Saved!

2.5/4 stars

Teen comedies aren't known for creating three-dimensional, introspective portraits of characters; in fact it wouldn't be a stretch to say that the genre subsists on stereotypes. Surprisingly, the biggest strength of Saved! may be its well drawn cast of characters. Disappointingly, the film falls short of its own standards in this area. Considering that when the movie was concieved, pitched and advertised, ridiculous caricatures of Christians were probably the main selling point, the film does well at avoiding that temptation. It even ends on an optimistically ambiguous note regarding the existence of God, and rather than being a jaded entry in a tiresome culture war, it becomes a thoughtful portrayal of a loss and recovery of faith. But as fair as the movie is to Christians, it remains unfair in all the familiar ways to the truth of being in high school. After spending an hour setting up personalities, relationships, conflicts, the film gives us a disappointingly typical outcasts vs queen bee climax. And just once, can the boyfriend in one of these movies posess any attributes at all beyond being good looking, awkwardly charming and unrealistically tenacious? This film, almost universally awarded four stars by my friends, certainly could have been a lot worse. But if we're being honest here, it could also have been much better.

Written April 18, 2008.