Saved! (2003)

61% of critics liked it
(141 reviews)
75% of users liked it
(107,532 ratings)

Mary (Jena Malone) is entering her senior year at American Eagle Christian High School. She seems to be in an ideal social position as one of the "Christian Jewels," the most devout and popular clique of girls in the school, led by the aggressively cheerful Hilary Faye (Mandy Moore). But things take… More Mary (Jena Malone) is entering her senior year at American Eagle Christian High School. She seems to be in an ideal social position as one of the "Christian Jewels," the most devout and popular clique of girls in the school, led by the aggressively cheerful Hilary Faye (Mandy Moore). But things take an unexpected turn when Mary's boyfriend, Dean (Chad Faust), tells her he may be gay. Mary hits her head and has a vision, in which Jesus tells her how to help "cure" Dean of his unnatural urges. Mary does everything in her power to sway Dean, but when his parents find out about his "problem," they send him away just before the school year starts, leaving Mary alone, confused, and, she soon finds out, pregnant. Mary's new situation causes her to question everything, including her friendship with the judgmental Hilary Faye and her faith. Her mother (Mary-Louise Parker) is too preoccupied with her flirtatious relationship with the school's married principal, Pastor Skip (Martin Donovan), to notice Mary's problem. Pastor Skip's dreamboat skateboarder son, Patrick (Patrick Fugit), has returned from missionary work and is attracted to Mary, but she already has too much to deal with. Just when she thinks her situation is hopeless, she finds a pair of unlikely allies in Hilary Faye's cynical wheelchair-bound brother, Roland (Macaulay Culkin), and wild, muscle car-driving provocateur Cassandra Edelstein (Eva Amurri), the school's only Jewish student. Saved! marks the feature debut of director Brian Dannelly, who co-wrote the script with Michael Urban. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 32 min.
Directed By: Brian Dannelly
Written By: Michael Urban, Brian Dannelly
Genres: Drama, Comedy

In Theaters: May 28, 2004 Wide
On DVD: Oct 5, 2004
Studio: MGM

Critic Reviews

Peter Rainer, New York Magazine
No doubt the filmmakers are bracing for -- even hoping for -- a display of ire from religious conservatives. But the truth is, nothing in Saved! stings.
David Denby, New Yorker
A minor work, yet it has a teasing lilt to it, and to make it at all took courage and originality.
Andrew Sarris, New York Observer
After two comically inventive scenes, it quickly turns soft and flat.
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star
Something puts the fear of God into Saved! about halfway in.
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee
Saved! is one of those frustrating little movies that I wanted to like more than I actually did.
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
An afterschool special gone deliciously wrong.
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Begins as a satire, ends with a renewal of faith.
Nick Rogers, Suite101.com
A successful mix of John Waters' naughty sass with Frank Capra's' cordial sweetness, "Saved!" questions Christianity's constant urgency: Is salvation really unattainable for these teenagers if they're not seeking it this second, every second, 24/7?
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com
"Saved!" starts out as a feisty satire on organized religion but sputters in its third act to an apologetic footnote for all that has come before.
Amber Wilkinson, Eye for Film
Brian Dannelly's movie waltzes across the floor of high school comedies like a new kid out to prove he's in a class of his own.
Robert Roten, Laramie Movie Scope
As a superficial treatment of this important subject, it has its moments.
Todd Hertz, Christianity Today
Saved! could have been a challenging but affirming movie about the evangelical subculture -- if handled with the same love, acceptance and tolerance it preaches.
Betsy Bozdech, Hollywood.com
Faith takes a hip, raised-eyebrow beating in this biting yet surprisingly earnest dark comedy.
, Time Out
It's a shame the closing moral about a more pragmatic, inclusive approach to spirituality is conveyed with such a heavy hand.
, Empire Magazine
The idea is inspired and the enthusiasm evident in every aspect of story and performance.
Don R. Lewis, Film Threat
Equal parts satire, spoof and teen comedy, Saved! is just a sweet and funny movie that starts off with bite but settles into an honest feeling of happiness and acceptance for all types of people and their choices.
Bill Clark, FromTheBalcony
I sat through this film with a perma-smile, and just thinking about it still makes me laugh.
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
Uma inteligente discussão sobre aceitação, fé e as conseqüências repugnantes do fundamentalismo religioso - tudo isto em uma embalagem divertida e irreverente.
Jeffrey Overstreet, Looking Closer
Dannelly reflects the problems with contemporary Christianity brilliantly. But in deciding that mere tolerance will save the world, he fumbles the final act.
Mark R. Leeper, Mark Leeper's Reviews
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.

Read all 20 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Bethany M

I really liked this film! It was funny and it also gave out a positive message. A must see!
Alice S

A teen comedy with the typical cliques and baddies but also, many deep commentaries on love, sex, faith, humanity, and diversity. Every character achieves redemption in his or her own way, but that's okay because it echoes what the movie believes true Christianity should be.… More
A teen comedy with the typical cliques and baddies but also, many deep commentaries on love, sex, faith, humanity, and diversity. Every character achieves redemption in his or her own way, but that's okay because it echoes what the movie believes true Christianity should be. The "shit - fuck - Goddamn" scene is excellent.
Lenny M

I thought it was hilarious in high school, gets less funny as an adult and you analyze da chuuch issues. Solid satire.
Spencer S

Introspective, good cast and script, and blatantly different.
Jennifer D

VERY cute. Very, very cute.
Manu G

It was allright just wasn't that interesting. Mary is a good Christian girl who goes to a good Christian high school where she has good Christian friends, mainly Hilary Faye, and a perfect Christian boyfriend, Dean. Her life seems perfect, until the day that she finds out… More
It was allright just wasn't that interesting. Mary is a good Christian girl who goes to a good Christian high school where she has good Christian friends, mainly Hilary Faye, and a perfect Christian boyfriend, Dean. Her life seems perfect, until the day that she finds out that Dean may be gay. After "seeing" a vision of Jesus in a pool, she does everything in her power to help him turn straight, including offering up her virginity. But none of it helps because Dean's caught and sent to a "degayification" center and Mary ends up pregnant. It's during her time of need that she becomes real friends with the school's set of "misfits," including Cassandra, the school's only Jewish girl; Roland, Hilary Faye's wheelchair-bound brother, and Patrick, the skateboarder son of the school's principal, Pastor Skip; whilst Hilary Faye turns her into a social outcast.
Luke B

A teen high school comedy that is funny, relevant and positive. It's very, very clever. Not just the script, or the message but the whole production. This isn't an anti-God propaganda film to corrupt the world. It's a film that calls into question organised religion and… More
A teen high school comedy that is funny, relevant and positive. It's very, very clever. Not just the script, or the message but the whole production. This isn't an anti-God propaganda film to corrupt the world. It's a film that calls into question organised religion and the consequences of following the rules like some dictatorship. The medium of teen high school flick is put to good use. It speaks to it's audience but doesn't condescend them. Giving them a type of film that is popular amongst it's demographic, but smarter than the regular breed. Moore, Malone, Amurri and Culkin give fantastic performances, treating their characters with respect and never overplaying their individual messages. It's a great film for those interested in religion, those that are religious and even those that aren't, as their is a good message for everybody. Even parents should enjoy the teenage perspective, and also the sub-plots dealing with the parents own "demons".
Red L

I quite enjoyed this movie. Perhaps there is too much idealism - the chances of the outcasts being such good friends is remote, but it is nice to hope that even the outcasts of the world make it through graduation as happy as they do in this movie.
Jennifer X

Mean Girls in a Christian school with slightly more-nuanced acting. With a little bit of Juno mixed in for good measure. Mandy Moore is delicious and Jena Malone is a cutie. I love satires masking as teen comedies.
Bannan i

Bloody witty and equally entertaining.
Drew S

Despite what Saved tells you, God obviously doesn't exist; if he did, then Mandy Moore would have a film career that does not involve shithouses like License to Wed. Watching her hurl the Bible at Jena Malone and rant about how she is filled with Christ's love was a pleasant… More
Despite what Saved tells you, God obviously doesn't exist; if he did, then Mandy Moore would have a film career that does not involve shithouses like License to Wed. Watching her hurl the Bible at Jena Malone and rant about how she is filled with Christ's love was a pleasant surprise coming from her. This movie is pretty good, but at the same time I wish it hit harder. I know that it pulls the punches a bit to avoid offending its Christian audiences, which I respect it for (despite being a pretty militant atheist myself), but concurrently the humor is kind of gentle by result. Also, some people may view the ending as backsliding, a gigantic apology for any of the iconoclasms that the previous hour and a half may have presented. But hell, you do what you have to. A lot of what strength it does have comes from the performances (especially, once again, Mandy Moore) and the good-natured ribbing of rabid Christians. There are things that Saved is willing to truly attack, dangerous institutions such as indoctrination camps. Everything else is poked at, but left undisturbed on the whole. Not the best comedy ever, but a good investment of 90 minutes. (This is my 1000th review! I wish it had been for a movie that's a little more momentous, but who gives a shit? It's just the Internet. I like to think that this is some sort of reward from Jesus or something.)
Michael S

A biting teen satire. Really funny stuff.
Thomas J

Funny, but has a point!!
Chris W

Hillarious and well acted satire of Christian schools that needs to be seen by everybody, especially those who, like me, come from a town dominated by religious fanatics. This film gets everything they poke fun at absolutely perfect, which is another reason this film gets my respect… More
Hillarious and well acted satire of Christian schools that needs to be seen by everybody, especially those who, like me, come from a town dominated by religious fanatics. This film gets everything they poke fun at absolutely perfect, which is another reason this film gets my respect and reccomendation.
Mike S

Great drama-comedy with much to say and a solid message. I loved the cast and how the movie deals with the themes of religion, tolerance and acceptance. In a light-hearted way it also displays the dangers of fundamentalism and narrow-mindedness. It would seem the writers of this movie… More
Great drama-comedy with much to say and a solid message. I loved the cast and how the movie deals with the themes of religion, tolerance and acceptance. In a light-hearted way it also displays the dangers of fundamentalism and narrow-mindedness. It would seem the writers of this movie share a lot with my own philosophy on life, God and religion.
Dean M

Great 2000's teen comedy about when a girl at a Baptist high school gets pregnant, she is ostracised by the other students. Jena Malone, Mandy Moore, Macaulay Culkin and Eva Amurri make excellent performances.
Wildaly M

I loved this one. A satiric comedy that is surprisingly very funny and at the same time touching. Malone really shows her worth as an actress in this one not to mention that her performance touched me. The one scene that I consider best is the one in which Malone's character… More
I loved this one. A satiric comedy that is surprisingly very funny and at the same time touching. Malone really shows her worth as an actress in this one not to mention that her performance touched me. The one scene that I consider best is the one in which Malone's character doubts her faith.
Jason S

Ok. Lot's of crazy people though.
Michael G

Better than I thought it would be. Even if it's got some of the WB sensibilities to it.
Leigh R

Funny...