What seems like it will degenerate into a "Mad TV" sketch lampooning Christians (Christians are clueless! Christians are judgmental! Christians are hypocrites! Christian rock is a lame version of real rock!) takes on real resonance once the plot is set into play, after Malone (virginal Mary, of course) has sex with her boyfriend in an attempt to "cure" him of his gayness. She becomes pregnant, and immediately feels a divide between herself and her holier-than-thou friends, led by histionic Hilary Faye (Mandy Moore in a fortunately committed performance). Malone takes up with the school misfits, Macauley Culkin (the crippled hipster who is Moore's brother), Eva Amurri (the Jewish "bad girl"), and Patrick Fugit (a skateboarder for Jesus). Meanwhile, her own single mother (Mary-Louise Parker) and the school pastor (Martin Donovan) wrestle with the spiritual ramifications of their would-be affair. Putting Macauley Culkin in a wheelchair ought to have been a recipe for disaster, but his character is thoughtfully written and he doesn't embarrass himself. Malone keeps it real, Fugit is sweet as hell, and Moore is frequently hilarious. Eva Amurri (Susan Sarandon's daughter) gets special mention for the best character, the most hilarious performance, and getting their breakout role, her fucking awesome knockers. Things get overly contrived toward the end, as the various plotlines all get conveniently wrapped up at the Prom (as only happens in screenplays), and a somewhat empty moral monologue (about "appreciating our differences" or whatever) swoops in at the end to keep things tidy. But I'd much rather that than a half-hearted "dark" resolution, which would have undermined the very real emotions the film managed to wring out. I will watch Eva Amurri's career with great interest, along with those of her luscious boobs. Thank God Susan Sarandon made children, so the next generation can appreciate her legacy of blessed boobness.
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