To Save A Life

Theatrical release poster

Directed by - Brian Baugh
Produced by - Jim Britts
Written by - Jim Britts
Starring - Randy Wayne, Deja Kreutzberg, Joshua Wiegel, Sean Michael Afable
Music by - Christopher Lennertz, Timothy Michael Wynn
Cinematography - C. Clifford Jones
Edited by - Dan O'Brien
Production company - New Song Pictures, Outreach Films, Accelerated
Entertainment
Distributed by - Samuel Goldwyn Films
Release dates - November 5, 2009 (Outreach Film Festival), January 22,
2010 (United States)
Running time - 120 minutes
Country - United States
Language - English
Budget - $500,000
Box office - $3,780,975
(wikipedia.org)

Awards
2 nominations.

7.2/10
3,929 Rate 19 Metascore
(imdb.com)

TOMATOMETER
33%
Average Rating: 4.6/10
Reviews Counted: 21
Fresh: 7
Rotten: 14
 
AUDIENCE SCORE
83%
liked it
Average Rating: 4.1/5
User Ratings: 13,288
(rottentomatoes.com)

Photo credit>> imdb.com

Plot
The story opens with Jake Taylor (Randy Wayne) a high school
student in the suburbs of San Diego attending the funeral of
his ex-best friend Roger (Robert Bailey Jr.). After Roger's mom
comes and asks Jake if Roger had said anything to him, she
walks away, and Jake remembers that this all started back
when they were young boys and best friends. Roger pushed
Jake out of the way of a car, saving him but crippling himself
forever. During their freshmen year of high school, after Jake
had made the winning basket in a basketball game, a
freshman cheerleader named Amy invited him to a party that
Roger was not let into. In the years later Jake joined a new
popular group of friends, Amy became his girlfriend, and he
became star of the basketball team. Jake grew further away
from Roger, who became more of a loner due to his condition
which he was bullied for. Three years later as a high school
senior, Roger came in with a gun and began to shoot. Jake,
knowing what Roger was going to do, tries to stop him, but
Roger tells him that it was too late. Jake watches in horror as
Roger shoots himself. Roger dies from his injuries, prompting
Jake to wonder if he could have saved him by being a better
friend.

After the final basketball game of his senior year, Jake meets
Chris, a youth pastor, who had spoken at Roger's funeral. Jake
goes to a party that is broken up by the police and, being
slow to orient himself, is the last to sneak out of the house.
Amy had taken his truck, and he was without a ride home.
With no other options left, Jake decides to call the number on
the business card Chris gave him. On the ride home, Chris
reveals that Roger had come to church the Sunday before he
killed himself. Chris expresses guilt that no one had really
welcomed him there.
Jake continues to struggle in dealing with Roger's death,
attending church several times and drawing concern from
Amy because of his withdrawn behavior. He discovers Roger's
social networking page and sees that Roger had openly
discussed his hopelessness. Amy joins Jake at church the
following Sunday, but leaves during the service, feeling
judged. Jake confronts the group angrily about their shallow
faith and failure to be inclusive and inviting. Chris asks for a
solution, and a girl named Andrea suggests that they all have
lunch together at school.
For the next few weeks they all meet at lunch everyday.
Slowly, Jake becomes shunned by all of his old friends,
including Amy. Jake invites Jonny ( Sean Michael Afable), a boy
who had been mocked by a fake invitation to a party, to join
them, which he eventually does. Jonny starts to emerge from
the darkness he felt following Roger's death as he, Jake, and
Andrea become friends.
After some time, Jonny asks Jake for advice on asking Andrea
on a date. They go out for ice cream and Andrea sees scars on
Jonny's wrist from cutting. She reveals that she used to be a
cutter as well, touching his wrist. Jonny tries to kiss her,
dropping his ice cream in her lap and causing her to draw
back. Meanwhile, Jake finds out that Amy is pregnant with his
baby and that she doesn't want to keep the child. He then
discovers that his parents are about to have a divorce after his
father had an affair. The next day at school, Jonny wants help
from Jake on what to do with Andrea after he blew his chance.
Jake takes his anger out on Jonny by brushing aside his
concerns, effectively humiliating him in front of his peers.
Jake and Andrea attempt to patch things up with Jonny, but he
ignores their calls and resumes cutting his wrists. Danny, the
pastor's son, overhears Jake and Chris talking about Amy's
pregnancy and posts drawings all over the school announcing
the secret to the school. In the weeks that follow, Jake stops
hanging out with his old friends for good and spends more
time with his new friends. He gives up his dream about going
to college, much to his father's disappointment, and talks to
Amy, who has decided to keep their baby. Jake promises her
that he will help her raise their child. Amy, having been
shunned by all her old friends at school, begins spending
time with Andrea and the other girls from the church. Jake
continues to call Jonny, but he refuses to pick up his phone.
At the climax of the movie, Jonny bumps into Danny, who
takes the cell phone Jonny drops. Minutes later, students are
evacuated from the school due to a bomb threat. Danny steps
forward and tells the police he thinks it was Jonny. The police
search Jonny's locker and find horrific pictures of bombs
exploding the school. They ask Jonny for his phone, but he
doesn't have it, because Danny still does. The police handcuff
Jonny and walk him through the crowd of the entire student
body. Jake realizes that Jonny didn't make the threats when
he calls Jonny's phone and sees Danny answer it. With Amy
distracting the teachers that guard the exit, Jake runs past
them to the road and steps in front of the police car. Jonny
had opened a bottle of prescription pills preparing to over
dose on them, but Jake successfully stops the vehicle just
before Jonny ends up like Roger.
Danny is then caught by the police, but cannot bring himself
to call his father, calling Chris instead. Chris leaves Danny
alone, but Jake offers to stay with him. The pastor takes a
leave of absence to spend time with Danny and Chris
becomes the new pastor in his place.
Jake's life soon begins to look up. His daughter is placed in
open adoption, and Amy gets back together with him. The
daughter is adopted by a couple unable to have children and,
instead of taking the child and leaving, they want to keep
Amy and Jake in the family. His friends and family gather to
see him off to Louisville for college, and his dad comes along
with him so they can talk. Jonny gives Jake a note to read on
the way there stating that he actually did feel like Roger and
had considered taking his life, as well. He stated that if Jake
had not invited him for lunch that day, he did not know where
he would be at the moment. At that point Jake and his Father
stop the trip to Louisville and head home.
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