INFO
REVIEWS
MAP
OPEN FORUM
PHOTO ALBUM
 Chris' Review: Oh, somebody is definitely going to hell... Ok, first, the review: I hadn't heard anything about "Saved" ... I didn't even know the plot until Jim filled me in. Did anybody advertise this movie? Were there any previews for it? Maybe I just missed them. I really think this movie could have done a LOT better at the box office if it had been pushed a tad more. So, briefly, the movie is about a Christian school and the fundamentalists that go there...then we throw in some teen pregnancy, gay identity, and faith-questioning...and here's what you get: A funny movie that, although it's making fun of the hardcore fundamentalists, doesn't call into question their Christian beliefs. A balancing act between funny and insulting; we're shown a world where everyone just seems so perfect and so "down with G-O-D", a near-utopian society that would just be perfect if it wasn't for that darn Jewish girl who refuses to be "born again"...Then the film slowly unravels their costumes...removes their masks.. and dismantles the stage that everyone is living on. At some point in the movie, everyone...everyone...finds an intense "flaw" within themselves that their religion doesn't have the answers to. Some of the best character growth I've seen in cinema. Eventually everyone comes to an understanding that maybe Christianity doesn't have all the answers... maybe it's just not possible for a single book to contain the answers to every scenario. It's the intolerance that gets attacked, not the faith. In the end, everyone turns to each other, as much as prayer, for support. Now, I have to talk about a few of the actors. First off, Macaulay Culkin. For those of you that haven't seen him since the "Home Alone" movies, I highly recommend picking up "Party Monster." Culkin is well on his way to re-establishing himself as a Hollywood star. Remember, I said "Hollywood star"... not Academy Award winner. Much like in his childhood roles, he is given the best one liners and monologues. Unfortunately, Mac never really was good at his interaction with the other actors. From "Uncle Buck" to "Saved", his timing is priceless, his tone is perfect, but you could put a brick wall between him and the rest of the cast and you'd never know the difference. At once brilliant and flawed. Worth keeping an eye on, though. Mandy Moore... I didn't even know until after the movie that she was a Britney wannabe. Well, Mandy, you're a wonderful actress, and your voice isn't too bad either. Please please PLEASE stay with cinema and make them give you singing roles. We need more modern musicals. Um... so I like musicals... shut up! Last, the star of our show...Eva Amurri as Cassandra...wonderfully quirky and totally believable. (not to mention very, very hot) Without her performances (example: when she was "speaking in tongues") the movie would have been tasty, but dry. She was the gravy served up to make that whole meal melt in your mouth. Mmm-mmm... So all in all - the plot, screen play, directing, acting...it's all "good". It had a strong message, and for that it gets kudos from me... but I didn't laugh that hard at things, I wasn't astounded by the design, the acting was ok but not jump-out-of-my-seat-and-write-the-academy good. It was a good movie with a message, but not something to file away under "must see". I give it 6 thumbs up. I might buy the DVD, I might not. Back to my opening remark... who was it that thought it would be a good idea to decapitate Jesus in this film? What were they thinking? I'm sure that SOMEONE on the crew had to have some strong Christian beliefs. I'm sure SOMEONE involved was a regular church-goer. Why did they not speak up and say, "Um, hey, guys... ya know...hehe... decapitation of our holy Saviour might be considered a bit blasphemous." I mean, they chopped off his frickin' head! It fell on top of a car! One minute he's all smiling with arms outstretched as though he's blessing the masses... the next, melon rolling around on the hood of a van! I'm all for picking on the fundies... but c'mon! Isn't there some sort of line that you're not supposed to cross? I mean, sure, make fun of homos and cripples and Jews and Jesus-freaks... but for Pete's sake! Let's not be lopping off the heads of our religious icons! Someone is definitely going to hell for that one.   Jim's Review: It's going to be difficult to review this film without editorializing...But I'll try. "Saved!" is ostensibly the story of Mary (Jena Malone), a teenage girl who attends a progressive, but still cripplingly conservative Christian high school. The sort of place that emphasizes archaic doctrines, but still holds openly cheesy "Jesus ROCKS!" pep rallies. But she's coming of age, and struggling with the growing pains all adolescents experience at the dawn of adulthood. She's confused, and has questions. Questions she's always been told she can look to her pastor, mother, and the Bible to the answers for...But questions that are still unresolved when she does. Because of the grey area, obtuse interpretations, and mixed messages Mary comes up with through the traditional means, she finds herself in a difficult position: Pregnant. Of course, an unplanned pregnancy is difficult for anyone, but Mary's upbringing and conditioning convince her that she has no place to go. Add to this the fact that the baby's father (Chad Faust) suspects he's homosexual, and is swiftly packed off to a "Christian Health Facility" by his hapless parents in an attempt to pray the gay away. And Mom (Mary-Louise Parker) isn't much help either, cutting Mary off before she can express herself, in order that she might attend sexual-tension-laden "Prayer Meetings" with the married Pastor Skip (Martin Donovan). Also not helping matters much are her "friends" at school. The ruthless, calculatingly pious Hillary Faye (a sanctimoniously bitchy Mandy Moore) is there to remind Mary at every turn that a holier-than-thou attitude isn't just good Christian practice, but a birthright. Hillary's brother Roland (Macaulay Culkin, nicely growing into a legitimate adult actor), may be confined to a wheelchair, but he's not interested in chaining himself down further with the heavy chains of his sister's version of the faith. Oddly, Mary's only salvation may just come in the form of chain-smoking, eye-liner sporting, Camaro-driving Jewish bad girl Cassandra (Eva Amurri), who may roll her eyes and scoff at everything the school stands for, but underneath, she's one of the only truly quality people to pass through the doors of the school. Now, I said that "Saved!" is ostensibly Mary's story because it seems to have a larger axe to grind. While on the surface, the film may appear to be a lighthearted comedy, it's a lot darker and riskier than its marketing lets on. It delights in taking potshots at targets, concepts, and issues that might be sacred cows to some, but are drastically under-criticized to others; accurately conveying the "us-and-them" insularity of so many religion-centered communities in the process. The film also deftly communicates the precise tone and timbre of the inherent ambiguous confusion of burgeoning maturity, complicated through the forced, artificial righteousness that seems rampant among far too many who consider themselves "believers". Yet, while lesser films might sacrifice the humanity of their characters delivering some variety of ham-fisted social commentary, "Saved!" allows the message to be carried through the thickly-drawn characters, not vice-versa. It truly works. Also of note are Pastor Skip's son Patrick (Patrick Fugit, last seen in "Almost Famous"), wallflower-cum-neophyte cool-girl Tia ("Welcome to the Dollhouse"s Heather Matarazzo), and "Christian Angel" Veronica (Elizabeth Thai), all of whom turn in solid, nearly note-perfect performances within the strong ensemble cast. I'm giving "Saved" eight thumbs up. The film could have decended ironically into the sort of preachiness it openly condemns, but it's instead a warm, sweetly rich coming-of-age story that lets everyone know that NOT asking questions is far worse then finding your way through making noble mistakes. BackHome - Info - Reviews - Map - Message Board - Photo Album |
|
IMDB.com answer all your movie questions! RottenTomatoes.com Get more reviews here! Hollywood.com Find showtimes at your local theatre, order tickets online! |