(15) 100min

This is a lightweight study of teenage boys coping with the problems and pains of adolescence, kids equally burdened with the demands placed upon them by a Catholic education. Set in Brooklyn in the mid-60s, Catholic Boys stars Andrew McCarthy as Michael, the new boy in the class who looks like he’s floated in with a backstory longer than his tender years. If it wasn’t enough to have one character in the film offering reaction shots to the sadistic events perpetrated by one particularly over-zealous member of the brethren, there is also John Heard’s monk questioning the old-school methods. Michael Dinner’s 1985 film is far from the worst of its era, but like many others released around then (Risky Business, The Breakfast Club, The Karate Kid) it’s full of audience pleasing moments and predictable set pieces. Minimal extras.

(Optimum DVD Retail)