The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys (2002)
Average Rating: 6.5/10
Reviews Counted: 110
Fresh: 85 | Rotten: 25
The inter-cutting of animation by Spawn's creator, Todd McFarlane, doesn't always work, but the performances by the young actors capture the pains of growing up well.
Average Rating: 6.1/10
Critic Reviews: 32
Fresh: 20 | Rotten: 12
The inter-cutting of animation by Spawn's creator, Todd McFarlane, doesn't always work, but the performances by the young actors capture the pains of growing up well.
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Average Rating: 3.6/5
User Ratings: 16,020
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Movie Info
The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys brings Chris Fuhrman's well-received, posthumously published teen novel to the screen. Set in the 1970s, the film concerns two rebellious Catholic schoolboys -- bashful, pensive Francis (Emile Hirsch) and whip-smart, impulsive Tim (Kieran Culkin) -- who spend their free time pulling elaborate pranks and creating a comic book featuring themselves and their friends, Wade (Jake Richardson) and Joey (Tyler Long), as superheroes. Their alter egos are brought to life
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Cast
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Kieran Culkin
Tim Sullivan -
Jena Malone
Margie Flynn -
Emile Hirsch
Francis Doyle -
Vincent D'Onofrio
Father Casey -
Jodie Foster
Sister Assumpta -
Jake Richardson
Wade -
Tyler Long
Joey Scalisi -
Kelvin O'Bryant
Craig Dockery
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All Critics (118) | Top Critics (34) | Fresh (87) | Rotten (25) | DVD (11)
Works as pretty contagious fun.
Top CriticAlthough McFarlane's sequences are inventive, the rest of the film moves languidly.
I thought the young actors were strong, but the material is too thin and too cliched, even with Todd McFarlane's animated sequences to stretch the story to feature length.
It's not serious enough to be profound, and not ribald enough to be giddy.
While there are times when the film's reach exceeds its grasp, the production works more often than it doesn't.
Steers refreshingly clear of the usual cliches.
Altar Boys doesn't strive to revolutionise the genre, but by playing to what it knows the film works as an appealing teenage reminiscence.
Reflected back through adolescent eyes, Jodie Foster's dreaded nun transforms through the devilish comic imagination of Francis' pen into a kind of motorcycle gang leader of a band of brutish cleric Heaven's Angels terrorizing earth's youth.
Esforça-se ao máximo para arrancar lágrimas do espectador, mas, com exceção da performance cativante de Culkin, o filme empalidece diante de tantos outros do gênero.
Devious, delinquent, and diverting.
A fairly formulaic '70s-set coming-of-age tale that's ultimately distinguished by the passion of its makers and players.
Review, synopsis and complete list of bonus features for one of the most original movies of 2002.
The only bright spot in the whole movie is Vincent D'Onofrio's performance as a priest.
Ultimately feels empty and unsatisfying, like swallowing a Communion wafer without the wine.
Best suited for those who can recall their stifling and intense Catholic School education from back in the day, Altar Boys is certainly a worthwhile way to spend 90-some minutes.
I did not care much for the last part of the film, but the three-quarters of it is good enough that I'm recommending it.
Even though it is infused with the sensibility of a video director, it doesn't make for completely empty entertainment
often successful in capturing the turbulent emotions of the early teen years... not nearly as convincing when it attempts to create a believable environment or forge a dramatic path.
Worth seeing (at least the first 90 minutes) for Hirsch, Malone and Culkin.
Aged cliches and gimmicks vie with fresh ideas for supremacy in The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys; the outcome at best is a draw.
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What sets the film apart are some bombastic and very colorful animated sequences which parallel the main action and help to flesh out some stuff (mostly inner thoughts and feelings) that is probably elaborated far more in the book (which is probably better anyway. I did like this though, because it is entertaining, and it's got some great music Marco Beltrami and Josh Homme, as well as some credible actors giving some credible performances.
Despite the terrific work from Culkin, Hirsch, Malone, D'Onofrio, and Foster, and the great animation work from Todd McFarlane, this film feels very uneven and it tries to blend a lot of stuff together, including some rather really dark revelations about a certain character. I didn't think it gelled all that well, especially since some of the shifts in tone can be quite jarring. I didn't think it was enough to totally sink the movie, though. I just think it could have been handled better, namely with some stronger writing.The movie could have done a tad better job of establishing the time and place, but that's really just a bitchy nitpick.
All in all, this movie is flawed, but it has good intentions, and the animated stuff is really cool. Plus, seeing D'Onofrio and Foster as a priest and a nun respectively was an odd joy for me, and I thought those were some surprising (in a good way) touches. You should maybe give this a watch. It could be better, but it's decent enough for a rainy day watch.