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BOP Law #34: the Almost Famous Rule: if Patrick Fugit makes a movie, the staff will go see it. That means Saved! will sell 37 tickets at a minimum. Why should the rest of you see it or skip it? Therein lies the rub.

Mary (Jena Malone) is by all accounts a good girl. She never causes trouble for anyone, goes out of her way to show kindness to strangers and is quite popular at her Baptist high school. Everything in her young life is going super right until she makes a bold choice. She decides that while it's not scripturally wrong to have oral sex before marriage, those 69 actions are not enough any more. She chooses to Go All the Way with a boy.

Her life is never the same again.

For starters, she apparently isn't very good at it. Soon afterward, her boyfriend dumps her in order to become a Sodomite. It's hard for Mary not feel a bit rejected by that. Even worse, she experiences Steve Tyler-ism. The rabbit done died. As you might imagine, being pregnant by your gay ex-boyfriend is not the best state of being for a religious school girl.

Fortunately for Mary, she can always rely on the help of her best friend, Hilary Faye (Mandy Moore). This teen is so good and pure that she always assists her wheelchaired brother, Roland (recovering Home Alone addict Macaulay Culkin) while still finding time to pressure the resident Jewish girl into converting. She even finds time to romantically stalk the resident Christian Skater Boi, Patrick (played by...wait for it...Patrick Fugit!!!).

Sadly for Mary, with friends like Hilary Faye, she doesn't need enemies. The Holier Than Thou teen proceeds to make our heroine's life a living hell by attempting to out Mary on her big pregnancy secret.

All in the name of performing God's will, of course.

As you might imagine from the description, such subject matter would be impossible to play straight. As such, this is a black comedy with equal parts But I'm a Cheerleader, Heathers and Election blended in to make an unusual mix for a teen flick. First time director Brian Dannelly is an unknown, but the cast is quite impressive. We suspect the overall success of Saved! will depend in large part on how well Mandy Moore can pull off a Tracy Flick-esque character. (David Mumpower/BOP)

Vital statistics for Saved! Main Cast Jena Malone, Eva Amurri, Macaulay Culkin Supporting Cast Martin Donovan, Chris Evans, Chad Faust, Patrick Fugit, Heather Matarazzo, Mandy Moore, Mary-Louise Parker Director Brian Dannelly Screenwriter Brian Dannelly, Michael Urban Distributor United Artists Trailer http://www.apple.com/trailers/mgm/saved/ Official Site http://www.savedmovie.com/ Rating PG-13 Screen Count 20 Also see Tony Kollath reviews Saved! Awards Awards page for Saved! Talent in red has entry in The Big Picture

Comparison films for Saved!
Title	Date	Opening	Adjusted Opening	Screens	PSA	Adj PSA	Total BO	Adjusted Total	Mult
Walk To Remember, A	1/25/02	12.18	12.66	2411	5051.00	5051.0	41.23	42.86	3.39
White Oleander	10/11/02	5.61	5.83	1510	3714.00	3714.0	16.11	16.74	2.87
Election	5/7/99	3.16	3.76	827	3821.00	4362.6	14.88	17.73	4.54