Saved! (2004)

Director:

Brian Dannelly

Writers (WGA):

Brian Dannelly (written by) &
Michael Urban (written by)

Release Date:

16 September 2004 (Germany)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Heaven Help Us.

Plot:

When a girl (Malone) attending a Christian high school becomes pregnant, she finds herself ostracized and demonized, as all of her former friends turn on her.

Plot Keywords:

Blasphemy | Human Relationship | Student Principal Relationship | Rehabilitation | Clique

Awards:

1 win & 6 nominations

Cast

Jena Malone	...	Mary
Mandy Moore	...	Hilary Faye
Macaulay Culkin	...	Roland
Patrick Fugit	...	Patrick
Heather Matarazzo	...	Tia
Eva Amurri	...	Cassandra
Chad Faust	...	Dean
Elizabeth Thai	...	Veronica
Martin Donovan	...	Pastor Skip
Mary-Louise Parker	...	Lillian
Kett Turton	...	Mitch
Julia Arkos	...	PE Coach
Donna White	...	Trudy Mason
James Caldwell	...	Hairdresser
Nicki Clyne	...	Guitar Player

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for strong thematic issues involving teens - sexual content, pregnancy, smoking and language.

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #39323) | Malaysia:U | Sweden:7 | Ireland:15PG | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:14A (British Columbia/Ontario) | Chile:TE | Finland:K-11 | Germany:12 | Iceland:L | Norway:A | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:M18 | Singapore:NC-16 (cut) | UK:12A | Peru:PT

Filming Locations:

Clayton Heights Secondary, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

United Artists

Trivia:

The Hebrew on Cassandra's necklace (visible during the Christmas food court scene) says "Cassandra".

Goofs:

Continuity: When Mary gets into Cassandra's car for the first time, the interior shot of her entering the car shows it to be very dark outside the car, indicating late evening or night time, the following wide exterior shot is of a mid afternoon.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Mary: [voice over] I've been born again my whole life... accepting Jesus.

Movie Connections:

Spoofs Wit (2001) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Holy Holy Holy

Saw this on opening day and...

I actually watched this film again a couple days ago and I am editing my comments.

First, I am changing my vote to 10 out of 10.

With the third act of the film, I thought it actually worked. I had my doubts about it earlier but after seeing it again, I actually thought that it came out with a much more positive message and I was wrong about the end taking an easy out. I think that the film actually gave a very uplifting and realistic message about where faith should be.

Actually watching the film on DVD with all of the extras enhanced my viewing experience. I suppose when I went in the theatre I was expecting it to be a dark comedy so that may explain some of my opinions in the first review. It actually worked much better for me the second time.

I do still wish that there were one little scene to wrap up Mandy Moore's character arc though.

MY ORIGINAL REVIEW: I think that this just might make my top 10 of the year.

I honestly think that this was one of the best films in a long time to deliver any kind of religious message, particularly an alternative to the absolutist fundamentalist messages that are so prevalent. Addressing the 'anti-Christian' issue, it is more 'anti-Fundamentalist' then anything else, the only people who could see sacrilege in there would be dour and humorless religious zealots (who see sacrilege and persecution in everything and everyone except themselves). While it does poke fun at the subculture, it never does so in a disrespectful manner. This film, like The Shape of Things, is really a good litmus test for a person, you can tell a lot about them based on how they react to it.

The acting was excellent all around in the film and there were some hilariously clever moments including one that the entire theatre laughed for about fifteen seconds.

If there is a weakness to the film then it would be the end. The end got a bit heavy handed at times and many of the plots are resolved in a manner that is far too easy and light to fit in with the tone of the rest of the film. I wish that there would have been a little more to it and a better resolution for Mandy Moore's character.

Overall though, I would rank this film as a must see, particularly the kind of film you would bring a friend to, one who is getting a bit too serious about his religion.

Kudos to everyone involved on this film.