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by Frank Wilkins

I have a soft spot for "slice of life" films. It's refreshing to sometimes watch a movie that exists simply for the purpose of telling a story. Couple that with a keen sense of artistic panache and a unique approach to character depth and you'll draw me in every time. Throw Jodie Foster into the mix for good measure and the experience finds a cozy little nook in the corner of my heart.

Despite it's misleading title, The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys has nothing to do with sexual abuse by priests or other members of the clergy. While it doesn't go out of its way to make the Catholic Church look good it certainly is a bit less damaging than its title might lead you to believe. In a similar fashion as Stand By Me, Dangerous Lives is a tragically-hip coming of age movie about growing up, making mistakes and learning to deal with the consequences.

Based upon the book by Chris Fuhrman and screenplay by Jeff Stockwell, The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys introduces us to Francis Doyle and Tim Sullivan (Emile Hirsch and Kieran Culkin respectively), two bored and hormonally charged teenaged altar boys who attend a strict Catholic School in the South. Francis is the romantic with an infatuation for a cute classmate, Margi Flynn (Jena Malone). Tim is the jokester who misdirects his intelligence towards brilliant pranks and devious shenanigans. Together with a couple of other boys, they view themselves as comic book superheroes. They fill their idle time hanging out, drinking cheap beer and drawing their own comic books that feature, among others, Captain Asskicker, Major Screw and Skeleton boy who battle the evil Nunzilla, their rendition of Sister Asumpta played by Jodie Foster.

Early on in the story we find their monkey shines harmless and actually quite amusing. They steal the statue from atop the belfry of their school, they constantly joke amongst themselves about their sexual discovery and in a "it's funny until something goes wrong" prank, they hatch a recurring plan to capture a cougar from the local zoo and release it in Sister Asumpta's office.

Despite the outstanding performances by Hirsch, Culkin and Malone, the screenplay is the main star of the show. Rather than using the conventional voice-over narration technique as a means of providing character depth and understanding, director Peter Care employs the assistance of Spawn animator/illustrator Todd McFarlane. Together they interject the story with the boys' alter egos drawn as comic book superheroes. The story quite often jumps to these "extreme" comic book animation sequences that draw a brilliant parallel between the boys' fantasy universe, and the story's live action tale of friendship, first love, and inevitable loss. Francis and Tim escape the repressive routine of their lives through the fantasy world of the superheroes in their comic strip.

The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys brings to life the emotional struggles of adolescent teenagers as they try to find their place in a world run by tyrannical absolutists. Some subjects of the story are left unfinished and I have a couple of observations that didn't quite mesh seamlessly into the tale, but The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys is a must see movie that takes you through a range of emotions without ever feeling heavy-handed or contrived.

Frank Wilkins

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