Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- irreverent
- nostalgic
- nostalgic movie night
- coming of age double feature
What critics said
Critics generally praised the young actors' truthful, compassionate portrayal of adolescent pain, while finding the screenplay overly ambitious and the animated interludes uneven.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Francis and Tim's pranks, fantasies, and revenge against Sister Assumpta gradually expose the consequences of rebellion and growing up.
The boys' daily lives are shaped by harsh parish-school discipline, especially Sister Assumpta's authoritarian control.
Francis's drawings create a fictional netherworld of superhero identities for the boys, rendered through intercut animation.
The boys' escalating prank and revenge plans turn boredom and humiliation into organized defiance.
Films like The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys, and why
Heaven Help Us
shared adolescent rebellion, Catholic setting, dark humor, and emotionally candid coming-of-age drama
The Last Picture Show
shared 1970s adolescence, friendship, nostalgia, and painful emotional maturation
The 400 Blows
shared mischievous boyhood, Catholic repression, outsider friendship, and bittersweet nostalgia
Rushmore
shared youthful rebellion, imaginative escape, irreverent humor, and coming-of-age tenderness
Movie Details
- Director
- Peter Care
- Release Date
- 2002-06-14
- Runtime
- 104 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (187)
Cast
- Kieran Culkin
- Emile Hirsch
- Jena Malone
- Jake Richardson
- Jodie Foster
- Vincent D'Onofrio
- Melissa McBride
- Michael Harding
- Tyler Long
- Arthur Bridgers
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Starz Apple TV channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys about?
- Two rebellious Catholic-school boys turn comic-book fantasies and a revenge scheme into a funny, painful reckoning with adolescence.
- What is The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys as mild.
- What did critics think of The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys?
- Critics generally praised the young actors' truthful, compassionate portrayal of adolescent pain, while finding the screenplay overly ambitious and the animated interludes uneven.
- Which films are like The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys?
- Films with a similar feel include Heaven Help Us, The Last Picture Show, The 400 Blows, and Rushmore.
- How long is The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys?
- The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys runs 104 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys?
- In United States, The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys streams on Starz Apple TV channel.
