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The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys

Play trailer Poster for The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys R 2002 1h 45m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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76% Tomatometer 106 Reviews 79% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Francis Doyle (Emile Hirsch) and Tim Sullivan (Kieran Culkin), and their closest friends, are fighting the stultifying repression of their parish school. Foremost among the forces of evil is the stern and disapproving nun, Sister Assumpta (Jodie Foster), who rules their lives. She seizes their artwork one day, setting the boys on an obsessed trail of revenge that ultimately changes their lives.
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The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys

The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys

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Critics 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.

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Critics Reviews

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Bill Muller Arizona Republic 06/28/2002
Although McFarlane's sequences are inventive, the rest of the film moves languidly. Go to Full Review
Richard Roeper Ebert & Roeper 06/25/2002
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. Go to Full Review
Rex Reed Observer 06/25/2002
It's not serious enough to be profound, and not ribald enough to be giddy. Go to Full Review
Mark Halverson Sacramento News & Review 08/07/2008
3/5
Film Threat 12/06/2005
3/5
Pablo Villaça Cinema em Cena 05/20/2005
3/5
Esfora-se ao mximo para arrancar lgrimas do espectador, mas, com exceo da performance cativante de Culkin, o filme empalidece diante de tantos outros do gnero. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Mark M Mar 25 This 2002 film is often sweet, cute, and relatable in many ways. However, The experience of the boomers that created this film in 2002, that attended Catholic Schools in the 50s & 60s, was portrayed as if it were current. It is embarrassingly irrelevant, out of touch, and outdated, because, during my time of attending Catholic School in the 90s, the most human, genuine, and wonderful people that I have ever met were the Catholic Sisters and the Priests. This Movie is shamefully trapped in a singular generational experience that immediately obscured in generations of person that have had absolutely no experience of the the morbid and sad experiences of boomers. See more Charles B 12/21/2022 Awesome classic with cool random segway's. See more 06/15/2022 Even the lives of altar boys deserve to be looked at A young Kieran Culkin, Emilie Hirsch, Jenna Malone, Jodie Foster, and Vincent D'Nofrio Two best friends Tim and Francis attend parish school but neither of them like the oppression they're facing Their teacher, Sister Assumpta is stern and disapproving making their lives miserable To escape the hardship of reality they both spend their time drawing and making comic book storylines Several sequences of animation are sprinkled in to express how they react Mainly it revolves around a superhero group called the Atomic Trinity and Assumpta is portrayed as Nunzilla Francis also has a crush on classmate Margie But when the boys' artwork is confiscated by their teacher they set on a trail of revenge to set things right The comic animation scenes are actually done by actual comic book illustrator Todd McFarlane The animated sequences are way more interesting Yet the performances by the young actors capture the pains of growing up well The languid pacing and the story's thinness are just very weak So it's a mixed bag See more torin f 04/22/2022 There's a lot to like here: fine acting, soundtrack, animation, nuanced coming-of-age portrait. The story itself does hinge on some oddly specific dark elements, however, that the film's structure can't adequately accommodate, and I think they thus end up somewhat alienating the viewer instead. See more evan m 09/12/2021 The film tries hard to be edgy, like it's protagonists. I would give an additional star if I thought it were intentional. See more 05/14/2021 just an overall messed up movie See more Read all reviews
The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys

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Movie Info

Synopsis Francis Doyle (Emile Hirsch) and Tim Sullivan (Kieran Culkin), and their closest friends, are fighting the stultifying repression of their parish school. Foremost among the forces of evil is the stern and disapproving nun, Sister Assumpta (Jodie Foster), who rules their lives. She seizes their artwork one day, setting the boys on an obsessed trail of revenge that ultimately changes their lives.
Director
Peter Care
Producer
Jodie Foster, Meg LeFauve, Jay Shapiro
Screenwriter
Jeff Stockwell
Distributor
ThinkFilm
Production Co
Egg Pictures, Trilogy Entertainment Group, Initial Entertainment Group
Rating
R (Sexual Content|Language|Youth Substance Use)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 14, 2002, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 10, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA)
$1.8M
Runtime
1h 45m
Sound Mix
Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Surround, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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