The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys

This dogma-tweaked coming-of-age picture gets its title from the pranks pulled by its main characters, a pair of troublemaking Catholic school kids engaged in a battle of wills with their hardhearted homeroom nun (Jodie Foster). Fueled by their comic book fantasies (brought to life onscreen by Spawn creator Todd McFarlane), the boys are planning to get even. But while troubled, angry Tim (Kieran Culkin) is leading their mischief down a perilous path, Francis (Emile Hirsch) is being pulled in another direction by a pretty but tormented classmate (Jena Malone). Director Peter Care gives the film a palpable atmosphere of somber nostalgia and psychological tension, while coaxing excellent performances from his entire cast. But the film begins to unravel with the guys' reckless, ultimately tragic plot to steal a cougar from a local zoo and let it loose in Foster's office--a move which all but destroys the movie's veracity in its final act. Optional. [Note: DVD extras on this special edition include audio commentary by director Peter Care and screenwriter Jeff Stockwell, the 29-minute Sundance Channel production “Anatomy of a Scene,” 14 minutes of cast and crew interviews, 12 minutes of animated scenes with optional commentary by artist Todd McFarlane, six minutes of deleted scenes, a five-minute featurette, an illustrations gallery, production notes, text cast and crew biographies, TV spots, a trailer, and DVD-ROM features. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a flawed but worthwhile film.] (R. Blackwelder)