Like Footloose two decades before, life is an ever-changing dance, and Saved! offers us the hope that religions understand the need to join that dance and embrace its ever-evolving diversity, creativity and joy. And let’s face it, in our polarised world, it’s a message that has never been more important.
On the surface, director Brian Dannelly’s Saved! would appear to be your standard teen high school comedy, with popular kids, geeks, outcasts and rebels all taking their place on the traditional High School stage. But Saved! is far from your average teen comedy; like Footloose, it’s an exploration of religion, community control, and the need to allow young people to forge their own path in establishing who they are, what they believe, who they want to be, and who they want to love.
As the summer sun beats down on small-town America, we meet the passionate evangelical ‘good girl’ Mary (Jena Malone). Mary’s life is all about God, Jesus and the Christian Jewels (a popular religious clique at school who organise events and sing in assemblies). Even Mary’s mum (Mary-Louise Parker), who is secretly dating Pastor Skip, the school’s holy honcho (Martin Donovan), symbolises spiritual perfection, as the No. 1 Christian interior decorator. But Mary’s perfect Christian boyfriend, Dean (Chad Faust), is about to drop a bombshell as he announces he might be gay. Suddenly, a giant blood-coloured gay moon eclipses the summer sun, and Mary is filled with a horror she has never experienced. Therefore, Mary takes it upon herself to cure Dean by any means necessary.
Mary’s cure involves extended kissing sessions and breast fondling, but Dean lacks any passion as the gay monster eats away at him. After catching him gazing at a toned male in a gay magazine, Mary boldly decides to have sex with Dean, who duly uses the magazine images to help his performance. But even this does not cure Dean’s homosexuality, and his parents quickly send him to Mercy House, a Christian boarding school specialising in drug rehabilitation and ‘degayification’.
Knowing she failed in the Lord’s mission, American Eagle Christian High School begins a new school year. But Mary’s world is about to become even more complicated as she discovers the result of her radical attempts to cure Dean. Pregnancy! She can’t tell her ultra-evangelical friends, especially Hilary Faye (Mandy Moore), who is already disgusted by her disabled brother (Macaulay Culkin) having a relationship with the only Jew in school, the rebellious Cassandra (Eva Amurri). But it’s not long before they find out, and Hilary ejects Mary from the Christian Jewels and, along with Veronica (Elizabeth Thai) and Tia (Heather Matarazzo), attempts to perform an exorcism on her in the middle of the street.
Thankfully, some people are more understanding, including Pastor Skip’s son Patrick (Patrick Fugit).
You may be expecting me to praise Saved! for its sharp discussions on religion and the double standards that surround so many faiths and beliefs. Saved! does indeed take a razor-sharp scalpel to the intolerance, oppression and division at the heart of so many religious communities that preach love and unity. But Saved! also has no intention of ridiculing faith and belief, and it’s here where Dannelly’s movie is ingenious.
At its heart, Saved! highlights the ability of all religions to embrace change, diversity and equality if they choose to do so. Like Footloose two decades before, life is an ever-changing dance, and Saved! offers us the hope that religions understand the need to join that dance and embrace its ever-evolving diversity, creativity and joy. And let’s face it, in our polarised world, it’s a message that has never been more important.
Follow Us