The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys

Starring:Emile Hirsch, Kieran Culkin, Vincent D'Onofrio, Jena Malone, Jake Richardson, Tyler Long, Jodie Foster, Arthur Bridgers, Scott Simpson, Melissa Suzanne McBride, Michael Harding (III), Chandler McIntyre, Jeffrey West, Yvonne Erickson, Nicky Olson, Carson Pigott, Kelvin O'Bryant, Michele Seidman
Director: Peter Care
Studio: Sony Pictures
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

A refreshing and honest portrayal of adolescent Catholic boys. The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys follows Tim (Kieran Culkin) and Francis (Emile Hirsch) as they engage in aimless vandalism and mockery--not from malice but boredom. Sadly, the theft of a religious icon and a plan to kidnap a cougar result in far more serious consequences than either boy intends. The authenticity of the characters and dialogue make the movie work; both script and performances are genuine and consistently surprising. Jena Malone, as a troubled girl who gets involved with Francis, is particularly good, but the whole cast (which includes Jodie Foster and Vincent D'Onofrio) does excellent work. In capturing both the harm and the good that teenagers can do, The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys transcends the usual rebellious-kids storyline. The movie features animated segments that depict Francis's fantasy life, created by Todd McFarlane (Spawn). --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

Terrible!.......2007-06-26

I found this movie TERRIBLE! It lacked a real story, and was just a series of incidents that made no point nor shed any light on teen angst or delinquincy. It just babbles and meanders along without any solid plotline or direction. Jodi Foster wastes her great talent in this glorified, one-dimensional bit part--her emotional range never goes beyond looking grim and disgusted. Don't waste your money on this as I did.

Excellent adaptation of a moving novel.......2007-02-18

I read this book years ago and really didn't remember much of the specifics, but this film adaptation definitely captured the essence of the story itself. And that story is in the classic vein of the coming of age story (Stand By Me, etc.) The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys features four teenage (altar) boys in a Catholic school who see themselves as superheroes battling the evil "Nunzilla". This epic battle is portrayed throughout the film with brilliant cartoon animation.

The film is really heartfelt and manages to provide a sensitive side to an angst-ridden time period in these kids lives. Jena Malone, Kieran Culkin, and Emile Hirsch star (along with Jodie Foster) and capture their characters so well that along with the realistic script and careful direction, the film as a whole is so realistic (even with the animation) that it will really resonate with audience members.

The DVD contains tons of special features, including interviews, a featurette, biographies, and a lot more. Watching the interviews really helps fill in the story along the way and gives the audience a good idea of each character, and what the director and animator were going for as well.

This film is definitely worth checking out.

"Don't you ever tell me to get real!".......2006-12-15

Peter Care brilliantly adapts Chris Fuhrman's story of four alter boys relationships with one another and those around them. These four boys, Francis (Emile Hirsch), Tim (Kieran Culkin), Wade (Jake Richardson) and Joey (Tyler Long), are attending a Catholic school in the 1960's. The boys have a deep hatred or at least lost respect for Catholicism and especially for their teacher Sister Assumpta (Jodie Foster) who rules the boys, and the rest of her class, with an iron fist. In order to escape the problems in their lives the boys burry themselves in comic books, more specifically their own comic book `The Atomic Trinity'.

As the boys reach that pivotal age of fourteen they are now faced with the whole girl issue and this hits Francis hard in the form of Margie (Jena Malone). Margie though has a dark secret, a secret that in itself causes a riff to form between the four boys, most notably between best friends Francis and Tim. Francis is the more naïve of the boys, the more sheltered while Tim is the chief rebel, the boy who devises the plots and convinces the others to follow him. By plots I mean foolish boy things. One of these plots involves smuggling a cougar out of the state zoo in an attempt to frighten Sister Assumpta. But before they can carry out this plan they must mend their friendship, not only with each other but also with Margie.

`The Dangerous Lives of Alter Boys' is a brilliant coming of age story that touches deeply upon the affect that school, pressure, sexuality and religion can have on young teenagers. The entire cast is spectacular here, particularly Jena Malone and Kieran Culkin (who had just a killer year in 2002), but Jodie Foster is also wonderful as the hated `Nunzilla' or Sister Assumpta and Vincent D'Onofrio is great as Father Casey, a role much different than anything I've seen him do recently. Another highlight is the inclusion of the boys comic `The Atomic Trinity' that runs parallel with the events taking place in order to fully tell the whole story, letting us delve inside the mind of Francis and see how he relates things to his life.

This is a great film, one I truly enjoyed and one that I'm sure many others will enjoy as well. It's nice to finally see young talented actors getting scripts with some meat, something for them to work with and not the same old Freddy Prince Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar crap that we see every week. It's about time Hollywood recognized that there's much more to be told by our youth then just meaningless sex comedies!

Very Good but Not Quite Great.......2006-03-30

I purchased this movie for the opportunity to see Vincent D'Onofrio. I enjoyed the movie, though it was slow at times. Someone looking for action, adventure, or a fast-paced story should look elsewhere. But this is a well played coming of age tale with strong performances by all the young actors involved. Vincent D'Onofrio and Jodie Foster are in supporting roles and show the strength and subtlety of their craft by playing the characters as *supporting*.

Disappointing.......2005-11-27

As the product of a Catholic education, I really wanted to like this film, but I intensely disliked it. 90% of the reason that I disliked this film was because of the young actors. They are absoutely terrible and annoying actors playing terrible and annoying characters! They provoked no sympathy or empathy whatsoever for the characters they portrayed.

The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys [Region 2]

Average customer rating:

Terrible!
Excellent adaptation of a moving novel
"Don't you ever tell me to get real!"
Very Good but Not Quite Great
Disappointing

The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys [Region 2]
Starring: Emile Hirsch , Kieran Culkin , Vincent D'Onofrio , Jena Malone , and Jake Richardson
Director: Peter Care
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

( D ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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