Released on DVD this month, "Saved!" is a typical teen dramedy with a religious twist. Mary (Jena Malone), a former member of the Christian "it" crowd, must battle the group leader Hilary Faye (Mandy Moore). Mixed into this uninspired story is a gay boyfriend, a handicapped skeptic and an angry Jewish outcast.
When "Saved!" hit theaters, the response was a combination of indifference and Christian outrage. Filming production was halted numerous times when Christian cast members quit, and a church refused to allow filming because of content concerns.
Set in fictitious Eagle Mountain High School, Mary is struggling with her ice-skater boyfriend, who believes he is gay. In an attempt to "give him what he needs for Jesus," Mary gets pregnant and sets up the theme for the movie. How will Mary hide the pregnancy from classmate and outspoken fundamentalist Hilary Faye?
Moore plays the role of Hilary brilliantly. While making fun of her good-girl image, Moore injects ambition, anger and intolerance into the role of a holier-than-thou high schooler.
Hilary plays up her Christian sacrifices by chauffeuring her "mobility-challenged" brother Roland (Macaulay Culkin). Roland doesn't participate in the high school's fundamentalist preaching, remaining on the fringes and serving as a skeptic to Hilary's excess.
As Mary's pregnancy develops, she begins to see flaws with the Bible-beating girl group "Christian Jewels" and begins to doubt its genuine motives. Of course, Hilary responds to this "depravity" in full force. When an impromptu exorcism of Mary doesn't go well, she opts to bean Mary with the Bible. Things only go downhill from there.
The plot twists when Roland and school outcast Cassandra (Eva Amurri) spot Mary visiting a Planned Parenthood alone.
This dialogue is where many viewers get confused about the movie. The first half is a sharp-edged rebuke of fundamentalist hypocrites, but the second half is a promotion of tolerance and a questioning of theology's motives.
After Roland and Cassandra confront the pregnant Mary, the movie takes on the angle of "what would Jesus really do?" Would Jesus permanently reject certain people based on failures or would there be opportunities for redemption?
Although "Saved!" was heavily criticized for misrepresentations by Christians, the movie addresses some relevant questions about morality and about relating to the behavior of others. While some critics would like to say the movie is about rejecting Christian values, the essence of the film is about rejecting hypocrisy and demonstrating the truth of a belief system.
The DVD gives a better understanding of the filmmaker's intent with "Saved!" through an audio commentary of the movie. There is a separate track for director and co-writer Brian Bannelly and a track for the stars Malone and Moore. Adding to the extras is the usual offering of deleted scenes and some amusing bloopers.
"Saved!" would be a great addition to any Aggie's DVD collection and gives the opportunity for frank thoughts on hypocrisy, eternity and tolerance.
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