Mary (Jena Malone) describes herself as Born-Again, having been "saved" when she was 3. Entering her senior year at American Eagle Christian High School, she thinks she has everything figured out until her boyfriend Dean (Chad Faust) drops a bombshell: he thinks he's gay.
Obviously, that's a big no-no, but after a vision of Jesus in a swimming pool, Mary decides to take drastic action. She has sex with Dean. Unfortunately, Dean's parents find his stash of gay porn and send him away to a halfway house to be "cured," and Mary learns she's pregnant. Confused, alone, she grows alienated from her familiar life at school, drawing the ire of her best friend Hillary Faye (Mandy Moore), who does not take kindly to anyone straying from the faith.
Obviously, that's a big no-no, but after a vision of Jesus in a swimming pool, Mary decides to take drastic action. She has sex with Dean. Unfortunately, Dean's parents find his stash of gay porn and send him away to a halfway house to be "cured," and Mary learns she's pregnant. Confused, alone, she grows alienated from her familiar life at school, drawing the ire of her best friend Hillary Faye (Mandy Moore), who does not take kindly to anyone straying from the faith.
Yet, beneath its cynical exterior, the movie has a heart and demonstrates affection toward its characters. No one is beyond forgiveness, not even the worst Christianity has to offer.
The movie proceeds as a coming-of-age story for Mary as she goes through the school year. She begins the movie rigid in her beliefs but confused by contradictions and hypocrisies she sees. She wants to do the right thing, but doing what she thought was right got her in this predicament. By the end, while her faith remains, she becomes more tolerant and understanding of other beliefs and behaviors, big on love, not exclusion, and the people around her become better, too.
There are a number of subplots and other characters. Mary's widowed mother Lillian (Mary-Louise Parker) is devout but clearly has the hots for the principal, Pastor Skip (Martin Donovon). Pastor Skip's son Patrick (Patrick Fugit), a nice guy returning from missionary work overseas, has a crush on Mary, but she, feeling shamed about her condition, pushes him away.
Mary falls in with two outsiders at school as her pregnancy develops. Since she cannot confide in her mother or other friends, they become her supporters: Roland (Macaulay Culkin), Hillary Fay's paraplegic brother who bluntly states he's not a Christian, and Cassandra (Eva Amurri), the only Jewish student at American Eagle. Cassandra revels in being the school's rebel.
Cassandra and Roland become an item early on. She doesn't treat him with condescending pity or like a burden; he appreciates her for who she is. Plus, they both enjoy enraging Hillary Fay, who, because of her self-righteous, self-centeredness, is pretty easy to rile up.
Saved! mixes comedy with teen drama but never becomes too sappy or too ridiculous. I don't know if director Brian Dannelly or his co-screenwriter Michael Urban went to a Christian school, but the details feel real. On the first day of school, Pastor Skip holds a pep rally that resembles a Joel Osteen service, and Cassandra spoils the event by pretending to speak in tongues. What's she's actually saying is cruder. She delights in being outrageous, but she and Roland also demonstrate more thoughtfulness and caring toward Mary than almost anyone else.
At another point, Hillary Fay and her gang try to perform an exorcism on Mary when they see her stray. The inclusion of the iconic Mike Oldfield theme "Tubular Bells" is a nice touch. It's funny, even when Hillary Fay pelts Mary with a Bible (the symbolism is strong). Then, it becomes awesome when Mary tosses the Bible back. "This is not a weapon."
It leads to, all things considered, a rather touching and heartwarming ending. Lessons are learned, loving bonds are formed, and differences are celebrated and embraced, not condemned.
"Why would God make us so different if he wanted us to be the same?"
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