Outside Providence
Miramax Home Entertainment | Release Date: September 1, 1999 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
62
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 32 Critic Reviews
Positive:
17
Mixed:
10
Negative:
5
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
SalonStephanie Zacharek
Wonderful...It's funny and offbeat, sometimes raucous, but it still manages to come at you in gentle layers. Read full review
90
Los Angeles TimesKevin 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. Read full review
90
The New York TimesJanet Maslin
Eminently likable...a splendid performance from Alec Baldwin in a far cry from his usual roles. Read full review
90
Film.comErnest Hardy
Entertaining as it often is, Outside Providence feels as if it were a collection of installments from an unusually raunchy television series. Read full review
88
Boston GlobeJay Carr
It's much closer to a European film in sensibility than to one of Hollywood's factory products. Read full review
80
NewsweekDavid Ansen
Gets a lot of the details right. Outside Providence is a sweet, funny little movie. Read full review
80
L.A. WeeklyPaul Malcolm
Baldwin's perfectly impacted performance as a tough-love provider (the actor gets some of the best lines in the movie). Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleMarjorie 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. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
Despite its familiar formula, feels fresh. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMarc Caro
Like Richard Linklater's "Dazed and Confused," Outside Providence reminisces vividly, recalling the era fondly but not with too much sugar. Read full review
75
Baltimore SunAnn Hornaday
Possesses memorable portrayals of thoroughly original characters and draws a beguilingly bleak portrait of its Rhode Island settings. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsJami 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). Read full review
75
San Francisco ChroniclePeter Stack
Everything comes up forced and predictable in the nostalgic overload of bongs, Top 40 rock and boys' bluster about sex. Read full review
70
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Baldwin is a marvel in a casting surprise that pays off.
70
TV Guide MagazineSteve Simels
Meanwhile Baldwin (bulked up a la DeNiro and playing totally against type), is a revelation, funny and touching. Read full review
70
Village VoiceAmy Taubin
Cross "Rushmore" with "Cheech and Chong" and you might get Outside Providence. Read full review
63
New York PostJonathan 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." Read full review
60
Film.comJohn Hartl
Entertaining as it often is, Outside Providence feels as if it were a collection of installments from an unusually raunchy television series. Read full review
60
Dallas ObserverBill Gallo
Surprisingly tender and resolutely unpostmodern. Read full review
60
Washington PostStephen Hunter
Fitfully amusing but nothing remarkable Read full review
58
Seattle Post-IntelligencerPaula 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. Read full review
58
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
The standout is Baldwin, utterly convincing as a gruff cuss whose life has been forever stained by the death of his wife. Read full review
50
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
The story is lively and energetic, if you can take its raunchy jokes and rowdy behavior. Read full review
50
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
Aggressively bland coming-of-age story.
50
USA TodaySusan Wloszczyna
Reeks of the kind of atmosphere that makes you reach for the Lysol. Read full review
45
TNT RoughCutGraham Verdon
Little more than an amusing, predictable story we've seen done better a dozen times. Read full review
42
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
This unexceptional 1970s coming-of-age story is neither outrageous, new, nor comedic. Read full review
38
San Francisco ExaminerEdvins 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. Read full review
38
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
So unsuccessful in so many different ways that maybe the whole project was doomed. Read full review
35
Mr. ShowbizKevin 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. Read full review
30
VarietyDennis Harvey
A disappointingly rote entry in the '70s teen nostalgia sweepstakes. Read full review
30
Chicago ReaderLisa Alspector
Smug, uninsightful light drama. Read full review
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