MGM tries to figure out if its satire of life in an evangelical Christian high school has an appeal to…evangelical Christians.

“It was not an easy sell to someone writing a check,” Mr. Stern said. “The movie is very pro-faith. We never set out to make a movie that was controversial. It’s about kids out trying to find their place in the world. It’s a very traditional high school movie dressed up in a different wardrobe.”

In talking to religious groups, MGM officials say, they have been stymied somewhat by the varied responses. One Protestant pastor at a research screening loved the film, particularly since Ms. Malone’s character never considers abortion.

But at the same screening another MGM publicist spoke to a young Christian woman who was concerned that the film promoted stereotypes. In the film Ms. Moore’s character is an overzealous do-gooder who ends up framing others for her crime in her eagerness to convert the unconvinced.

The research has found that youth ministers usually support the movie despite its satiric take on Christian pop culture, while older religious leaders are finding it uncomfortable. And then there was this: “Catholics have loved it,” said Adam Keen, MGM’s organizer of special events. “When you’re part of an institution, you like to observe another daily routine” similar to that at Catholic high school.