2001 Saturn SL1 coolant

Feel the radiator hose that goes to the thermostat, is it cold when the gauge climbs to hot? If yes replace thermostat, if it's hot, is there any white smoke comming from the exhaust? Last, have a cooling system pressure test done, if any small leaks are present, it will expose them. This will also find a bad waterpump. You can also buy a kit called a block test at the parts store, this will check for hydrocarbons in the antifreeze, this tells you that either a head gasket or cracked block is the problem.
If a head gasket is bad, radiator hoses will pressurize faster than normal.