Saved!
United Artists | Release Date: May 28, 2004 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
62
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 38 Critic Reviews
Positive:
20
Mixed:
15
Negative:
3
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
PremiereSusannah Gora
Boasts both wicked satire and a big heart, and as a result, is nothing short of brilliant. Read full review
100
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
Saved! is the audacious feel-good satire of 2004. Read full review
88
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Fanaticism is Dannelly's target, not faith. That's what makes his film a keeper: It sticks with you. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
An important film as well as an entertaining one. Read full review
80
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
It's a great accomplishment and, at a time when satire is in short supply, a terrific surprise.
80
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
Bears the unmistakable stamp of authenticity, even at its most outrageous. Read full review
80
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
It's been a long time since I've seen a teen movie as lively, as unpredictable, as generous, and as tough-minded as this one. Read full review
80
New York Magazine (Vulture)Peter Rainer
It's the barbs, and not the inspirationalism, that work best in this movie. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
The kind of breezy teen-pic that youngsters flock to nowadays, and this particular specimen is imaginative enough to explore an environment off Hollywood's beaten path. It's also broad-minded enough to portray the evangelical milieu with flair, satirize its foibles with restraint, and respect its ideals even as it shows how individuals may fall short. Read full review
75
USA TodayClaudia Puig
Not only is Saved! subversively funny, it is unexpectedly sweet. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
As an answer to the spreading cultural virus of evangelical conformity, Brian Dannelly's teen farce Saved! is about three teeth short of a full bite. But it leaves an indelible impression. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleCarla Meyer
The achievement of Saved!, a very funny teen comedy set in a Christian high school, lies in its careful avoidance of obvious traps. Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
The skewering of spiritualism, dogma and passive-aggressive prayer groups has an exaggerated absurdity that borders on cartoonish and Dannelly's satire is more clever than cutting. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
Neither outrageous nor subtle as a religious satire, but here's the good news for modern viewers: With it's unusual Christian backdrop, this is one of the most intriguing rite-of-passage teen comedies in a long time. Read full review
70
VarietyDavid Rooney
The spirited comedy ultimately kneels before an all-embracing deity, which could appease the God squad provided they get through all the wickedly funny zealot-bashing that comes first. Read full review
70
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
Though Saved! is funny and irreverent, Dannelly isn't just taking potshots at fundamentalism. He creates a viable world, then riddles its surface piety with underground transgressions that call into question not Christian belief but slavish, intolerant religious practice. Read full review
67
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
The director-cowriter, Brian Dannelly, has great fun tweaking the way American Christianity has been born again as a commodified, suburbanized, pop-saturated belief system. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleKimberley Jones
While Saved! initially gets in some good gags at the expense of religious hypocrisy, it eases off, opting not to skewer religion but rather to poke it gently with a stick to see what happens. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeTy Burr
If Saved! sinks into formula -- any movie with a showdown at a prom is treading a well-worn path -- you're grateful for its forgiving spirit. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
Despite a strong cast and a willingness to lampoon the fundamentals of fundamentalism, Saved! isn't as funny, or as wicked, as it should be. Read full review
60
Film ThreatDon R. Lewis
Saved! is just 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. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterDuane Byrge
This comedic jape delivers some sharp jabs at obvious targets, namely the boosterish excesses of American religiosity. Read full review
60
The New YorkerDavid Denby
Saved! is a minor work, yet it has a teasing lilt to it, and to make it at all took courage and originality. [31 May 2004, p. 88] Read full review
60
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
The first 45 minutes of this wickedly clever comedy features the smartest, tartest high-school satire since Alexander Payne's "Election." Read full review
60
Dallas ObserverMelissa Levine
The movie is facile, but mostly sweet and entertaining. Read full review
60
EmpireOlly Richards
It starts off very sprightly and witty and maintains a high giggle-count throughout. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
If director Brian Dannelly were interested in taking his film into the realm of camp, the gag might have worked, but as is, it simply gives the impression that he doesn't quite know what he's talking about. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneAllison Benedikt
After bravely lampooning an institution so many consider beyond reproach, Saved! chickens out, imparting its most direct and lasting message in its disappointing conclusion: Don't Offend. Amen. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesManohla Dargis
It's no great surprise that after a tough beginning, Saved! soon starts to sound a lot like the inspirational TV movie (with Valerie Bertinelli). Read full review
50
The New York TimesDana Stevens
It has a bright young cast and a clever, eclectic soundtrack, but the tone veers unsteadily from mockery to preachiness, and the story loses its breath, hopping from one clumsily paced scene to the next. Read full review
50
New York PostLou Lumenick
Yet another teen comedy that tries to have it both ways -- basically, "Mean Girls" with crucifixes instead of designer jewelry. Read full review
50
SalonStephanie Zacharek
The reality is that it's neither hip nor funny: Instead, it's excessively broad one minute and unctuously instructional the next. Read full review
50
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
There's plenty to offend Christians and non-Christians in Saved! but little to trouble either: The movie vanishes in memory like morning mist expelled by the first stiff breeze. Read full review
50
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
The problem with Saved!, which is often bright and likable, is that its central point -- extremism, religious or otherwise, is bad -- is too obvious for a satire. Read full review
42
Portland OregonianM. E. Russell
A mean-spirited exercise in hypocrisy. Read full review
38
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
The level of humor is sit-com-ish at best and the film's dramatic elements are bland and uninvolving. Read full review
30
Village VoiceMichael Atkinson
An overwhelming portion of Saved! is wall-to-wall Jesus-Jesus-Jesus talk, closer to dead air than social spoof. At times, the screenplay (including Mary's voluminous narration) has the monotonous cadence of a recruitment sermon. Read full review
30
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
If you're mocking holier-than-thou-ness, you can't very well strike a hipper-than-thou tone. Read full review
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