"Let's kick it, Jesus style"

There is bound to be a decent selection of films at your local AMC and Regal theater. But there are many more movies of which the general public might not know exist. Whether they are artsy foreign films or low-budget independent films with little money for advertising and marketing, some films never make to people who aren't film fans in some way affected by the movie.

Whatever the reason, very few people know about the 2004's "Saved!," an independent movie about teenagers attending a Christian high school and their daring to question to what they've thought was indisputable.

"Is that Mary. What's she doing there?"
"There's only one reason Christian girls go to Planned Parenthood."
"She's got a pipe bomb!?!"
"OK, two reasons."

Mary has been a born-again Christian her entire 17-year-old life. She has what she thinks is the perfect life: she's a part of American Eagle Christian High School's in-crowd (The Christian Jewels), her mother is one of the area's best Christian-themed interior decorators, and she has a wonderful Christian boyfriend.

But when Mary and Dean, her boyfriend, tell each other secrets about themselves underwater, Dean says, "I think I'm gay." After suffering a nasty bump on the head, "Jesus to speak to her," telling her she must do what she can to help Dean. Taking "Jesus's" advice to the extreme, Mary loses her virginity to Dean in order to de-gay him. Unfortunately for Mary, AECH didn't start teaching sex-ed classes until after she found out she was pregnant with Dean's baby.

"We have to help Dean. I mean, you're not born a gay. You're born again."

Saved! is a wonderful, quirky movie with an eclectic cast that includes Jena Malone ("Stepmom") as scared and confused Mary, Patrick Fugit ("Almost Famous") as Patrick, the principal's son who likes Mary, singer Mandy Moore as Christian zealot and Christian Jewels leader Hilary Faye, and Macaulay Culkin (as if I had to name a movie) as Hilary Faye's brother and near-total opposite, Roland.

Saved! succeeded in showing the movie goer that Christians are people like everyone else. Despite the overwhelming love for Jesus and the doings of his work, the same things that go on at AECH happen at regular high schools. The popular crowd is adored by most (students, faculty and staff alike). Anyone who goes against the grain will automatically be social pariahs--no matter how much everyone else wants to save that person. When one of the mighty falls, there is always someone itching to take his or her place. And anything that even remotely challenges the system with be looked down up and barely spoken of.

"I don't think Jesus is supposed to be white."
"Of course, Jesus is white. Gosh, Roland, sometimes I think you're retarded too."

Although the last act of the movie gets a tad preachy, I had a fun hour and 32 minutes watching. Watching Mary reach outside her comfort zone, Roland and Cassandra let their guard down without compromising who they were, Tia try her hardest to climb the social ladder, and Hilary Faye pelt Mary with a Bible during an emergency exorcism.

BAM "I am FILLED with Christ's love."

If you haven't already, go see this movie. It might teach you something about tolerance and acceptance. Or it just might make you laugh for 92 minutes. Either way, it's well worth it.

"I CRASHED MY VAN INTO JESUS!"