The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys
| The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Peter Care |
| Screenplay by |
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| Based on | The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys by Chris Fuhrman |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Lance Acord |
| Edited by | Chris Peppe |
| Music by | Marco Beltrami |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | THINKFilm (North America) Initial Entertainment Group (Overseas) |
Release dates |
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Running time | 104 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $12 million |
| Box office | $2 million |
The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys is a 2002 American comedy-drama film directed by Peter Care and written by Jeff Stockwell and Michael Petroni based on Chris Fuhrman's 1994 semi-autobiographical coming-of-age novel of the same name. The film stars Emile Hirsch, Kieran Culkin, Jena Malone, Jodie Foster and Vincent D'Onofrio.
The film is about a group of Catholic school friends in the Southern United States in the 1970s who engage in a series of pranks and general mischief. The boys also collaborate on a comic book they call The Atomic Trinity. Interspersed within the film are segments of animated footage based on the comic book. THINKFilm paid $1 million to acquire the film's North American distribution rights and went on to gross $1.8 million in limited theatrical release, making it a profitable acquisition for THINKFilm.
Fuhrman died of cancer before completing the final revision of the novel. The film, dedicated to his memory, received positive reviews from critics.