young cast, as well as the cinematography and production design. However, multiple critics said the film loses focus in its second half. Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "Sleepers wants to do something impossible — merge the mournful, drenched-in-shame emotions of child abuse with the huckster gamesmanship of a contraption like The Sting." David Ansen of Newsweek criticized Levinson's script and reasoned the adult characters of Shakes, Michael, John, and Tommy were not fully fleshed out. Roger Ebert awarded the film three out of four stars, but said it did not engage enough in the moral issues it purported to be about. Steve Davis of The Austin Chronicle wrote, "What a more interesting film this would have been had Levinson found a way to integrate the past and the present so that one informed the other." When the film was released, there was controversy over how much of the novel, claimed to be a true story, had been invented by its author. Accolades Home media The film was released on VHS by Warner Home Video in 1997. The film was released in DVD on November 3, 2009 and also in Blu-Ray on August 2, 2011. It is also included on streaming service, Prime Video. Notes References External links 1996 films 1996 crime drama films American coming-of-age films American courtroom films American crime drama films American buddy drama films American prison drama films 1990s buddy drama films 1990s English-language films Films about child sexual abuse Films about pranks Films directed by Barry Levinson Films scored by John Williams Films produced by Steve Golin Films based on American novels Films set in 1967 Films set in 1968 Films set in 1981 Films set in New York (state) Films set in New York City Films shot in Connecticut Films shot in New York City PolyGram Filmed Entertainment films American rape and revenge films Warner Bros. films Films about the Irish Mob 1990s American films