It isn’t everyday that a movie motivates audience members to create change. “To Save a Life,” directed by newcomer Brian Baugh, is a movie that challenges people to step out of their comfort zone and help someone who may not be able to ask for it themselves.
The film has a great message, but loses points because of unrealistic character personalities and situations. Had the movie been given more relatable characters and scenarios, it would be far more moving of a story and have a bigger impact.
Jake Taylor (Randy Wayne, “The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning”) and Roger Dawson (Robert Bailey Jr., “Coraline”) used to be best friends. Then high school started and Jake decided popularity was more important than his best friend, so he ditched him. Now, Jake’s life is perfect. He is on the basketball team, dating a cheerleader, is the most popular guy in school and has a scholarship to the University of Louisville.
Roger’s life, on the other hand, is quite the juxtaposition to Jake’s. He is not at all popular, is made fun of, has no friends, doesn’t fit in and no one even knows who he is. He is completely alone. Roger’s cries for help are not heard and he decides to do something about it by killing himself in the school hallway.
Roger’s death changes Jake. He begins to wonder if there was anything he could have done and what would have happened had they remained friends. He starts reaching out to other outcasts and to religion, making new friends and trying to break away from his confusion and guilt. In the process, however, his perfect life falls apart.
The characters in the movie all lack relatable personalities except for Jake. A high school senior who is confused and upset about the death of an old friend, he tries to change the way he acts towards others, creating an uproar and drama in the process. How Wayne’s character reacts in various scenes and to other characters seems realistic because he does a great job of making the fictional Jake seem real, giving off the impression that anyone could know such a person.
On the other hand, Jake’s girlfriend, Amy Briggs (Deja Kreutzberg, “Sorority Row”), and best friend, Doug Moore (Steven Crowder, “Greek”), contribute personalities that don’t add to the impact of the movie whatsoever. The way their characters react to Jake’s pain and change is not at all realistic or believable. And while Amy telling Jake that he needs to “get over” Roger’s death was very much a part of her bitchy, inconsiderate and selfish personality, it was not something that would happen.
Some of the situations and scenes were also hard to believe. Any time someone was anywhere in or near the high school, you could pretty much guarantee an unrealistic plot point was about to happen. The over-the-top divide between the high school class system led to an unnatural hatred and disgust between the jocks and the not-so-popular kids. The degree to which the former made fun of the latter was stereotypical and exaggerated.
In addition, the parties the jocks regularly hosted surpassed what you would find at a Madison house party. Even the tricks they played were hard to believe. After a basketball game there was, of course, a huge party where only the cool kids were invited. Doug, being kind of an ass, gave an invite to a loner at school claiming it was a party for wizards. The unfortunate kid came dressed in a cape, was laughed at and was not allowed in.
Had “To Save a Life” written better personalities for its characters and come up with more realistic and believable scenes, this movie could have been great and impacted millions of people. While this film has an important and meaningful message, the significance gets lost in the depths of what the movie lacks.
