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(About Our Ads) "SAVED!" (2004) (Jenna Malone, Mandy Moore) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Mild Minor *Heavy None Minor Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Moderate None None None Heavy Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Heavy Moderate Mild Heavy Minor QUICK TAKE: Comedy: After becoming pregnant following her attempts to cure her boyfriend of his homosexuality, a teen finds her fundamentalist beliefs tested. PLOT: Mary (JENNA MALONE) is a born-again Christian who lives with her single mom Lillian (MARY-LOUISE PARKER) and attends a Christian school with her best friend Hilary Faye (MANDY MOORE). Things are going well for Mary until her boyfriend Dean (CHAD FAUST) tells her that he's gay. Believing that God wants her to cure him of that condition, Mary has sex with him. The cure doesn't work, but she ends up pregnant. When Dean's parents find out about him being a homosexual, they send him off to the rehabilitative Mercy Hospital, but Mary manages to keep her little surprise a secret. That is, except from Cassandra (EVA AMURRI), the school's lone Jewish student who looks down on the school, its students and their fundamentalist ways. Her best friend is Roland (MACAULAY CULKIN), Hilary's wheelchair bound brother who also attends the school but falls more in line with Cassandra than his evangelical sister. Cassandra doesn't blow Mary's cover, especially since she likes Patrick (PATRICK FUGIT), the new student who also happens to be the son of Pastor Skip Wheeler (MARTIN DONOVAN) who runs the school. As Mary finds her religious beliefs shaken and must deal with her pregnancy as well as Hilary's followers including Tia (HEATHER MATARAZZO) and Veronica (ELIZABETH THAI), Cassandra and Roland set out to bring about his sister's downfall. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? Those who are fans of someone in the cast may be interested in it, particularly if any controversy grows around the effort. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For strong thematic issues involving teens - sexual content, pregnancy, smoking and language. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: JENNA MALONE plays a born-again Christian who tries to cure her boyfriend of homosexuality by having sex with him, but only ends up getting pregnant. After that happens, her faith in religion is shaken, she becomes somewhat rebellious and briefly uses some profanity. MANDY MOORE plays her best friend, an ultra-devout high school senior who looks down upon or tries to convert those who don't believe in what she does. MACAULAY CULKIN plays her sarcastic, paraplegic brother who attends the same religious high school, but doesn't share her beliefs. He befriends Cassandra and takes up smoking. PATRICK FUGIT plays Pastor Skip's skateboarding son who takes a liking to Mary and continues to do so even after learning she's pregnant. HEATHER MATARAZZO plays one of Hilary's religious followers. EVA AMURRI plays the only Jewish student at the Christian school, a rebel who smokes, uses profanity and is a sarcastic troublemaker. MARTIN DONOVAN plays the school's devout pastor and principal who must deal with the various issues at his school as well as his feelings for Lillian (despite still being married). MARY-LOUISE PARKER plays Mary's single and slightly wild mother who takes a liking to Pastor Skip. CHAD FAUST plays Mary's boyfriend who suddenly realizes he's gay, but ends up having sex with and impregnating her during her efforts to change him. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this comedy that's been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 1 "f" word, while other expletives and colorful phrases are uttered. Various instances of sexually related dialogue (about gay and straight sex) are also present. Some footage of teenage couples fooling around and/or having sex (we see steamed up, rocking cards) is seen, as is that of one such couple having sex (with sounds, movement and the sight of the guy on top of the girl). The latter is her attempt to cure him of his homosexuality, but only results in her getting pregnant. Gay-related (a website, photos, etc.) and sex-ed class material (diagrams, etc.) is briefly seen. Various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes, while some fundamentalist viewers will likely view the film as an attack on them and their beliefs (others will see it as satire and the rest will fall somewhere between the two). A few comments are made about drugs and drinking and one teen appears to be a bit intoxicated in one scene. Several teen characters smoke. Some tense family material is present along with various thematic elements (the teen pregnancy, homosexuality, a paraplegic teen, etc.), while some other behavior may be imitated, and a teen purposefully drives her vehicle into a large sign. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE We hear that Mercy Hospital is for drug addicts, alcoholism and "de-gayification." We hear various students' prayers/thoughts, with one stating something about her father drinking. Cassandra appears to be intoxicated to some degree. BLOOD/GORE We hear the sound of Mary vomiting (from being pregnant). DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Some viewers make take offense to the satirical and mocking tone the film takes at exposing and/or ridiculing some fundamentalist Christians. Likewise, some viewers might not like a scene where Mary states that she knows she's wrong to say the following, but then asks if you ever thought that the Virgin Mary made up the Immaculate Conception bit and that no one else could use it after that. She then adds that she doesn't think that's the case, but could understand someone doing that. Later, and upon seeing Patrick playing Jesus in "Jesus Christ Superstar" and wearing just a loincloth while on the cross, Cassandra jokingly says, "That's what I call being hung on a cross." Hilary states that sometimes she wonders if her brother is retarded as well (as being a paraplegic). A person refers to homosexuality as a toxic affliction. A comment is made about Veronica (who's Asian) coming from a Godless, savage nation. Veronica tells Mary that Dean's gayness would be passed on to their children. Hilary refers to Cassandra as being the only "Jewess" at their school. Cassandra flicks her cigarette at Hilary. Cassandra parks in a handicap-only parking spot. Cassandra fakes speaking in tongues to get Hilary and others worked up. Some of the students state in shock that she's going to end up showing her "boobs" with another comment being made that Cassandra says she's got a hot (what seemed like "p*ssy"), but the last word is drowned out by audio feedback. A character in a TV movie states that she thought she was pregnant, but her symptoms turned out to be from having cancer. While waiting for a pregnancy test result, Mary then keeps repeating, "Please let it be cancer." This is played for laughs, but might not sit well with those who have or have had cancer. Hilary passes out fliers at school for a prayer circle regarding Dean being gay. After Cassandra states there's only one reason why Mary would be seen coming out of planned parenthood, Roland jokingly asks, "She's planting a pipe bomb?" Mary curses at a cross on the outside of a building (for being pregnant after thinking she was doing God's work by having sex with Dean to cure his homosexuality). Hilary talks about trying to rid Dean of his "unnatural perversions." Hilary develops a bad attitude toward Mary when the latter begins to question religion and she has a perpetually bad attitude toward her brother. Cassandra knows Mary is pregnant and wonders what she's going to do, stating it's too late for "the big A" (abortion) and then jokes that she knows where she could sell the baby and that she knows people who would pay a lot of money to take pictures of Mary in the "family way." Cassandra mentions having shoplifting experience in the past (that they'll use when picking clothes for Mary to hide her pregnancy). After Cassandra jokingly says that she feels left out at Christmas, Hilary states that if she and her people (Jews) accepted Jesus then they could be in on the fun too. After Hilary thinks she's converted Cassandra to Christianity, the latter mockingly says that she's decided to devote her life to Satan instead. Pastor Skip and Lillian kiss (despite him being married). We see that Mary, Cassandra and/or Roland have posted an old photo of Hilary (when she was chubby with braces) on everyone's computer screen. We see that someone has spray-painted anti-religious graffiti on the exterior school walls and then planted spray paint in other students' lockers to frame them. That person later lies about that (even swearing to God). Mary defies her mother and Pastor Skip's orders that she go to Mercy House (regarding her being pregnant). Hilary mentions she can't imagine Mary "humping that pervert" (meaning Dean). FRIGHTENING SCENES None. GUNS/WEAPONS Hilary and Mary shoot handguns at a firing range, with Hilary firing shots into the crotch area of the male paper figure. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Let's get our Christ on," "Faggotry," "Cripple" (how Roland refers to himself), "Freak out," "Freaks," "Freaking me out," "You idiot," "Bitch face," "Kick your fat Christian ass," "Retarded," "Next time the bitch is going down," "Tacky ass bitch," "Shut up," "Bust my buns," "Holy crap," "Let's get the lead out," "You freaks" and "Screwed up." Cassandra flicks her cigarette at Hilary. Hilary wears a midriff-revealing top, as does Cassandra later. A miscellaneous person has tattoos. We see some graffiti that reads "Santa = Satan." Roland drives without a license. Cassandra mentions having shoplifting experience in the past (that they'll use when picking clothes for Mary to hide her pregnancy). We hear that Cassandra left raw meat in Hilary's locker (and others react to the smell). We see that someone has spray-painted anti-religious graffiti on the exterior school walls and then planted spray paint in other students' lockers to frame them. That person later lies about that (even swearing to God). JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) None. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 1 "f" word, 1 "s" word, 1 possible slang term (that's mostly drowned out) using female genitals ("p*ssy"), 2 slang terms for breasts ("boobs"), 9 asses (3 used with "hole" and some written), 2 craps, 6 uses of "Oh my God," 2 of "G-damn" and 1 use each of "Jesus Christ" and "Oh Jesus" as exclamations. SEX/NUDITY Lillian shows a little cleavage. Dean tells Mary a secret (underwater in a pool) that he thinks he's gay (seen in subtitles). Mary looks up "gay" on the Internet and comes across a site that shows a gay man in leather, another shot of one man partially lying on another (nothing explicit) and has the audio "come and get it." We see a row of parked cars that are moving from sexual activity inside them (with steamed up windows and one showing a person's hand/arm pressed up against the window). We then come to the car where Mary and Dean are in the backseat and she's trying to cure him of his homosexuality (we hear her voice over narration stating they diligently worked on his problem the rest of the summer). We then see her putting his hand on her clothed breasts, but that does no good. After talking about restoring one's virginity through Jesus, Hilary says she's saving herself until marriage. We see Dean looking at a gay magazine that features a leather clad man on the cover (from the chest up). Mary and Dean do some passionate kissing and we then see a shot of some of his medals rhythmically moving as we hear sexual sounds. We then see an overhead shot of him on her as he climaxes and then rolls off her (he's shirtless and we see her in her bra, but the lower halves of their bodies are under the sheets). Roland briefly glances at Cassandra's clothed crotch as she squats down. We see his point of view of that and then her clothed butt in her skirt and she calls him on that. We hear various students' prayers/thoughts, with Cassandra wondering if Roland is paralyzed everywhere below the waist. Cassandra fakes speaking in tongues to get Hilary and others worked up. Some of the students state in shock that she's going to end up showing her "boobs" with another comment being made that Cassandra says she's got a hot (what seemed like "p*ssy"), but the last word is drowned out by audio feedback. Later, Cassandra slams her clothed legs together and states, "The muffin shop is closed." As various girls are bent over in exercise class, Cassandra sarcastically tells Hilary that she can see her pad. We hear that Christian school finally got a sex-ed class and see Pastor Skip teaching it. In front of him are large science class illustrations of a nude man and woman, but the explicit parts have been visually muted so as not to show anything. We also briefly see part of one of those cross-section anatomy models of a female's reproductive system. Lillian wears a tight tank-top. There's talk of Cassandra being a former stripper, but she later discounts that. Lillian tells Mary, "Please don't tell me you're a lesbian." On the phone with Dean, Mary tells him that they should have used protection. Meanwhile, he knowingly smiles at another gay "inmate" at his facility. Roland jokingly warns Hilary that he'll tell others that she touched him inappropriately while bathing him. Cassandra knows Mary is pregnant and wonders what she's going to do, stating it's too late for "the big A" (abortion) and then jokes that she knows where she could sell the baby and that she knows people who would pay a lot of money to take pictures of Mary in the "family way." Cassandra says that maybe she should tell Patrick to act gay around Mary and that maybe then he'd "get a little action." A person jokingly mentions "then there was the sex" and starts to say something about "oral," but Hilary's hand over their mouth stops that. Mary states that she knows she's wrong to say the following, but then asks if you ever thought that the Virgin Mary made up the Immaculate Conception bit and that no one else could use it after that. She then adds that she doesn't think that's the case, but could understand someone doing that. We see a miscellaneous couple making out in a restaurant. Pastor Skip and Lillian kiss (despite him being married). When seeing Patrick playing Jesus in "Jesus Christ Superstar" and wearing just a loincloth while on the cross, Cassandra jokingly says, "That's what I call being hung on a cross." Hilary tells Cassandra (who's up on a ladder in a skirt) that she better be wearing underwear this time. Lillian and Pastor Skip question Mary about her losing her virginity to Dean in an effort to save him. A gay student stares at his gay roommate who's asleep. Cassandra jokingly tells Roland that she thought their relationship was "all about the sex." Cassandra shows a little cleavage and then does so again. Mary and Patrick do some passionate kissing. Hilary mentions she can't imagine Mary "humping that pervert" (meaning Dean). Hilary mockingly tells Mary that she didn't have sex with a guy and then blame it on Jesus, and then uses the term "fornicators." Dean shows up at the prom with his gay date. SMOKING Cassandra smokes more than 5 times, while Roland smokes several times. We see a close-up of Cassandra and Roland's mouths as they smoke. TENSE FAMILY SCENES We learn that Mary's father died when she was quite young. Patrick tells his father that they (his parents) don't talk anymore and wonders why they didn't get a divorce when she wanted to. Pastor Skip says that's not part of God's plan and Patrick replies that maybe it's time for a new plan. Mary defies her mother and Pastor Skip's orders that she go to Mercy House (regarding her being pregnant). After Lillian tells Mary that she's not prepared to be a mother and that this could ruin her life, Mary asks her mom if she ruined her mom's life. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Teen pregnancy. Fundamentalism. Homosexuality and how others respond to it. Tolerance toward others. We hear that Veronica is adopted. Mary tries alternate religions, including crystal healing. Patrick states that God gave all of us free will. Roland is a paraplegic from a fall in past. When Hillary says that it's God's will that he survived, Cassandra says God's will should have been that he didn't get hurt in the first place. Various people confront Pastor Skip about his steadfast, black and white belief in what the Bible says. Mary says that such strict adherence leads to people trying to hide, fix or get rid of problems that don't fit in. The question is then asked about why God would make all of us different if He wanted us to be the same. VIOLENCE After getting a surprise, Mary hits her head underwater on a pool's ladder and sinks toward the bottom, while Dean also slightly injures himself. Hilary has her friends grab Mary and try to perform an exorcism on her. When that doesn't work, Hilary pushes Mary and then throws her bible that hits Mary on the back. Cassandra throws some balled-up paper that hits Hilary. Hilary drives her van through some hedges, sideswipes a car and then purposefully rams a large, free-standing sign depicting Jesus (its head falls off and lands on her van, but she's okay). Reviewed March 4, 2004 / Posted May 28, 2004