One of my all time favorites.

Good start, but then it gets ruined

Far from Perfect, Far from Terrible

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Let me begin by saying that I have lived in Dorchester and South Boston all of my life, so my opinion may be a bit loaded. Let me also say that I have seen this movie before, 15 different times, all of which with a different title, the first and best version of this story being "Mean Streets" by Martin Scorcese.The idea of people battling against an urban environment for a better life is hardly anything new to American Cinema. it has been here since the early 70's. It has been done and done again. There are great films built around this theme. Some of which will be very hard to outdo.What is amazing is that the vast majority of scripts written by young men who grew up in similar surroundings continue to deal with these issues in less resilient and origional ways.In this film Donnie Wahlberg's 'Danny Quinn' is the ultimate candidate for the phrase, "you can take the boy out of the (insert town here), but you can't take the (insert town here) out of the boy". Arriving home after leaving town for a while Danny is dragged back into the vicious cycle that made him leave in the first place (gee, didn't see that one coming). Try as he might, he can't resist the gravity of his surrounding and is sucked into an blackhole of alcoholism, violence, and abuse. Like I said, nothing original. The film does explore some meaty drama with the Quinn mother played by Anne Meara, then she dies 3/4 of the way though the film, so that's that. The rest of the movie is color by numbers.I should note that the South Boston presented in this film is nothing like the South Boston of today. Yes, it is a mostly blue collar community, yes, the people there are mostly irish americans, yes it can be a tough place, and yes the people are very parochial (enter "forced bussing" into any search engine). However it is not the type of place where gangsters go around having shotgun fights, it hasn't been remotely like this since the 70's when Whitey Bulger's gang was in its heyday. While all of the negative attributes of the community and its history are examined in "Southie" none of the positive attributes are even touched upon. This does not hold true for the film "Southie" rode into cinemas and film festivals on the laurels of: Good Will Hunting (If ever there was true to life picture of a blue collar boston, this is it).Take a look at another recent film about a different Boston community, "Monument Ave". Though this movie suffers from the same cliche problems as "Southie", it explores a theme that many of Boston's blue collar residents can identify with. Set in charlestown, a neighborhood which is known for its "code of silence", the characters in this film squirm as they see their once closed off neighborhood become an area of blue chip real estate for young yuppies looking for an upscale urban home. In "Monument Ave." there is a clear juxtaposition between the violent, troubled townies and their new neigbors. This phenomenon holds true for the real South Boston as well, however the film "southie" does not even touch upon it.In the end it probably does not matter where the setting of the film was. The writers were from boston so they chose southie. It could have been the third moon of Jupiter, but it still wouldn't have made this film any more original, 3/10 stars.

This film drew me in right from the beginning. There was nothing that could possibly take my attention off of the TV. The acting is great, the actors and actresses are very deep and real. I recommended it to many of my friends and I would highly recommend it to anyone else. I am not the type of person that watches movies with action and some violence but this film totally moved me.

Southie is the intense story of a man's fight to do what he believes is right, despite the bad hand he has been dealt. From the moment Danny Quinn (Donnie Wahlberg) returns to his old South Boston neighborhood, you feel the fear, joy and over all conflict within him. Danny returns to help the family,that so desperately needs him, which in turn forces him to face the troubles he left behind so long ago.This film is so emotionally intense you find yourself not just watching it,but feeling it. All the characters are completely believable and very well executed. Southie, however emotional, is not at all sappy or sweet, it is in a word, REAL. You come away with the sense of knowing what South Boston is really like and completely relating to the joys and pain felt by the characters.All in all, I love this film. I was so happy with it I walked out of the theater ready to see it again. It is a very well done. My hats off to all involved with this film, it is obvious you all pulled you weight and you can definitely see the results. Good Job. If you have the chance to catch this film, Do it! It is an absolute must see!

I think Southie is a very good film.I give it ten thumbs up.I have seen the movie once in Los Angeles,California.I saw the movie on February 19,1998.I waited many hours in the rain just to see this movie.I am a long time fan of Donnie Wahlberg.I have seen all the films he has acted in.I do think that Southie is the best.It was well worth the long wait to see it.I flew from Rockford,Illinois to California to see this movie and I do not regret it.I suggest that everyone should go see this movie when they have the chance.I can relate to this movie and I feel that it helped me understand more about people's problems.I feel that this movie will inspire other people also.I cannot wait to see this movie again and I support it all the way. Thank you,Teresa Shadden