The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys (2002)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Peter Care

Writers (WGA):

Chris Fuhrman (book)
Jeff Stockwell (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

17 May 2002 (Germany)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

One of the most inventive, funny coming-of-age films in years!

Plot:

A group of Catholic school friends, after being caught drawing an obscene comic book, plan a heist that will outdo their previous prank and make them local legends.

Plot Keywords:

Comic Book | Catholic School | Prank | Secret | Drawing

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Emile Hirsch	...	Francis Doyle
Kieran Culkin	...	Tim Sullivan
Vincent D'Onofrio	...	Father Casey
Jena Malone	...	Margie Flynn
Jake Richardson	...	Wade Scalisi
Tyler Long	...	Joey Anderson
Jodie Foster	...	Sister Assumpta
Arthur Bridgers	...	Donny Flynn (as Arthur Bridges)
Scott Simpson	...	Newsie
Melissa Suzanne McBride	...	Mrs. Doyle (as Melissa McBride)
Michael Harding	...	Mr. Doyle (as Mike Harding)
Chandler McIntyre	...	Naturalist
Jeffrey West	...	Professor Sullivan
Yvonne Erickson	...	Mrs. Sullivan
Nicky Olson	...	Colin Gibbney

MPAA:

Rated R for language, sexual content and youth substance use.

Runtime:

104 min | Argentina:105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Australia:M | Sweden:11 (Stockholm Film Festival) | Canada:14A | France:U | Germany:12 | UK:15 | USA:R | Norway:15 | Argentina:13 | Spain:13 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Brazil:16 | Canada:A (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Charleston, South Carolina, USA

Company:

Egg Pictures

Trivia:

Chris Fuhrman died of cancer before completing the final draft of the book. The movie is dedicated to him at the beginning of the final credits.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Tim and Francis are walking with the dog, a truck can be seen behind them in one shot but not in the next. It subsequently passes right by them.

Quotes:

Francis Doyle: That's all?
Newsie: Man, that's enough to melt an elephant.
Tim: Excuse my friend. He thinks he wants to melt two elephants.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Anatomy of a Scene: The Dangerous Lives of Alter Boys" (????)

Soundtrack:

All The Same

Sweet Look At Young Love, with Original Animation Fantasy

"Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys" is very similar to "Stand By Me," with the nice addition of a non-stereotyped girl and a stereotyped nun (played by producer Jodie Foster) in the mix. Young love is shown the sweetest I've seen in a long time (oy, I'm still apologizing to a certain boy in my head when he was so sweet to me at that age and I didn't know how to handle it; oh well, I didn't have a script based on a book to follow.) Emile Hirsch and Jena Malone are marvelous, especially with the very serious sides of their lives, though the lousy parenting is only vaguely shown with shouting. While the gambits of their crew are a bit unbelievable as they try to put fantasy into their real lives, their fantasy comic life through Todd McFarlane animation is a lot of fun (I was a fan of McFarlane's HBO series "Spawn.") I've never seen a super-hero with such sensitive eyes! (originally written 6/23/2002)