Those
expecting the typical gross-out Farrelly brothers (DUMB AND DUMBER,
KINGPIN, THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY) fare may be a bit mystified by
this one. To those like me who can't stand those films simply
because they are little more than juvenile sick-fests, OUTSIDE
PROVIDENCE will be seen as a welcome departure.
The film takes place in Pawtucket, Connecticut in 1974, and follows Tim Dunphy, a stoner low-class loser who ends up being sent to a preppie academy after getting into too much trouble at home. While there he spends most of his time trying to avoid getting into trouble, and when he meets a girl with her head on straight, he starts to learn that there's more to life than the next buzz.
Those
looking for a comedy may think there isn't enough laughs, but OUTSIDE
PROVIDENCE has a lot of heart that shines through the obvious and
lame humor that the Farrelly's put in. In fact the main reason I
can't say this film was great is exactly because of the humor that
they do try to inject into it. Three-legged dogs, throwing
newspapers from a wheelchair at 35 mph, and smoking bongs aren't
enough to provide entertainment, and in fact just get in the way of
the story here. I suppose providing just enough "hilarity" to fill
up a movie trailer makes for great marketing, but mucking up what
otherwise might have been a decent story with ridiculously unfunny
visual oddities was a bad move. Somewhere under all the shenanigans,
a good movie exists and OUTSIDE PROVIDENCE gives us just enough
glimpses to make this a worthwhile watch, but nothing more.
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