(rated R, 115 mins.)
Based on the Chris Fuhrman coming-of-age novel comes a story set in the 70’s of two charming but irreverent Catholic high School kids who confront the mysteries of adulthood by expressing their curiosities in a set of illustrated cartoons. In their limited universe their world is comprised of heroes and villains, going to church on Sunday and sneaking beers behind the railroad tracks. The enemy, Sister Assumpta (Jodie Foster) is only seen for her rigid rules not the good intent she has for their souls, thus they depict her as a motorcycle-riding mama who battles their animated alter-egos in their sketchbooks. Francis (Emile Hirsch) and Tim (Kieran Culkin) are the leaders of their pals called “The Atomic Trinity” in a quintessential throw back to Catholic school days minus the stereotypical. Having myself lived it, raised in a boarding school with nuns, it was easy to relate to their burn-in-hell escapades yet their frustrations of a disciplined journey from innocence to experience. Father Casey (Vincent D’Onofrio) and Foster are understated and underused in their roles but dead on in maintaining the backbone of all that is good against the boys’ mischief. The movie is smart, fresh and outrageous and could easily be compared to J. D. Salinger’s “Catcher In The Rye”. The kids, Culkin and Hirsch are extraordinary and the alternating of animated to real life sequences smartly parallels their fantasy universe meets reality.
Based on the Chris Fuhrman coming-of-age novel comes a story set in the 70’s of two charming but irreverent Catholic high School kids who confront the mysteries of adulthood by expressing their curiosities in a set of illustrated cartoons. In their limited universe their world is comprised of heroes and villains, going to church on Sunday and sneaking beers behind the railroad tracks. The enemy, Sister Assumpta (Jodie Foster) is only seen for her rigid rules not the good intent she has for their souls, thus they depict her as a motorcycle-riding mama who battles their animated alter-egos in their sketchbooks. Francis (Emile Hirsch) and Tim (Kieran Culkin) are the leaders of their pals called “The Atomic Trinity” in a quintessential throw back to Catholic school days minus the stereotypical. Having myself lived it, raised in a boarding school with nuns, it was easy to relate to their burn-in-hell escapades yet their frustrations of a disciplined journey from innocence to experience. Father Casey (Vincent D’Onofrio) and Foster are understated and underused in their roles but dead on in maintaining the backbone of all that is good against the boys’ mischief. The movie is smart, fresh and outrageous and could easily be compared to J. D. Salinger’s “Catcher In The Rye”. The kids, Culkin and Hirsch are extraordinary and the alternating of animated to real life sequences smartly parallels their fantasy universe meets reality.