Saved! (2004)

Brief: The summer before her senior year at a very Christian high school, Mary (Jena Malone) sleeps with her gay boyfriend, Dean (Chad Faust), in an attempt to straighten him out. He ends up getting sent away anyway, and Mary ends up pregnant. Although she does her best to hide it from her friends like Hilary Faye (Mandy Moore), Mary is found out and ostracizes by everyone except the school's only Jewish student, Cassandra (Eva Amurri), and the only kid in a wheelchair, Roland (Macaulay Culkin).

Hahahaha! That's right! Macaulay is back, and he's funnier than ever. I was about to call him Culkin, but I didn't want to get you confused with my love of his younger brothers. Basically speaking, those Culkins can act! I don't know where they get it from, but it's a high quality source.

I've got to tell ya, although I watched this movie with people who were obviously amused, I just don't think they got it the way I did. You've got to really enjoy/know something to really make fun of it, and Brian Dannelly (director/co-writer) and Michael Urban (co-writer) really know their stuff. This movie is so funny. So very funny. From the pins to the distribution of religious tracts on Hallowe'en to the giant white Jesus, it's almost too much.

Malone is typically plucky and diligently sullen when necessary, and I detected a note of boredom behind it all. You never want to feel like an actor is trying, but it's even worse when you feel like they aren't.

Moore, I'm shocked to admit, is really coming into her own as an actress. I didn't think it was possible, but she's starting to grow on me. Her discernment is wanting, and I am willing to see if that will develop in time.

Ooo, I forgot to mention that Patrick Fuget is in the movie as well. He likes Mary even though she's preggers. It's sweet. But he wasn't is heart-achingly endearing as he was in Almost Famous. Of course, that's sort of the magic of Cameron Crowe.

Plus there's Mary Louise Parker. I'm fond of her as well. B