The anti-Christian movie "Saved!" (don't forget the exclamation! point! at! the! end!) was released in hundreds of movie theaters two weeks ago. Why is it anti-Christian? Because Christians are portrayed as nasty, thoughtless, and intolerant, and the symbols and beliefs of Christianity are held up for ridicule. Other than that, it's very respectful, I'm quite sure.
Despite reflecting the film industry's general contempt for faith, movie reviewers are bothered by the movie. You might find that shocking -- are they saying that evangelical Christians deserve fair treatment, at least as fair as Muslims or Arabs? Nope. They are concerned because an unwed teen mother didn't consider killing her baby.
...You see, the main character, a high-school senior, gets pregnant while having sex with her gay boyfriend. She then carries their baby to term. Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly lamented that the girl's "crisis is 'resolved' with a starry-eyed naivete that borders on the irresponsible. I wish that Saved! weren't a facile pro-life movie." Atkinson was likewise bothered by the way "the narrative fastidiously avoids . . . the possibility of abortion." Ditto for Denby. And double ditto for Salon's Stephanie Zacharek, who spent a quarter of her review on this lament.The above is from Jonathan Last of the Weekly Standard. He also writes this funny passage in a summary of the film's reviews:
Don R. Lewis, of Film Threat, wrote that Saved! is "a sweet and funny movie that starts off with bite but settles into an honest feeling of happiness and acceptance for all types of people and their choices." Of course, he doesn't really mean all types of people. He went on to note that the movie is "a gentle exploration of why the judgments of the Catholic church are so screwed up." (Saved! is about evangelical Christians--not Catholics--but you know how it is. They all look alike.)
"She then carries their baby to term. Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly lamented that the girl's "crisis is 'resolved' with a starry-eyed naivete that borders on the irresponsible. I wish that Saved! weren't a facile pro-life movie."
Ridiculous.
And some people complain when we use the term "pro-abortion"...
Leave it to the secular, ultra-liberal movie reviewers to condemn the one grain of wheat in a silo full of chaff.
wow - an anti-christian movie that isn't even anti-christian enough for hollywood.
Lord save us from such drivel....
Sorry to be a dissenter, folks, but I saw Saved! and, I happen to think that this film is, while not perfect, a very good film. The film's positives strongly outweigh the negatives.
I find it quite embarrassing for your site that you focus on the anti-Christian REVIEWS of the film. That should give you a clue that the movie is vastly Pro-faith, not anti-faith. Talk about killing the messenger.
The film focusses not upon Christianity, but the Evangelical subculture "bubble" or "Christian ghetto," which, in real-life, tends to be very anti-Catholic. Why defend them?
Read the reviews on www.christianitytoday.com if you don't believe me.
Nick
Here's a direct link to a Christianity Today review of the film:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/commentaries/saved.html