f i l m Outside Providence
Director : Michael Corrente
Cast : Alec Baldwin, Sean Hatosy, Amy Smart
(Miramax, 1999) by Rhonda Baughman
PopMatters Film Critic
e-mail this article P aula Cole once asked us, "Where have all the cowboys gone?" It's time now for another performance artist, albeit a lesser known one, to ask another question: "Where have all the creative concepts for screenplays gone?" The latter may not roll off the tongue as well as the former, but it is still a burning question desperately seeking an answer. Outside Providence begins in a lackluster manner, situating itself in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, in 1974. Tim Dunphy (Shawn Hatosy) just wants to party, but his overbearing, emotionally secretive father, (Alec Baldwin), is not quite hip to the idea of teenage insolence. The generation gap becomes more of a pit, when Tim manages to rear end a parked police car. A slap to the face is the result, as well as a trip to the Cornwall Prep School for Boys. Bummer. Dunphy eventually becomes situtaed in his new home, manages to make a few friends, and even (gasp!) manages to finally get a real girlfriend. All the while, conniving to still get his crippled younger brother to a Jets game. What I might also mention, is that intolerable scenes featuring the teens getting high and pontificating about nothing, as well as a completely unbelievable romantic interlude with Tim's new girl (Amy Smart) stolen straight from | |
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