian Jewels, she has found Jesus, and she has a handsome Christian boy friend Dean (Chad Faust). She seems to be heading into a world of Christian bliss. Then Dean privately in the family swimming pool tells Mary a secret he has told nobody else.
He thinks he is actually gay. Mary is shocked enough to hit her head on the side of the side and sees a vision of Jesus at the bottom of the pool. Jesus gives her a Mission. Jesus wants to her to turn Dean from his evil ways. She convinces Dean to have sex with her to lead him to the joys of heterosexual love. This plan had no effect on the preoccupied Dean, but it has the worst possible outcome possible for Mary. She is pregnant, the baby's father does not like girls, and the Jesus she saw at the bottom of her swimming pool as left her high and dry. She finds she cannot bring her problems to her mother Lilian (Mary-Louise Parker). The only friend willing to help her is the rebel and the school's only Jew, Cassandra (Eva Amurri). Hilary Faye's wheelchair-bound brother Roland (Macaulay Culkin) rounds out a threesome of outcast friends.
We have seen many enough comedies making fun of Christianity.
Monty Python did a more than adequate job in THE MEANING OF LIFE and THE LIFE OF BRIAN. But that is not what co-writer and director Brian Dannelly is doing. He is not attacking religion so much as championing moderation. He is saying that those who with to appear the most zealous in their religion in order to use it against others are really the least Christian. The most Christian are the tolerant moderates. This too has been said in films before, but less frequently and usually in great films like INHERIT THE WIND.
Casting was unusually good and not just for acting merit. Martin Donovan and Patrick Fugit play father and son and there could be a family resemblance. Similarly Jena Malone really looks like she could be the daughter of Mary-Louise Parker. Eva Amurri seems to overplay her role just a little, but perhaps her character might be a little overripe.
I expected a light teen comedy and got it, but also got a film that operates on several levels. For reasons I will not explain here since they would be spoilers, it seemed that the plotting toward the ending was contrived and I thought the script needed a little work. But as the rating indicates this is a film of some substance. I rate this one a +2 on the -4 to +4 scale or 7/10.
Mark R. Leeper
[email protected]
Copyright 2004 Mark R. Leeper
Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
