Saved! (2004)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

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

Plot Keywords:

High School | Pastor | Sex | Friendship | Satire

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

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Sweden:7 | Malaysia:U | Ireland:15PG | USA:PG-13 (certificate #39323) | 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:

As Pastor Skip enters the school library to talk to Hilary Faye and the Christian Jewels about Mary, there is a READ poster featuring R.E.M. visible over his shoulder. Michael Stipe is the lead singer of R.E.M. and also co-produced the film.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Shots of trees with leaves that have changed colors appear throughout the early part of the film, yet it takes place at the beginning of the school year, presumably September. Fall foliage would not start that early in Maryland, where the film takes place.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

References West Side Story (1961)

Soundtrack:

Everyday

A good wake up call for the evangelical church

I recall the controversy surrounding Saved when it came out earlier this year, especially from the evangelical church, conservatives and fundamentalists. I wanted to judge for myself its merits, or lack there of, since I've been an evangelical for 30+ years. I felt the movie did exactly what it intended to do; bring to light the hypocrisy of the church. I don't see how anybody, Christian or non-Christian could miss the message. I thought the selection of actors and actresses for the cast was right on, with each doing a very good job of portraying the personality of their characters well. I'm sure the movie was particularly biting to many evangelicals, as it should be--it even 'stung' me in a few places. I could see how evangelicals and conservatives would be outraged. However, the one thing I was especially struck by was the fact that this movie was written by non-Christians. As I watched all the 'digs' on Christians and the points of the evident hypocrisy within the church and Christianity, I came to a conclusion; if this movie was written by a non-Christian, then obviously there is a significant segment of our culture who believe the 'church' really is like this. If anything should move we evangelicals to start living lives of authenticity that reflect the love and grace of Jesus, this movie was it!