The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys

Two Catholic teens (Kieran Culkin and Emile Hirsch) are parochially schooled in the 1970s by a wooden-legged nun (Jodie Foster as Sister Assumpta) and a chain-smoking priest (a pudgy Vincent D’Onofrio). The rebellious boys fill their time between classes and church services with daredevil exploits and by channeling their budding hormones and disillusionment into illustrating a violent, blasphemous comic book of superheroes and villains called the “Atomic Trinity” (with such characters as Nunzilla and Captain Asskicker). This adaptation of Chris Fuhrman’s 1994 novel (which includes a romance tainted by a dark sibling secret) feels at times like a lead-footed Stand by Me that is sporadically energized by the animation of Spawn creator Todd McFarlane. Written by Jeff Stockwell and Michael Petroni. Directed by Peter Care.