sddavis63 It turned out that there was a lot more to this movie than I was anticipating when I decided to watch it. I watched it largely on the basis of Alec Baldwin, who's a pretty good actor. But at the same time I knew that the basic plot revolved around a kid from the wrong side of the tracks, so to speak, who gets sent to a snooty prep school after getting in some trouble at home. I figured this would turn out to be a pretty typical teen-style comedy, with the "bad kid" heading off to the "good school" and turning it upside down, with the movie becoming little more than sex and drugs. It's true that there's a lot of weed in this, but much to my surprise there's no sex and not even a hint of nudity. It actually turns out to be a fairly complex study of relationships and commitment and the importance of taking responsibility for your actions.Shawn Hatosy was Tim Dunphy - the kid who gets sent off to this school. We find out early on that he has a troubled home life, loyally devoted to his wheelchair bound little brother Jackie (Tommy Bone) but with a distant relationship with his father, who's played by Baldwin, and who seems to have time to do little else but play poker with his buddies. (As an aside, dad's "buddies" are played by a pretty decent cast of actors, including George Wendt and Richard Jenkins.) For much of the movie we know nothing about Tim's mother, except that she isn't there. When her absence finally gets explained, it resolves some of the issues about what's going on between Tim and his dad, and perhaps explains his dad's emotional emptiness.The prep school part of the story is also more interesting than expected at first glance. There's some "teen cliché" stuff going on, but really less than I expected. Yes, as I noted, there's a lot of weed smoked over the course of an hour and a half, and there's the requisite "evil" adult character, in this case represented by My. Funderburk, played by Timothy Crowe, but even Funderburke (while a bit ridiculous at times) is less over the top than most similar characters in teen movies. As I said, there's neither sex nor nudity in this, but there is a surprisingly well portrayed romance between Tim and Jane (played by Amy Smart) - a girl from the right side of the tracks. It's one of those unlikely and somewhat unbelievable romances that nevertheless worked in this case, and I thought that Hatosy and Smart were good together. Ultimately, of course, what hijinks there were at the school leads to problems, and Tim has to decide whether to take responsibility for his actions or not, and the revelation of why Tim's mother is absent even leads ultimately to a sort of warming in the relationship between Tim and his dad.This actually turns out to be a much more interesting movie than one might anticipate. In fact, although it's set in a prep school and is at times humorous, I wouldn't really call this a teen comedy at all. It's got too much going on for that; it raises too many issues to be dismissed as just that. It's surprisingly well done. (7/10)

Steve Pulaski In the nineties, the Farrelly Brothers were dominating the comedy/drama genres with their energetic, screwball scenarios for their quirky, genial subjects to fall into. From the charming goofiness of There's Something About Mary to their passably dopey Dumb and Dumber, the Farrelly's seemed to pitch every possible idea to Miramax and they willingly committed to making it happen. The directors were the studio's biggest moneymaker, so as a result, we got all different kinds of films from the directors, good and bad.And after watching both of the previously mentioned efforts and was met with marginal satisfaction, my idea to venture into the Farrelly's lesser-known film Outside Providence, which was critically underwhelming and financially disastrous compared to the previous films. The film is simple, good-natured, and an easy watch, but at no point does this become more than a methodical tip-toe through the woods of clichés.Our main character is Timothy "Dildo" Dunphy (Shawn Hatosy), an underachieving high school senior with a strict father (Alec Baldwin) and a handicapped brother (Tommy Bone) he treats like a regular person to avoid showing any resemblance of superiority or difference towards him. The small family resides in Pawtucket, Road Island, and after Timothy and friends crash into a parked police car with marijuana on their person, his father tires from his blatant incompetence and sends him to Cornwall Academy, a strict prep school in Connecticut.Upon arriving, Timothy is placed in the lower-level classes and is mocked, tormented, and left a social pariah with the other more advanced men of the school. He quickly becomes acquainted with Amy Smart's Jane Weston, an attractive blonde girl he believes is the nicest, prettiest one there. At the same time, while being harassed by a number of the kids, Timothy finds that Cornwall's dorm master, Mr. Funderburk (Timothy Crowe), is out to get him and continues to devise plans to avoid him or even pull the occasional prank or two.The film was based on a book written by Peter Farrelly a year before, with Farrelly stating the film is a marginally fictionalized account of his real experiences at a prep school in Connecticut. I could already assume that the film is pretty fictional, because I would expect quirkier, more unique experiences from one of the most famous comedy directors in the business.Shawn Hatosy gives us a kind-hearted, but overall, bland character to deal with, proving that he has the charisma and screen presence but not the proper material to sustain a ninety-five minute excursion. The most admirably compelling performance in the film is that of Alec Baldwin's whose cut throat, east-coast attitude is somewhat out of place but not the less welcoming in a film filled dead-end material.Ultimately, the highest regard I can pay to Outside Providence is its wonderful use of seventies songs, all of which easily recognizable and wonderfully engaging. From "All Right Now" to "Free Bird," and don't forget the little nuanced things like a copy of Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, the Farrelly brothers and co-writer, Michael Corrente, clearly recall the seventies with vivid clarity. And to be fair, as competent, basic entertainment, Outside Providence maybe just what some are looking for. It's a rather quick comedy, over in the blink of an eye, and you're left to either praise it for its simplicity or bash it for the same reason. For the comedy genre, it won't be the straw that breaks the camel's back. For the Farrelly's, it may have gotten Miramax to wake up.Starring: Shawn Hatosy, Alec Baldwin, Amy Smart, Timothy Crowe, and Tommy Bone. Directed by: Michael Corrente.

Pepper Anne I was disappointed with this one. I guess, after watching the trailers, I fell for the advertising, because I was really expecting this mediocre mess to be much more.I look at Outside Providence as a more sedate version of the 2002 drama, The Adventures of Sebastian Cole. Set in the 1970s, Shaun Hatosy plays a misfit teen who gets into trouble with the law, and I suppose as a punishment (or rather, to avoid jail time), his father drunk father sends him to a prep school in Connecticut. An underachiever all of his life, it is hard for him to adjust, and worse, care enough to actually graduate. Of course, expect romance and new friends to give him a new outlook.An odd choice for Farrely, but one that still seeks to introduce some of the Farrely comedy trappings, though the whole thing seems to shift between trying to be comedy and a drama. Unfortunately, it was not very interesting and, following a story told so many times before, did not offer anything different enough to hold my attention. It wasn't the acting, there just didn't seem to be enough here to work with.Look for Jonathan Brandis in a supporting role as one of Tim's friends (uh...Tim is Shaun Hatosy, the misfit main character).

brado8 am i the only one who thinks that this movie is great? there's just something about it that really gets to me. that scene with alec baldwin teaching his son how to tie a tie? all the great one-liners? the fantastic soundtrack? amy smart? i'm probably gonna get alot of s*** for this, but please, if anyone else out there loves this movie, please tell me so i don't feel like i'm taking crazy pills!