The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys (2002)

While watching this, I was hoping the plot thread involving the cougar wouldn't wreck the film. *sigh* The film certainly has a lot to recommend it, enough that I feel (somewhat) comfortable giving it a mild recommendation. In particular, the plot strand with Emile Hirsch and Jena Malone, for the most part, is pretty spiffy and leads to the film's best moments. Unfortunately, that strand apparently wasn't actually what the film was 'about,' so it also leads to one of my two major bones of contention -- Malone's last stretch of dialogue is puzzling and leaves a sour taste that throws the film off-kilter, which means the overdone and borderline-retarded climax damn near sinks the ship. Maybe it does anyway; the more I think about this movie, the less I like it. Well-made and well-acted, for sure, with a wealth of excellent moments (including the comic-book interludes was a ballsy risk that paid off fantastically), but still. That ending eats it. (P.S. to Jena Malone: I love you.)

Grade: C+