X
- 2010
- PG-13
- Deep C Digital
- 2 h
- 2010
- PG-13
- Deep C Digital
- 2 h
Summary To Save a Life is the story of an all-American teen Jake Taylor, who seemingly has it all. Ever since Jake Taylor was a kid, he was the type of guy you couldn't help but like. He is popular, a basketball star, dates the best looking girl in school and his college plans are on track. Enter Roger Dawson, Jake's childhood best friend with ...
Written By: Brian Baugh
- 2010
- PG-13
- Deep C Digital
- 2 h
- 2010
- PG-13
- Deep C Digital
- 2 h
To Save a Life
19
7.0
Where to Watch
Summary To Save a Life is the story of an all-American teen Jake Taylor, who seemingly has it all. Ever since Jake Taylor was a kid, he was the type of guy you couldn't help but like. He is popular, a basketball star, dates the best looking girl in school and his college plans are on track. Enter Roger Dawson, Jake's childhood best friend with ...
Written By: Brian Baugh
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Overwhelming Dislike
Based on 8 Critic Reviews
19
13% Positive
1 Review
1 Review
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
88% Negative
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
Metascore
Overwhelming Dislike
Based on 8 Critic Reviews
19
13% Positive
1 Review
1 Review
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
88% Negative
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
Manages to be appealing, poignant and inspiring in ways that are gentle and quite real. This smartly calibrated film also pulls off something rare by presenting religious commitment as something that's not only potentially healing and elevating, but also kind of cool.
Overlong and entirely too ambitious in the number of “issues” it tries to cover, To Save a Life wanders all over the place before reaching its very predictable conclusions.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 15 User Ratings
7.0
53% Positive
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
33% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
13% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 15 User Ratings
7.0
53% Positive
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
33% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
13% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
To Save A Life is a little confused and a little too zealous, attempting to deal with several subjects at once and not doing that very effectively. But the film succeeds when it comes to the simple message of how priceless life is, and you don't need religious sentiment to appreciate that.
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Just as representations of human sexuality on film are often unpleasantly twisted by the grotesqueries of the porn industry, so, too, are filmic representations of religious conversion homogenized by the faith-based entertainment industry. Case in point: Debutante director Brian Baugh's To Save a Life.
Miles ahead in terms of production values and a conscious avoidance of overt proselytizing. It will likely be an enormous success with the evangelical communities at which it's targeted. That doesn't save it from being an utter failure outside that narrow context.
To Save a Life wants to rescue kids from the Satanic messages of "Gossip Girl"--a benign, even worthy enough objective, but must alternatives to empty, materialistic adolescence require baptism in the Pacific?
The film would be a mere nuisance if not for its shameless exploitation of school shootings to advance its agenda.
A well-meaning but ineptly made message movie.
OK, let's get this out of the way: It is not a great movie by cinema standards. Shots out of focus, unlikeable characters, and some very cheesy dialogue. However, it is the overall story arch that is pretty decent, and stands out amongst the cringe worthy parts of the film.
This is NOT a bible-bashing cram-biblical-verses-in-your-face-until-you-puke-blood type of movie. In fact, the Christianity aspect of the film is actually quite subtle; a pleasant suprise in a Christian film industry of "God's not Dead" or "Persecuted". The story revolves around a young high schooler, who snaps out of his "party boy" niche after Roger, his old best friend, kills himself. He takes a good look at his world, and realizes how empty and vain his existance is, and seeks to try and prevent another depressed kid from sharing the same fate as Roger. This will take him down a path involving Christianity, relationships with his "friends", and the seek for true friends who like him for what he's made of.
An interesting aspect of this film is that it portrays some of the more despicable behaviors of so-called "Christians" through a son of the local pastor. Since most Christian films are built upon a foundation of self-righteousness, this is a pleasant suprise.
However, the plot does take some odd turns, and the challenges thrown at the protagonist seem to be thrown in there after the writers were locked in a room watching MTV for 24 hours. It includes a bizzare mash-up of infidelity, teen pregnancy, and school terror. This makes the overall plot lose a lot of its steam, but the main ideas of the film should still be taken as good.
If you are a Preacher, or Youth PAstor, or Sunday School Teacher, then I recommend playing this film for your youth groups. It takes a sobering look at relevant issues in a way that is not self-righteous or arrogant. Play this instead of other Christian films, like the ones mentioned at the beginning.
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Production Company
New Song Pictures,
Accelerated Entertainment,
Outreach Films
Release Date Jan 22, 2010
Duration 2 h
Rating PG-13
Genres
Tagline Some people are just dying to be heard.
Awards
MovieGuide Awards
• 2 Nominations