Movie Review: To Save a Life

Yesterday I went and saw a movie that just came out in theaters this weekend called "To Save A Life" with my seventh grade small group girls. It's a movie with a Christian message so I'll admit I was wary, hoping it wasn't going to end up cheesy or poorly done (isn't it sad when you assume this about Christian movies? I don't assume this about Christian books or Christian music, but Christian movies are different. Anyways...). But I have to say that I was actually pretty impressed with this movie. It's not a high-budget action flick or a psychological thriller with a deep story, but it's raw, real, and well-made. The acting's pretty solid, I enjoyed the filmmaking style, and the story is poignant. Someone who is totally opposed to God might find it preachy, but it didn't feel that way to me.



The story focuses on Jake, a popular high school senior, whose old best friend from childhood, Roger, kills himself in front of several of the students. Jake is greatly impacted by what happens, and seeks to find an answer to his question: "Could I have done anything to save him?" He meets a youth pastor, Chris, who knows of his connection to Roger. At first Jake has no real interest in going to Chris' youth group or talking to him again, but after a party where he's a little drunk and his friends and girlfriend have bailed, he calls Chris out of desperation, thus starting their friendship. Over time Jake grows more curious in God, but warily, and tries to figure out if he's ready to leave behind his old friends and old ways to embrace God and who He is. As he is learning, Jake challenges his new youth group to stick together, but to also reach out to kids at school who are alone like Roger was.



One thing I really liked about this movie is that it didn't feel like your typical Christian movie. It was more like a movie that just happened to have a Christian message. Chris doesn't use buzzwords liked "saved" or "redemption," but speaks to Jake in a way that he, and others not raised in church, can understand. The characters felt real, with unique personalities and problems, and I found them relatable. Jake's progression feels as natural as it can for a two-hour movie; even after he becomes a Christian he still has many questions and uncertainties. Jake and his popular friends cuss a few times, which may be shocking to some, but it seemed natural (not forced), and quite frankly, more genuine. It was definitely very minor language, however, especially for a PG-13 movie (which I think is attributed mostly to the teen partying).



The main focus of this movie is supposed to be teen suicide, but it covers a lot of topics in a short period of time, and I think it does a pretty good job with it. And just when things are going great and Jake is finally happy and at peace, pretty much everything falls apart and goes wrong. It was a lot to swallow, and after the movie was over I was still mulling everything over in my head. Because of this movie's limited release it may or may not be in theaters for the weekends to come, depending on how well it does, but if you don't check it out now, check it out later on DVD. Even if you're out of high school, it can still be inspirational.

*EDIT*
After saying so many positive things about this movie, I thought I should add this. This is a quote from one of the actors, Steven Crowder (if that name sounds familiar it's because I've mentioned him before), on his Facebook page in response to something a fan said about the film: "You know what Brett... The movie may be a little after-school special-esque. You're right about that. But I'm hoping that it's a step in the right direction."

So there you have it. It's a little after-school special-esque, but it's still not that bad, at least in my opinion.