The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys (2002)

Surprisingly incoherent and boring

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Great acting, solid direction and some inventive presentation-- the protagonists re-imagine their lives in terms of comic-book fantasies, and we are treated to some wonderful traditional animation thereof-- are just the start in this complex picture.The film follows a group of '60s Catholic schoolboys who hatch a plan to play a crazy prank on one of their hated teachers. The plan, of course, goes awry. What is interesting in this film-- besides watching Culkin, Hirsch and Foster working their usual magic-- is the complexity of theme going on behind the adolescent antics. The film looks at the purpose of fantasy, the meaning of faith, the dangers of testing boundaries, the unpleasantness of unfinished business, the nature of God and the question of how one interprets His authority. The question of original sin-- never clumsily and straightforwardly stated-- permeates the film, from Margie's awful revelations to Tim's mischief. The film's real genius is its ability to play with obviously religious ideas without really doing any preaching.Behind all this, of course, is the Viet Nam war. As America loses its post-WWII innocence at the end of the 1960s, and as the flower-power generation realises that breaking the boundaries that authority sets ultimately breaks much more, so the boys learn what happens when people want to take God's power. When Tim Sullivan tells his teacher that William Blake's poetry is written "simply enough for a child," she responds with "so are the instructions for a handgun."

Very emotional feel, one of those movies that errs to the emotions of people more than a plot. Think Royal Tenenbaums or life aquatic and you have a good idea what this film feels like. The story is well played out and the cartoons give a fascinating glimpse into the main character's head. The characters each have their own distinct feel, but they never succumb to a categorical character, they seem to all maintain a level of humanity. At times the plot seems to be edged forward to make the movie go faster, but in all I had very few moments where I was spacing out. The lines are also incredibly well written and again maintain the feeling of humanity. Great film in all and an emotionally heavy ride.

it was a great idea and i watched it with few other mates and we all guessed that there would be more than one cougar in there. we thought it was a bit extreme that the guy had to die but i thought the funeral was well done. i thought the brother and the boyf hadnt finished up their fight properly but obviously a nose bleed finishes everything and what happened to the girl who saw the ghost, was that just to prove that she wasn't totally crazy? though she was a bit mucked up... i also thought the ending was bad and how many nuns do u know hu go around on motorbikes?!?! cute main guy though... p.s. does anyone know how to change ur username? i am fed up of johnny now! p.p.s hes still gorgeous though

I'm not going to write a whole lot about this movie. I liked it OK. There was really nothing in the movie that I hadn't seen before in better movies, but it's still a pretty good movie. Kieran Culkin and Emile Hirsch gave winning performances, and Jena Malone was wonderful. I guess my main problem with the movie is that it didn't really have a point. Maybe I'm getting old, but just because you are 14 and are in an oppressive environment doesn't give you the right to do absolutely anything you want. I would've been OK with the movie if we could've seen more of the good side of the kids and less of the bad. I know, I'm getting old... All that said, I was glad that I watched the movie - it did make me think, and I did become involved with the characters. I guess that's more than what you usually get.