Shawn Hatosy, Alec Baldwin, Jonathan Brandis
Outside Providence was written by the Farrelly Brothers, known for the outrageous comedies Dumb and Dumber, Kingpin, and There's Something About Mary. On the surface, Ou...( read more
) seems to be of the same ilk--there's a three-legged, one-eyed dog, physical humor with a kid in a wheelchair, and a character nicknamed Jiz, among other things. But despite all that, the movie is an almost-gentle coming-of-age comedy, something like a suburban New England Amarcord with a lot of unrepentant drug humor. The plot doesn't sound promising: pothead Tim Dunphy (Shawn Hatosy) gets sent to prep school by his father (Alec Baldwin), who wants to keep him out of trouble. But a fair amount of smoking and boozing goes on at that school, too, despite the watchful eye of the administrators. Dunphy also falls for Jane (Amy Smart), a richer and smarter girl whom he wins over. All this could just as easily be the plot of some mediocre Porky's rip-off, but the Farrelly Brothers' script has the grit of real experience, while the direction (by Michael Corrente) and acting carefully avoid smirks and easy gags; the movie is funnier for it. Baldwin initially seems miscast, but over the course of the film delivers a solid performance; Hatosy and Smart are sincere and unaffected. The result is a low-key, modest, but genuinely affecting movie about surmounting class differences and coping with loss--that also has a lot of jokes that push the boundaries of political correctness. Quite a balancing act. --Bret Fetzer
DVD Release Date: October 2, 2001
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Stats: 282 reviews
Flixster Reviews (282)
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June 18, 2008One of the goofier and strangely sentimental coming-of-age movies out there. It's entertaining.
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February 11, 2008Found this to be surprisingly entertaining. Definitely more than meets the eye. Alec Baldwin is very funny as the father. Recommended.
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August 23, 2009Love this movie..Been a long time since I have seen it.. But me and my friends would watch it all the time..
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January 29, 2009very sweet and funny tale of a blue collar kid going to an upper class prep school. george wendt, alec baldwin and richard jenkins roles are just solidly funny stuff
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January 1, 2009wow umn just seen this movie 4 the 1st time n think that this is a good movie 2 watch..its got a really good cast of actors/actressess throughout this movie its a really good comedy movie...i think that alec baldwin plays a good part throguhout this movie..i think that the direct...( read more)
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Critic Reviews
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
January 1, 2000
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com
It's funny and offbeat, sometimes raucous, but it still manages to come at you in gentle layers. full review
January 1, 2000
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer
Outside Providence, despite its familiar formula, feels fresh!
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