Saved!
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Is it age appropriate?
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Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Begins as a satire, ends with a renewal of faith.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 14–15
The good stuff
What to watch out for
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Violence:
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Sex:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of Saved! was written by Nell Minow
Parents need to know that this movie has very mature material for a PG-13, including extremely strong language and explicit sexual references and situations, including adultery, teen sex, and homosexuality. Characters smoke (smoking is portrayed as an indicator of being cool and rebellious) and drink. Characters shoot guns at a target range and there is some mild violence (no one hurt). Strengths of the movie include the positive portrayal of disabled and gay characters and the ultimate conclusion about the importance of seeking the real meaning of the Bible's teachings.
Families Can Talk About
Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
- Families can talk about how they think about their own religion and the religions practiced by others. Mary asks "Why would God make us all different if He wanted us to be the same?"
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More on Saved!
What’s the Story?
In SAVED!, Mary (Jena Malone) is about to start her senior year at the Eagle Mountain Christian School when her boyfriend Dean confesses that he thinks he is gay. She decides to "save" him by having sex with him, believing that it will not count as losing her virginity if it is for such a holy purpose. But Dean's parents find gay porn in his room and send him off to a facility to be "cured." Mary finds out that she is pregnant, and begins to question whether the faith she has accepted as it was presented to her is a fair portrayal of the teachings of Jesus. Then there's Hillary Faye (Mandy Moore), who uses her literal "holier-than-thou" status to rule the school, especially her in-crowd group, called the Christian Jewels. On the other side because they are willing to ask questions are the school's only Jewish student, Cassandra (Eva Amurri), Hillary Faye's brother Roland (Macauley Culkin), confined to a wheelchair due to a childhood accident, and Pastor Skip's son Patrick (Patrick Fugit), who is interested in Mary.
Is It Any Good?
The first thing teenagers figure out is that it is enticingly easy to make fun of believers in any category. What's nice about this movie is that it does so while still entirely respectful of belief. It begins as a satire of new age-y holier than thou people who spend more time worrying about the appearance of Christianity than the values. But it concludes with a renewed commitment to a faith that engages the mind and heart. You could even call it grace.
The script teeters into predictability at times but the outstanding young cast is wonderfully vibrant, especially Amurri, whose freshness -- in both senses of the word -- works very well for her character. As the school's pastor, Martin Donovan makes it clear that his character is genuinely a man of faith who is not quite sure if he has what it takes to inspire others to share what he feels so strongly in his heart. Hillary Faye uses her faith to establish her power and prestige. She, too, has a secret that fuels her need to control the way she is perceived. The movie is not afraid to skewer its targets, but importantly it is careful to make those targets hypocrisy and arrogance and not faith. Indeed, the movie makes it clear that superficial professions of faith are a distraction from genuine commitment to the values that are the basic principles of Christianity or any religion.
Movie Details
Studio: MGM/UA, Director: Brian Dannelly
Run time: 92 minutes
Theatrical release: 5/28/2004, DVD release: 10/5/2004
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for strong thematic issues involving - sexual content, pregnancy, smoking and language
Run time: 92 minutes
Theatrical release: 5/28/2004, DVD release: 10/5/2004
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for strong thematic issues involving - sexual content, pregnancy, smoking and language
Our Members Say
See all 7 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
Embarrased to watch with my 13 yr old
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I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
awesome discussion starter for family
I saw this movie in the theatre and laughed throughout it. It does have some questionable scenes in it, and may not be for more conservative parents or families. I think that there are a lot of points and discussions that could come out of the movie. It would be very wise to make sure to talk with your children about the movie before or afterward, because there may be some awesome points to discuss, that could turn into some cool conversations. If you are a religious family, don't disregard the movie right away, because it is an awesome eye opener.
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I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
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I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
heart-warming satire
I came across this movie while channel surfing and was pleasantly surprised by it. It opens with a overly "wholesome," god-fearing, needlessly sheltered and superstitious clique in a christian school. (Satire is obvious from the start, but not obnoxious or disrespectful.) Real-life issues, such as homosexuality and teen pregnancy, are quickly introduced and cause a great deal of confliction within the characters. The school is then divided between the judgemental "good christians" and the struggling "sinners," who show more compassion towards one another than their holier-than-thou counterparts. The moral of the story is tolerance. But it also poses the question "What would Jesus do?" with the most unlikely characters pulling through to answer that question in their own actions. IE: The rebellious non-christian girl in the begining of the movie shows she has a bigger heart and more insight than most of her christian classmates when she offers a pregnant teen her help and friendship. I think the rating was appropriate, as many of the situations portrayed in the movie are things all teenagers have to struggle with in some way.
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I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
Teen Comedy is no longer an oxymoron!
This movie is really funny, but there is really strong sexual content. The start of the movie is when Mary has sex with her boyfriend after he tells her he is gay, because she thinks it will "de-gay" him. After that, there is a lot more sexual references. There is one use of the f-word, and a lot of s-words. Some teens smoke and drink. But this is a really funny movie and tolerance is a theme.
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
I loved it!
This movie was great in a way that other movies aren't. It didn't have any of the stupid teen sexual jokes. It also has a wonderful funny but moving script. I loved this movie!!! I would suggest it for 13+ and would give it 20 stars if possible! Definitely not appropriate for younger middle schoolers or elementry age kids!
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I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
Probably not okay to very conservative parents or children
The movie begins very differently from how it ends. At the start it is easy to see the negative tilt on the showy religious displays and the hypocrisy and close-mindedness of the characters. However, after Mary discovers that she is pregnant, she reexamines her faith, testing what she was taught (standing in front of a church and swearing to see if God would do anything, one of the only instances of questionable language). The supporting characters are seen in shifting ways--Mary's clique of friends abandons her, while the school rebel befriends her and becomes her support. In the end, this movie has a good message about discovering for yourself, not trusting first impressions, acceptance and tolerance.
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