'Dangerous Lives' a small risk

The temptation to make a saucy reference to this film's title and the sex scandal that's split the Catholic church wide open is sinfully seductive. While I'll refrain from this devilish delicacy of word play, it is exactly that -- the film's unfortunate title -- that kept the majority of us from seeing this fine film of adolescent angst.\nBased on Chris Fuhrman's posthumously published, semi-autobiographical cult novel of the same name, "Altar Boys" is the story of Tim Sullivan (Kieran Culkin) and Francis Doyle (Emile Hirsch). Best friends and better pranksters, these two Catholic schoolboys are entering adolescence and learning that the world can be a confusing and unfair place and that the paths they will take will not be the same. With stellar performances from a very young cast, Peter Care's excellent directorial debut moves deftly between relatable comedy and squirming darkness, achieving the overall effect of raw honesty.\nMet with wide critical acclaim, this isn't to say that "Altar Boys" is spotlessly clean. Jodie Foster, as an uptight, bitter nun with one leg, at times feels slightly miscast, and her Irish-Catholic accent at the beginning of the film has miraculously vanished by the end. Likewise, by working with young actors, some lines are delivered that shamelessly expose the script.\nYet, the originality and uniqueness of the movie are far more redeeming than any of these trivial hang-ups. The most interesting features of the film are animated sequences, produced by Todd McFarlane of "Spawn" infamy, that cut in and out of the live action. Our "Altar Boys" are in love with the world of comics and find the medium to be a way to express all the things that are going on inside them.\nAlthough the DVD comes with special features like interviews, featurettes, various commentaries, deleted scenes and more, this is a little deceiving. The majority of the material, such as the interviews, featurettes and deleted scenes, are the exact same material, just packaged differently.\nBut there are also positive features, such as the Sundance Film Festival Channel's "Anatomy of a Scene" and the commentary from director Care and writer Jeff Stockwell. Overall, aside from the serious film buff, this DVD is worth the time to watch and worth the money to rent, but is just a little too "dangerous" to own.