Product Details

• Actors: Randy Wayne, Deja Kreutzberg, Joshua Weigel, Steven Crowder, D. David Morin
• Directors: Brian Baugh
• Writers: Jim Britts
• Producers: Jim Britts, Steve Foster, Nicole Franco
• Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: August 3, 2010
• Run Time: 120 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (110 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B003EYVXZ0
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #915 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • #3 in Movies & TV > DVD > Faith & Spirituality
• For more information about "To Save a Life" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

To Save a Life is a powerful Christian film about suicide, faith, and the power of one person to make a difference in the lives of many. Set in an urban high school where the jocks are high on the popularity scale and partying is commonplace, the film opens with several striking segments that include a surprisingly uncensored look at a teen culture ripe with underage drinking, bullying, and sexuality. Jake (Randy Wayne) is a popular basketball player who's at the heart of every party, but when he witnesses a childhood friend commit suicide in the halls of their school, he begins to reflect upon how he treated his friend in recent years. As he starts to grapple with his own sense of right versus wrong and struggles to define what his duty toward others might be, he meets a youth pastor who intrigues him despite his own disinterest in religion. As Jake's relationships with his parents and his girlfriend Amy become increasingly tumultuous and confusing, Pastor Chris (Joshua Weigel) serves as someone he can talk to, and his weekly youth group becomes a safe place where he can be himself without the fear of being judged. With Chris's help, Jake sets out on a journey of transformation and personal growth that will reveal God's unconditional love and Jake's power to make a difference in the lives of others. This film is both graphic in its demonstrations of immorality and openly preachy, traits that may render it uncomfortable viewing for many, but those very traits send a powerful message to modern teens. (Ages 13 and older) --Tami Horiuchi

Product Description

Jake is the most popular kid in school and has a promising future, but his world is rocked when tragedy strikes his childhood best friend. Now Jake is forced to ask “Could I have saved him?” With help from a few new friends, he embarks on a journey to live a life of purpose, knocking down the sacred social barriers of high school life and befriending a loner, Johnny Garcia. But When Johnny’s life soon spiral’s out of control, will Jake have what it takes to stop him from the same tragic end? Can one person really make a difference?

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reality check for teens and parents of teens, April 20, 2010

By 

J. Kennel "marriagefanatic" (Terre Haute, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: To Save a Life (DVD)

To Save A Life is a terrific movie for teens and adults. It has a Christian theme, but is extremely relative and appropriate for any teen or parent. The movie is very gripping for most people to watch, and definitely one that will stay with you after it ends. It has loud music, partying, and subject matter that many parents wish were not so close to every home these days--cutting, depression, bullying, alcohol abuse, sex, pregnancy, drugs, suicide, divorce, and more.

This is great for a family or groups to watch together. Great talking points to address with teens about the realities of life, consequences, and the fact that things can't always be "fixed" instantly or undone. Parents could rent this and watch it alone first, or just buy it. It is a movie that opens eyes, and one that you will want to share with/pass on to others.

For parents: If you forgot what high school feels like, watching this will bring back memories you may have forgotten, plus others you can hardly imagine your teen dealing with everyday. Way beyond pimples. Disturbing, but highly recommended!

42 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THIS IS ONE MOVIE PARENTS & TEENS HAVE GOT TO SEE!, May 28, 2010

By 

Michael D. Rose "Ambassador for Christ" (Washington State, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: To Save a Life (DVD)

This was one of my 15-year old daughter Elizabeth's favorite movies. (In fact, she often wore her To Save A Life promo shirt to school.) I read the book first, then saw the movie with Elizabeth (she had already seen the movie with our youth group the week before and it was the last movie we saw together as father and daughter; she died of unknown causes about a week later). To Save A Life is a powerful, gritty, true to life Christian film that deals with a lot of issues that plague our families and youth today: the cult of popularity, bullying, family troubles & divorce, depression, suicide, underage drinking, drugs, sex, teen pregnancy, and self abuse or cutting, etc. All this is seen through the eyes of Jake Taylor - high school senior, star athlete, popular man on campus, with a full-ride basketball scholarship to Louisville, and of course, the hottest girl in high school.

After Jake's often ignored childhood friend Roger commits suicide in the hallway of their school, he begins to re-evaluate how he had treated his friend in recent years. As he starts to wrestle with his own sense of right and wrong and his responsibility to others, he meets Chris, a youth pastor who intrigues him despite his own lack of interest in religion. As Jake's relationships with his parents and girlfriend Amy deteriorate, Chris becomes someone he can talk to, and his weekly youth group becomes a safe place where he can hang out and just be himself without the fear of being judged. With Chris' help, Jake sets out on a journey of personal transformation and growth that will reveal God's amazing unconditional love and Jake's power to make a difference in the lives of others one person at a time beginning with Johnny, another outcast.

This movie is so powerful I wish I could show it to every high school and junior high school in our area. The issues raised are often ignored in our society and fester under the surface in individual lives. Often we find out about them after the fact. They need to be addressed before then. Parents and youth need to know that the ONLY answer to life's problems is Jesus Christ, and that as follwers of our Lord we can have a positive ripple effect in the lives of others as we share the good news of the gospel. Whether you're a Christian or not, this is one movie that parents and their teenagers have got to see!

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Non-Christian perspective, July 10, 2010

By 

JoAnn Freund "Junitarian" (Oceanside, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: To Save a Life (DVD)

As the subject title implies, I come from a Jewish heritage, and now attend the local Unitarian Universalist church. I saw the movie with my husband and 13 yr. old granddaughter, and we all loved it. Out of respect for Rachael Britts, one of the authors, who I worked with at our local high school, I wanted to see the movie. I was half expecting a Christain solution to everything, but I found it very moving for all faiths tackling many controversial subjects. The subject of Christianity was only brought up a few times.

As an open-minded individual who tries to respect all different types of people, I think this is a great movie for everyone. Watch for other books from the Britts dealing with other controversial issues!