The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys (2002)
Review by Doc Ezra
Film:
DVD:

Written by Jeff Stockwell and Michael Petroni, based on the novel by Chris Fuhrman
Directed by Peter Care
Starring Emile Hirsch, Kieran Culkin, Vincent D'Onofrio, Jena Malone, Jake Richardson, Tyler Long, and Jodie Foster

Features:

• Running audio commentary by director Care and screenwriter Stockwell
  
• Commentary by animation producer Todd McFarlane (animation scenes)
  
• Production notes
  
• Trailer and TV spots
  
• "Anatomy of a Scene" from the Sundance Channel
  
• Making-of featurette
  
• Deleted scenes
  
• Interviews with cast and filmmakers
  
• Animation illustrations
  
• DVD-ROM content
  

Released by: Columbia Tri-star
Region: 1
Rating: R
Anamorphic: Yes

My Advice: Own it if you don't mind depressing endings and heavy-duty psychodrama, rent otherwise.

In a tiny town in the heart of America somewhere, a quartet of teenage boys engage in illicit debauchery, vandalism, and petty criminal activity out of sheer boredom and to spite the authority at their rigidly disciplinarian Catholic school. The ringleader is Tim (Culkin), whose fearless assault against everything and anyone in charge occasionally terrifies his followers. The heart of the group to Tim's brain is Francis (Hirsch), an aspiring comic book artist that captures his fantasy life in superhero guise. The group's endless cycle of smoking stolen cigarettes, tipping over trash cans, and the like is threatened when Tim proposes a daring move -- stealing the school's patron saint statue.

Just when it looks as if the consequences for that daring move may be more than the group can handle, Sister Assumpta (Foster) discovers one of Francis' notebooks full of unflattering drawings of herself and the priest, Father Casey (D'Onofrio). The boys are in it deep now, and Tim hatches an insane plan to retrieve the notebook from the school, but they'll have to kidnap a cougar from the local zoo. Given that this plan takes some time to accomplish, Francis finds enough idle moments to develop a budding relationship with classmate Margie Flynn (Malone), and when she shares a dark secret with him, the petty scheming and pranks of his friends no longer seem as important as they once did. Relationships strain, trust is tested, and the boys must come together to help Tim hatch his plans, for good or ill.

The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys is a stunningly well-crafted look at the interior existence of a handful of teenage boys. While some of their stunts are extreme, even for teenagers, the fundamental motivation to do such things is firmly grounded in the very real frustration and boredom of suburban life. Where the film is perhaps most successful is in its treatment of the story's young protagonists. Most films about kids, particularly those films not aimed specifically at a younger audience, make the mistake of not treating them and their concerns seriously, resulting in a tone that is largely patronizing. This film takes the kids absolutely seriously, and the concerns of the lead characters are treated as just as life-and-death as the boys themselves treat them.

This seriousness is helped along a great deal by the amazing performances of the young stars. Culkin, Hirsch, and Malone in particular are absolutely mind-blowing. Malone has perhaps the most difficult role to play, as the character of Margie is a heavily multilayered one, and requires both subtlety and range of emotion. Malone absolutely shines in the role. Culkin, likewise, has quite a range to cover, and does so admirably. Hirsch has a narrower field to work within, but the sheer amount of screen time he's got to fill makes up for the difference. D'Onofrio and Foster, despite being the "big names" of the piece, actually have rather small roles, though they certainly carry those roles off with aplomb.

One of the more interesting facets of the film is the use of animation to represent the imaginings of comic artist Francis. In his fantasy world, the four boys are a team of superheroes, struggling valiantly against the their archnemesis, an over-the-top motorcycle-riding version of Sister Assumpta. When Francis picks up his pencil and vanishes into that inner life, the film switches over to animated sequences created by Todd McFarlane. His tendency towards dark, dramatic animations actually serves to give Francis' fanciful meanderings a vaguely sinister undertone, perhaps mirroring the boy's own dark inner struggles. Overall, the use of the animation is very effective, and just as entertaining as the live-action sequences.

The DVD itself is packed with details on the production, including a pair of full-length commentaries and one select-scene commentary on the animation. The interviews with the cast and crew reveal that the young actors are every bit as intelligent and talented as the film would lead one to believe. The production notes and making-of information are fairly standard fare, but combined with commentaries and all the other extras, it makes for a fairly exhaustive and in-depth look at the process of bringing this one to the screen.

If you don't mind a film that takes turns into the disturbing and miserable, then this one is definitely for you. The movie is intense, sometimes frighteningly so, and some of the more shocking turns come out of clear blue skies to blindside both the characters and the viewer. For those that can handle such a viewing experience, the movie is quite rewarding, and well worth enduring the bumpy ride from start to finish. It will likely have you wanting more out of Hirsch and Culkin, and we can only hope Kieran continues to avoid any role that even vaguely resembles something his brother Mac might have done.