This isn't your usual coming-of-age story. The serious issues are counterbalanced by a shimsical sense of humor. Among the most striking aspects of the movie are its occasional forays into animation. The characters are engaged in creatng an underground comic book with characters like "The Muscle" and "Captain Asskicker", and, in sequences that are designed to resemble the Saturday morning superhero cartoons, we see these fantastic creations in full motion as they battle the evil "Nunzilla"
Tim Sullivan (Keiran Culkin) and Francis Doyle (Emile Hirsch) are best friends and classmates at Saint Agatha's. They spend their days and night devising pranks and working on a comic book project that they call the "The Atomic Trinity". Both Tim and Francis have graphic alter egos, and their nemesis is a caricature of the school's disciplinarion, Sister Assumpta (Jodie Foster). Tim is consumed by his idea for an ultimate prank on Sister Assumpta, which is ambitous but seemingly without hope of success. Meanwhile, his constant co-conspirator, Francis, has fallen for pretty Margie Flynn (Jena Malone), who is receptive to his advances. Everything seems to be going well until Marge reveals her secret and Tim and Francis have a falling-out.
Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys is told from the perspective of the teen-agers. Thus, parents play virtually no part in the move, the adult figures at school come across as one-dimensional bad guys, and the boys live life with a sense of invulnerability. In a way, their superhero alter egos are more than drawings - they're an extension of how Tim and Francis feel about themselves. Of course, in the course of the movie they both experience rude awakenings.
As Francis, Emile Hirsch gives a nice, low-key performance that is in keeping with a generally serious-minded boy who is being led astray by a prankster friend. Kieran Culkin is a perfect fit for Tim. WIth a mischievous twinkle in his eye, he embodies his motto of "serious trouble beats serious boredom anyday". He's not a bad kid, but often acts before thinking things through. As Margie, Jena Malone give a memorable turn as a girl who isn't as naive and normal as she seems to be. The film's higher-profile actors, Vincent D'Onofrio and Jodie Foster, have supporting roles that give them little screen time to develop deep personalities, and this is consistent for how the authority figures are view from the kids' eyes.
There's a lot to like about Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys, even if, in the final analysis, there are some things that don't work. The animated sequences - lively, colorful, and energetic - are amongst the movie's high points, and director Care does a good job evoking the tribulations of adolescence. The romance is handled with the sensitivity demanded by the subject matter it encompasses, and the friendship between Francis and Tim is credible. Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys isn't the best coming-of-age story to hit the big screen, but it skirts new terrirtory, and does so with a flare that earns it a recommendation.