However, one thing that I love about Mondays is that I get to post my movie review of the week. One thing about me is that my movie collection almost overshadows my book collection. Almost, but not quite. You know those 300+ DVD cases that you can buy at places where those things are sold? Yeah, I’ve filled one and I could use another one… or three.
But enough about that. I had the worst time choosing a movie to review this week because I didn’t know what I was in the mood for and, sadly, I didn’t make it to cheap night at the theatre last week so a new release was out. Come to think of it, I’m probably not going to make it there this week either.
Finally, though, I just closed my eyes and pointed. Ok, that’s not exactly what I did, but I did choose an older movie that I just re-bought (damn people who borrow and never return only to have me forget who borrowed it in the first place), re-watched, and re-fell in love with.
Written by: Brian Dannelly and Michael Urban
Directed by: Brian Dannelly
Released: January 21, 2004 (at Sundance), May 28, 2004 (North America)
Rated: PG-13
Summary: “Good girl” Mary (Jena Malone) and her domineering best friend, Hilary Faye (Mandy Moore), are starting their senior year at the top of the social food chain at American Eagle Christian High School - that is until Mary's boyfriend tells her he thinks he might be gay.
When Jesus appears to her in a vision, she heeds his message to “do everything she can to help him” and, to her horror, she ends up pregnant. Suddenly, Mary begins to question everything she’s believed in, and Hilary Faye and her devoted “disciples” (including Heather Matarazzo) turn against her.
As an outcast, Mary finds herself alone until she's befriended by the school’s other pariahs: Hilary Faye's cynical, wheelchair-bound brother, Roland (Macaulay Culkin); the principal's skater heart-throb son, Patrick (Patrick Fugit); and the high school’s lone Jew, an exuberant rebel named Cassandra (Eva Amurri).
In this sweetly subversive comedy, a group of outsiders band together to navigate the treacherous halls of high school and make it to graduation, ultimately learning more about themselves, finding faith in unexpected places, and realizing what it truly means to be Saved!
To start off, the majority of my grade-school career was spent going to catholic school, which included mandatory uniforms starting my senior year. It wasn’t that bad, though, since I didn’t buy into it and my friends were there. Plus, I had some amazing teachers – my art teacher took a few of us to Italy for March Break in 11 and 12X (i.e. my sixth year when I went back after graduation to get a few more credits that I hadn’t been able to fit in the previous year). Thankfully, my Christian experience was nothing like this movie depicts, though I can completely see it happening.
The Christian high school portrayed in this movie is fanatical at best and downright horrific at its worst. I can’t imagine being ostracized from everyone because you’re gay or preggers, or Jewish, but this movie shows what does happen around the world while putting a comedic twist on things.
It’s the characterization that the actor’s show that really make this movie as amazing as it is. I think that had the cast been different it wouldn’t be the same standard of movie that it is. You really hate Mandy Moore’s character and I always feel so bad for most of the others because in this movie everyone has their own problems that they’re dealing with. While Saved is centered around Mary and her pregnancy, it’s about so much more than that when you get right down to it. It’s about love and acceptance and friendship and so many other amazing things.Most importantly, though, it's about discovering who you really are as a person.
I think that this movie is more of a cult classic with people as opposed to being a Mean Girls type movie in its celebrity. Still, it’s one of my absolute favourite movies to just put on and half watch/listen to as I’m multi-tasking. If you haven’t seen it yet, you should definitely give it a try because this is a complete 10/10 movie in my books!
On a side note, I am not blown away with this version of the movie poster but I couldn't find the version that I wanted. Oh well...
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