This is the funnest little film. I live in Colorado Springs, so I see first-hand all the lunacy of the fundamentalist ubercult. This film humbly mobrd within that exclusive world and respectfully points out so much of the hypocrisy and contradiction. "Saved" delivers a positive message without preaching, and has the rare quality of being a film that can be watched again and again. It's also nice to see Macaulay Culkin back in films again.

I read somewhere Brian Dannelly did a movie based on somewhat of a parallel to his own life. Myself being a Catholic graduating from a Baptist high school in Florida, I had to see this film. I knew what it was like first hand how someone within the first week of tenth - grade, asked if I was saved.

The film chronicles Mary (Jenna Malone) who discovers that her boyfriend Dean (young Canadian, Chad Faust, who unfortunately wasn't in the movie enough) is gay. She knows that since Jesus has told her that Chad needs her help, she feels that by having sex with Dean, he would be converted. Of course, she gets pregnant, and his parents finding the latest issue of Honcho magazine (the prime instrument, I imagine, in getting Dean to perform as well as he did), sends him off to the Mercy House.
As we go through the school year, we notice Mary realizing the perfect faith that her once best friend had, Hillary Faye (Mandy Moore) is somewhat diluted. As this movie goes through every holiday during the school year, we realize this is Mandy Moore's movie. It is that simple. With her van made specially for her parapegic brother (Maucalay Culkin) she dutifully exemplifies her testimony to Jesus Christ. She must deal with her brother, Roland, and his attraction to the bad-girl Jewish student, Cassandra. Her potential boyfriend, Patrick (Patrick Fugit), who has more of an interest for Mary. She plays the role perfectly which caps off brilliantly at the prom.

I can only imagine there will some criticism from the fundamentalist community. This movie would not be one that the youth group I was involved in high school, would drag me to see. Yet after seeing this movie, I realized if the director who is Catholic can come out of a Baptist high school, and make such an excellent movie, there still hope for me yet.