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Outside Providence
Miramax Films


8.0

based on 32 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 2 votes
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FILM:

MPAA RATING: R for pervasive teen drug use and strong language including sexual references

Starring Alec Baldwin, Timothy Dunphy, Jane Weston, and John Abrahams

Timothy Dunphy, (aka. "Dunph," "Dildo") has a broken home, a three-legged dog and a full-blown attraction to trouble. After crashing into a parked police car, his father (Baldwin) packs him off to prep school -- where he's out of place, outclassed and seriously outnumbered. Now he's about to show everyone that even he can get a piece of class. (Miramax)

GENRE(S):	Comedy
WRITTEN BY:	Peter Farrelly (also novel) Michael Corrente Bobby Farrelly
DIRECTED BY:	Michael Corrente
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: March 14, 2000 Video: March 14, 2000 Theatrical: September 1, 1999
RUNNING TIME:	96 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek

Wonderful...It's funny and offbeat, sometimes raucous, but it still manages to come at you in gentle layers.

Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas

Corrente's gift for evoking the lives of blue-collar men that made his debut film, "Federal Hill," so appealing blends perfectly with the antic sensibility of the Farrellys.

The New York Times Janet Maslin

Eminently likable...a splendid performance from Alec Baldwin in a far cry from his usual roles.

Film.com Ernest Hardy

Entertaining as it often is, Outside Providence feels as if it were a collection of installments from an unusually raunchy television series.

Boston Globe Jay Carr

It's much closer to a European film in sensibility than to one of Hollywood's factory products.

Newsweek David Ansen

Gets a lot of the details right. Outside Providence is a sweet, funny little movie.

LA Weekly Paul Malcolm

Baldwin's perfectly impacted performance as a tough-love provider (the actor gets some of the best lines in the movie).

Austin Chronicle Marjorie Baumgarten

Beguiling performances and a story that veers between social observations, period detail, and genuine humor make this movie an end-of-the-summer stand-out.

New York Daily News Jami Bernard

It stands apart when it comes to its extravagant humor and non-judgmental '70s-era reality (smoking dope, hitching rides, playing Frisbee, hanging out).

San Francisco Chronicle Peter Stack

Everything comes up forced and predictable in the nostalgic overload of bongs, Top 40 rock and boys' bluster about sex.

Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea

Despite its familiar formula, feels fresh.

Chicago Tribune Marc Caro

Like Richard Linklater's "Dazed and Confused," Outside Providence reminisces vividly, recalling the era fondly but not with too much sugar.

Baltimore Sun Ann Hornaday

Possesses memorable portrayals of thoroughly original characters and draws a beguilingly bleak portrait of its Rhode Island settings.

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

Baldwin is a marvel in a casting surprise that pays off.

TV Guide Steve Simels

Meanwhile Baldwin (bulked up a la DeNiro and playing totally against type), is a revelation, funny and touching.

Village Voice Amy Taubin

Cross "Rushmore" with "Cheech and Chong" and you might get Outside Providence.

New York Post Jonathan Foreman

Peter Farrelly is angry at Miramax for marketing his and his brother Bobby's new film as a follow-up to their surprise smash hit, "There's Something About Mary."

Film.com John Hartl

Entertaining as it often is, Outside Providence feels as if it were a collection of installments from an unusually raunchy television series.

Washington Post Stephen Hunter

Fitfully amusing but nothing remarkable

Dallas Observer Bill Gallo

Surprisingly tender and resolutely unpostmodern.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Paula Nechak

Outside of a smart performance by Shawn Hatosy as Tim Dunphy, there just isn't much that's enlightening or new in this intimate recollection.

Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy

The standout is Baldwin, utterly convincing as a gruff cuss whose life has been forever stained by the death of his wife.

Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez

Aggressively bland coming-of-age story.

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

The story is lively and energetic, if you can take its raunchy jokes and rowdy behavior.

USA Today Susan Wloszczyna

Reeks of the kind of atmosphere that makes you reach for the Lysol.

TNT RoughCut Graham Verdon

Little more than an amusing, predictable story we've seen done better a dozen times.

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

This unexceptional 1970s coming-of-age story is neither outrageous, new, nor comedic.

San Francisco Examiner Edvins Bietkis

Just another in a long line of blue-collar-kid-at-prep-school movies, and it may be the worst of the lot. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is original in this movie.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

So unsuccessful in so many different ways that maybe the whole project was doomed.

Mr. Showbiz Kevin Maynard

Plays like mediocre outtakes from better bell-bottomed fare (Richard Linklater's authentic, seriocomic "Dazed and Confused"; Fox's "That '70s Show") without making any kind of impression of its own.

Variety Dennis Harvey

A disappointingly rote entry in the '70s teen nostalgia sweepstakes.

Chicago Reader Lisa Alspector

Smug, uninsightful light drama.

The average user rating for this movie is 8.0 (out of 10) based on 2 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Dale C. gave it a 7:
Alec Baldwin surprised the hell out of me with this one. This is a teen movie with a heart. Certainly one to check out.

Dave D. gave it a 9:
Funny as hell. A few scenes I had to rewind cause I couldn't stop laughing. Amy Smart is a beauty leaving you wanting to be Dumph. Reccomended.

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Outside Providence Miramax Films

Outside Providence
Miramax Films