Z-Reviews || Movies || Review

Alright! Alright! Who's down with G-O-D?! Don’t know what I’m taking about? Maybe you need to get saved! Yes, Saved! A new teen comedy that takes place at a Christian high school where praising the Lord is just plain cool. However this perfect world of love and worship is turned upside-down when a senior named Mary (Jena Malone) becomes pregnant. The irony of the story is that her boyfriend is gay and she has sex with him in an attempt to make him straight, but gets pregnant in the process. What follows is a series of conflicts as Mary grows further apart with her pretentious friend Hilary Faye (Mandy Moore) and starts hanging out with the school outcasts which includes the shameless Cassandra (Eva Amurri) and Roland (Macauley Culkin), Hilary Faye's wheelchair bound brother.

This movie brings forth a young, clever, and fresh cast of teenagers who appear to have a lot of potential. Jena Malone who starred in the mind bending movie Donnie Darko plays the shy and quiet Mary. Mary starts out as a very easily manipulated person who is willing to believe anything that anyone tells her. However as the movie progresses she begins to realize how brainwashed everyone around her is; especially her former best friend Hilary Faye. Mandy Moore does a surprisingly good job portraying the stuck-up, self-righteous beauty queen Hilary Faye who feels that it is her task to meddle in everyone’s business. However when she doesn’t get her way her vile and vindictive side begins shows and that’s when Mandy’s acting really begins to shine.

What kind of Mandy Moore movie would this be if it didn’t have any singing? Don’t you worry; the director cleverly incorporated a Christian girl rock band that is comprised of Mary, Hilary Faye, and another girl which gives Mandy an ample opportunity to show off her singing. The movie pokes satirical fun at modern Christian music and the Christian pop culture in general which is attempting to make Jesus look cool for the kids. You can’t help laughing hysterically when you hear the minister using obsolete hip-hop slang like “Let's kick it for Christ” or when a skateboarder exclaims “I board for the Lord.”

Although some Christians may object to this movie because it pokes fun at piety and strong religious beliefs, most viewers will find the subject matter non-threatening and cheerful. This is not to say that the way these kids are being brainwashed by the Church is not a serious problem. However the director, Brian Dannelly, decided to sidestep this issue in order to make a lighthearted comedy that will likely not offend anyone. In the end all the problems are happily resolved and everyone ends up being a better person than they started out as. Nevertheless, most viewers will not be fooled in to believing that such a satisfying ending could happen in real life and will walk out of the theater feeling empty despite all the laughs they had.