Product Details

• Actors: Kieran Culkin, Jena Malone, Emile Hirsch, Vincent D'Onofrio, Jake Richardson
• Directors: Peter Care
• Writers: Chris Fuhrman, Jeff Stockwell, Michael Petroni
• Producers: Bob Stephenson, Cheryl La Sasso, Chrisanne Mitchell, David A. Jones
• Format: NTSC
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Run Time: 104 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (59 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005JLDB

Editorial Reviews

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

From The New Yorker

Catholic boys and their comic books get a thorough going over in Peter Care's rite-of-passage pop drama. Set in the seventies, the movie concerns a group of bored classmates out for trouble. The material is played a bit somberly by its cast, which includes Kieran Culkin and, as a mean-spirited, peg-legged nun, Jodie Foster. Although the scenes are packed with predictable teen-age angst, there's an anxious snap to many of the moments, and the director's reflection on a more disciplined era is quietly comic. Care rounds out his story with animated sequences by Todd McFarlane; they present an Expressionist, adolescent spin on the events that helps the film overcome some of its less inspired moralizing. -Bruce Diones
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very entertaining, August 8, 2004

By 

K. Gittins (CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys (DVD)

I'm not Catholic nor a teen, but I found this movie very interesting and entertaining. The interaction between all the kids was pretty real and the dialog did not seem juvenile.
Although not normally a fan of animation, that portion worked OK in this movie because it was the outward expression of the kids' imagination.

Of the 7 primary actors, Jodie Foster had the weakest character as "nunzilla". Perhaps it was just the nature of the character. Vincent D'Onofrio was entertaining as the smoking, swearing priest (and apparently in the book he was a womanizer, too.) The 4 boys were all pretty good, but Jena Malone probably had the toughest role as the girl with a secret, and she was very good.

The whole cougar plot-point was a bit much, and the dog scene came from nowhere, but the rest was very satisfying.

The extras on the DVD were good, too.

P.S. Originally I could not get this DVD to play in "widescreen". Sony said it was a known encoding problem and to change the DVD player setup for TV to "normal letterbox" instead of "normal pan/scan". Worked like a charm.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, June 23, 2002

By 

A. E Rothert (Edwardsville) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

These film was a gem that I was not expecting it to be.

Jodie Foster's understated performance in the less-than-glamorous role of Sister Assumpta is excellent, as one tends to expect from her. But it is the young actors who carry the day. Emile Hirsh is quite credible; Jena Malone seems heartbreakingly honest. I was most impressed by Kieran Culkin. This is where the talent landed in the Culkin family-- he greatly outshines any performance ever given by his more-famous big brother.

What makes this film special is the mixture of animation and scenes from the banal life of teenage catholic school kids. I was completely drawn into their world. I was throughly entertained by the increasingly daring ways they found to entertain themselves-- in life, in love, in their fantasy world. And here is the key: For the first time since adolesence, I felt the characters were invincible. They did not think of themselves as teenage outcasts, but rather as heros who could do anything and everything. It reminded me of the time in life before one realizes how little one knows, how creul the world can be, and that we are all quite vincible in the end.

The film does not cop out in the end either. It is strong through out and ends when it should. (I was certain it would go on to have an everything-is-okay life lesson scene at the end-- to protect revenues, if nothing else. The filmmakers, and producers, were brave enough to skip such common antics.)

I have said nothing, really, about the plot. And really, to me, the plot did not matter. It was merely a means of drawing me in to the lives of the characters. I saw the world from their perspective-- as I did when I was the teenage catholic school boy 15 years ago. Again, like in life, it was difficult to "get real" and leave the hope and fantasy for a dose of consequences and ramifications.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Imaginative blend of live action and animation, July 2, 2002

By 

Michael J. Mazza - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

"The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys," directed by Peter Care, tells the story of a quartet of Catholic school boys who are engaged in a protracted war against their stern teacher, Sister Assumpta (played by Jodie Foster, who also has a producing credit on the film). One of the boys, Francis (Emile Hirsch) is the primary creator of the boys' alter egos, a group of comic book superheroes. These outcast mutant heroes are brought to life in a series of energetic animated sequences that effectively parallel the main story.

The film features solid performances by an excellent cast. Hirsch holds the film together in what is effectively the lead role. As Francis' best friend, Kieran Culkin brings depth to what could have been a stereotypical prankster role. Vincent D'Onofrio gives a nicely understated performance as a nicotine-craving, soccer coaching priest.

Jodie Foster has some good moments, but I found her pivotal character to be disappointingly underdeveloped; this lack of insight into Assumpta hurts the symmetry of the film.

"Dangerous Lives" is an effective mix of humor and adolescent angst, with some really tender and moving moments. Unfortunately, I found the boys' main prank of the film to be just too moronic and unbelievable, and the film seems to lose cohesion towards the end. Still, I can't help but love a film in which the poetry and artwork of William Blake is a key motif.