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The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys (2002)
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Reviews Counted: 109
Fresh: 84
Rotten:25
Average Rating: 6.5/10
Consensus: 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.
Rated: R [See Full Rating] for language, sexual content and youth substance use
Runtime: 1 hr 45 mins
Genre: Dramas
Theatrical Release: Jun 14, 2002 Limited
Box Office: $1,507,000
Synopsis: Set in the rural South in the 1970s in a Catholic school, four pre-teen boys (Kieran Culkin, Emile Hirsch, Jake Richardson, and Tyler Long) create a comic book called "The Atomic Trinity" to channel their creativity, imagination, and... Set in the rural South in the 1970s in a Catholic school, four pre-teen boys (Kieran Culkin, Emile Hirsch, Jake Richardson, and Tyler Long) create a comic book called "The Atomic Trinity" to channel their creativity, imagination, and rebellious adolescent angst. They each develop their own superhero and, in doing so, live out fantasy lives through their empowered, unchained alter egos. Their evil adversaries are exaggerated characters designed after their teachers: Sister Assumpta (Jodie Foster) the stark, peg-legged nun; and Father Casey (Vincent D'Onofrio), the shady, chain-smoking priest. The spotlight of the film shines clearly on the handsome Francis (Hirsch) whose crush on his neighbor and schoolmate, Margie Flynn (Jenna Malone), leaves him tongue-tied. Tim (Culkin) is bolder, and so he rewrites a William Blake poem and uses it to bring together secretly dark Margie with wide-eyed Francis. Their relationship flowers into one of the heavier and more mysterious subplots in the film. Margie is instantly written into the comic as a wounded warrior-heroine who enlists the superheroes to help her in her battles against evil. Meanwhile, the boys are busy planning--and occasionally executing--devilish pranks at school, eventually taking things a step too far, to tragic result. Based on the Chris Fuhrman book of the same name, adapted to the screen by writer Jeff Stockwell, THE DANGEROUS LIVES OF ALTAR BOYS from director Peter Care is an edgy, engrossing, teen rebellion flick. Extensive animated sequences share a good amount of screen time with the live action narrative, and a prescient musical score by Marco Beltrami and Joshua Homme provides the perfect accent to the action of the film. [More]
Starring: Emile Hirsch, Kieran Culkin, Jena Malone, Jodie Foster
Starring: Emile Hirsch, Kieran Culkin, Jena Malone, Jodie Foster, Vincent D'Onofrio, Jake Richardson, Tyler Long
Director: Peter Care
Director: Peter Care
Screenwriter: Jeff Stockwell
Producer: Jodie Foster, Meg LeFauve, Jay Shapiro
Composer: Marco Beltrami
Studio: ThinkFilm
Get This Movie
Release:
Nov 5, 2002
DVD Features:
- Region 1
- Keep Case
- Widescreen
Audio:
- Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
Additional Relase Material:
- Audio Commentary - 1. Peter Care - Director, Jeff Stockwell - Screenwriter
- Featurette - 1. Sundance Channel ANATOMY OF A SCENE
- 2. Making Of
- Animated Scene Collecton with Optional Commentary by Animation Director Todd McFarlane
- Trailers - 1. Theatrical
- 2. TV Spots
- Deleted Scenes
- Cast & Filmmaker Interviews
Interactive Features:
- Interactive Menus
- Scene Selection
Text/Photo Galleries:
- Production Notes
- Cast/Filmmaker Bios
- Animation Illustrations
DVD-Rom Features:
- Web Links
Reviews for The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys
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.
A fairly formulaic '70s-set coming-of-age tale that's ultimately distinguished by the passion of its makers and players.
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.
'The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys manages to capture that impossible time when idealism clashes with reality and religion, wrapped inside a delicious nostalgia...'
... a lingering, haunting sensibility that shades characters with ambiguous grays compels us to consider forgiving even the most evil characters
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