strangie

This film was absolute dross. The subject matter was not entirely irrelevant - I am sure that there are people out there like these people and I don't believe that cinema has to be representative of its country of origin. That said, dialogue was stodgy and stilted and it was full of unlikeable characters (save for the stuttering Michael Dorman, who was the only actor worth watching). Khan Crittenen, who was superb in Clubland, was as dull as dishwater (though I concede that it was more the script at fault than his actual performance). As far as entertainment .... well it's not at all.

By all means go see it, if you want to waste your money. Better to wait till its DVD launch - it will lose nothing on the small screen, though it would be better to lose the show entirely.

This film had such potential for being a seriously good black comedy, but it fell seriously short.

Devout Christian and member of the "Christian Jewels" clique at school - Mary (Jena Malone) has just found out her boyfriend is gay and launches a mission to save him from his "gayness" - she sleeps with him and winds up pregnant. Becoming increasingly disillusioned with Christian fanaticism of her friend Hilary Faye (Mandy Moore), she finds herself spending more time with the outcasts of the school - lone Jew, Cassandra (Eva Amurri), Hilary Faye's disabled brother, Roland (Macauley Culkin) and skater boy Patrick (Patrick Fugit).

Saved! offers some very funny moments, but not enough to keep it going. There's a message of tolerance which is nicely delivered without being brow beaten about it. However, the style of the film slips from dark comedy to schmaltz by the film's end.

The advertising looked good - the fact that it had gone and done great things at Cannes (it was a Directors Choice presentation) was very positive but I have never been so disappointed in a film in all my life!!

Despite the hype, it wasn't moody and to call it reminiscent of Jane Campion films is an insult to Ms Campion. It was pretentious tripe. The dialogue was appalling, the characters unbelievable and the delineation between past and present at times was very hard to determine (making the understanding of the film even more difficult).

The only reason I gave a rating of 1 is for the music, which really was its only redeeming factor.

A complete waste of and hour and 20 minutes!