OUTSIDE PROVIDENCE is like any number of "Coming Of Age" type films--seen one, you've seen 'em all. There are no plot surprises in this one; working class boy gets into trouble at home, is sent off to preparatory school as a way to get out of trouble, and finds that the people at prep school aren't any different from the ones he left behind in his working class neighborhood, except that one of them--a smart girl--falls head-over-heels in love with him for no apparent reason.
Shawn Hatosy as Tim Dumphy won't win any awards for this; in fact, by the time the movie ends, you'd be hard-pressed to even remember his name (and my husband and I both tried). What makes this movie worth seeing, though, are the performances by the undercharacters. Tommy Bone as Tim's younger brother Jackie is outstanding--funny, witty, undeterred by life in a wheelchair and unafraid to use it to his advantage. Alec Baldwin, often the best thing about any movie he appears in, turns in a brilliant performance as Old Man Dumphy--vulgar and crude to the point of appearing cruel, but loving and giving to his children in moments that are unexpectedly touching. A funny and moving performance by George Wendt as one of Old Man Dumphy's card-playing buddies with opinions and ideas that make him the odd man out rounds out the undercast.
See it once in theatres before it disappears.
Shawn Hatosy as Tim Dumphy won't win any awards for this; in fact, by the time the movie ends, you'd be hard-pressed to even remember his name (and my husband and I both tried). What makes this movie worth seeing, though, are the performances by the undercharacters. Tommy Bone as Tim's younger brother Jackie is outstanding--funny, witty, undeterred by life in a wheelchair and unafraid to use it to his advantage. Alec Baldwin, often the best thing about any movie he appears in, turns in a brilliant performance as Old Man Dumphy--vulgar and crude to the point of appearing cruel, but loving and giving to his children in moments that are unexpectedly touching. A funny and moving performance by George Wendt as one of Old Man Dumphy's card-playing buddies with opinions and ideas that make him the odd man out rounds out the undercast.
See it once in theatres before it disappears.