I will first say that this parody can be enjoyed by Christian and non-Christian alike. As a believer and erstwhile fundamentalist, I get a kick out of all the hokeyness that parades around in megachurches and pop-Christianity today. (Possible spoiler) Particularly telling is Pastor Skip's comment on Christian music; that although there is little difference between the Christian and secular, the plan is just to get people inside to hit them with the Gospel message. Compare this with Hillary Faye literally "hitting" Mary with the Bible, and you see the point. She has lost the meaning of the message in her zeal to present it. So given that this spiritual climate is a present reality sometimes, I understand why the non-Christian crowd could have a blast with the film.
However, I was bothered by the watered-down view of Christianity that the movie presents. It seems Jesus now embraces everyone, regardless of sexual, lifestyle, or religious preference. Just come to the wide, outstretched arms of pop-Jesus, and no matter what you do, everything will be all right in the end--even if you decide not to come. After all, isn't God simply love?
And this is my only beef with *Saved!*. If you are going to satirize something like someone's religious beliefs, at least make sure you get the basic message straight. By the end of the movie, we're left with a parody of what Brian Dannely and Michael Stipe believe fundamentalist Christianity to be. (Spoiler) The closing moments of the film feature Mary with child, surrounded by a circle of the "redeemed." (Spoiler) Meanwhile the fundamentalists, Pastor Skip, who is now a dithering idiot, and Hillary, shipped off to a hospital and perhaps a mental ward, are left out. It seems that in the gospel according to Dannely, we've been misled for 2000 years, and tolerance is really what Jesus was all about. The film does a good job of revealing what we all know: no one is perfect. However, lost in the movie is the understanding that Christ really wanted us to do something about that fact, not just dwell in some zen-like realization of it.
Overall, I gave the movie a 7/10. The Christian should watch it to contemplate his image in the world, and the non-Christian will have all his suspicions confirmed.
However, I was bothered by the watered-down view of Christianity that the movie presents. It seems Jesus now embraces everyone, regardless of sexual, lifestyle, or religious preference. Just come to the wide, outstretched arms of pop-Jesus, and no matter what you do, everything will be all right in the end--even if you decide not to come. After all, isn't God simply love?
And this is my only beef with *Saved!*. If you are going to satirize something like someone's religious beliefs, at least make sure you get the basic message straight. By the end of the movie, we're left with a parody of what Brian Dannely and Michael Stipe believe fundamentalist Christianity to be. (Spoiler) The closing moments of the film feature Mary with child, surrounded by a circle of the "redeemed." (Spoiler) Meanwhile the fundamentalists, Pastor Skip, who is now a dithering idiot, and Hillary, shipped off to a hospital and perhaps a mental ward, are left out. It seems that in the gospel according to Dannely, we've been misled for 2000 years, and tolerance is really what Jesus was all about. The film does a good job of revealing what we all know: no one is perfect. However, lost in the movie is the understanding that Christ really wanted us to do something about that fact, not just dwell in some zen-like realization of it.
Overall, I gave the movie a 7/10. The Christian should watch it to contemplate his image in the world, and the non-Christian will have all his suspicions confirmed.