I saw The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys ( (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)) this week at the cinema. It stars Kieran Culkin and Emile Hirsch as two 14-year-olds at a catholic school, who play out their fantasies and release their frustrations by creating a comic book in which they cast themselves as superhero and the strict nun (played by Jodie Foster) as the archvillain. There are some cool animation sequences by Todd McFarlane, creator of Spawn.

I hesitate to call this a boymovie, since the actors who play the boys are all much older than their characters. (Kieran is about 20.) I don't know why movie producers do that, when there are so many talented boy actors out there who could have played the parts equally well. That said, however, I must add that Kieran and Emile are both VERY convincing as 14-year-olds. This is in part because of the excellent script, which captures the way teenagers speak to perfection (without making them sound dumb, which is sometimes a problem with these kinds of films), but mostly it's because they are both excellent actors.

The themes are familiar: coming of age, first girlfriend, pranks, friendship. But the plot has a few interesting and unexpected twists. By the end of the film, it turns out to be a much more serious and tragic film that you would have expected from the light opening. The two main characters are complex, and the actors' performances hint that that there is a deeper side of them that we don't see, some troubling issues not shown. It's weird how we never really get inside their heads and find out what is really going on in there. We see very little of their family life, but there are hints that it may not be the best.

In one scene, for example, the boys find a dog on the side of the road that's been hit by a car and left behind. Kieran tries to save him, but he dies within a few moments. Kieran breaks down and tells Emile that nobody is ever going to come for that dog. "Don't tell me to get real, he says, I know what real is."

As the film progresses and the pranks against the evil nun become more extreme, it becomes clear that the boys are troubled in some way, even if we are never shown why. This may seem a bit weird, but it works.

I'd say it's definitely worth seeing, especially if you liked Kieran in his previous roles. It's nice to see that he's becoming a very accomplished and talented actor. Unlike his more famous brother, Macauley, Kieran might actually have a great career ahead of him.

Thanks for the great review, josephk! I don't usually like animation in the middle of serious films, but you make it sound like it works okay with this one.

I hate to hear about the dog. That's kind of a spoiler for me. I'd sure be rooting for the dog to make it, if I didn't already know that he dies...

I love Kieran Culkin, and I liked what I saw of Emile Hirsch, too. I'm looking forward to seeing Jake Richardson too, since you mentioned him, hosenhaus.

Love,
Sir Jacob

Thanks for the review.  This movie caught my attention but I haven't decided to see it yet.  I will, now.

By the way, I seem to recall that Mac recently garnered excellent stage reviews in London and is apparently on his way to Broadway,  as well as having recently made an Indie movie.  I think he's going to be alright.