DVD Review: The Unauthorized Saved By The Bell Story

By Brad Henderson

These days, made-for-TV movies are not good. I don’t want that to sound like an insult but it’s just how I feel and many others feel the same way. Back in the 1970s and ‘80s there were a ton of made-for-TV films and they were fantastic. Sadly, that time has passed and now we are left with some awful films, the majority of which come from Lifetime.

So, when I heard they were making a Saved By The Bell movie I was intrigued but also didn’t want to waste my time with it. Then I heard it was going to be set during the time of the show and at that point my interest was even less. . . until I saw the director. His name is Jason Lapeyre and he is the director of a fantastic flick called I Declare War as well as the badass Cold Blooded. I was kind of floored that he was doing this but I definitely wanted to see this movie.

It’s so good.

I was shocked and surprised by how much I loved this movie. It is also clever as hell because instead of doing a documentary and telling the story of the show and characters, they literally make a film based on what a documentary of the show would be like. All the behind the scenes stuff, the relationships, what they did, and how they acted is presented to us as a narrative. This could easily have been a doc but I totally dig the route they took. The kids are perfect . . . well, maybe not the kid that plays A.C. Slater, but everyone else is fantastic. The movie also touches on certain things we loved about the show that will plaster a huge smile on your face. They even go into detail about the “drug” episode! I almost died.

This, by far, is the biggest surprise to me of 2014. I really hope Jason Lapeyre will blow up after people see his resume. The dude is just pure talent. He can take anything and make gold at this point so I’m hoping more projects come his way.

Anyone that liked the show is bound to love this film and even if you didn’t like the show it’s still a good movie. Watching this made me want to revisit Bayside and I might just do that when my daughter grows up. Saved By The Bell was an important part of my childhood and I hope it is rediscovered.

Don’t forget that the title of the film is The Unauthorized Saved By The Bell Story. Just saying.

The Unauthorized Saved By The Bell Story was released on November 3 through Lionsgate Home Entertainment.