WITH films such as White Chicks, Mean Girls and the American Pie franchise, we are bombarded by monotonous, shallow teen flicks.

However, director Brian Dannelly has taken a new spin on the genre in setting his film, Saved!, within a religious context.

The film boasts a killer cast including pop-starlet turned actress Mandy Moore and former child star Macaulay Culkin. The film, co-written by Dannelly and Michael Urban, tells the story of Mary (Jena Malone), a Catholic girl attending a religious high school in America.

At first, life seems perfect for Mary but things are never as they seem.

She soon realises her boyfriend is gay and deploys every trick in the book to turn him straight, including sleeping with him.

However, her attempts fail and not only is he sent to the 'degayification' centre, she finds herself pregnant and what's more, an outcast.

The film humorously explores religion and its role in society as Mary finds herself socially excluded by Mandy Moore's character, Hilary.

The role of the school bitch seems an attempt for the young actress to break out of the typecast of the nice, all-American girl.

Fans of Macaulay Culkin may be disappointed as even though he is the most famous member of the cast, he is kept in the sidelines and is somewhat underused despite his acting capability.

He plays the wheelchair-bound brother of Hilary and does not feature in the film as much as you would expect.