User reviews

It's too bad this independent production didn't have some of the advantages of a major studio. The camera work is mediocre and the sound level is just terrible in spots. I hope that the latter is the result of me having a bad VHS copy.

Southie is not the kind of film that the late Pat O'Brien would have appeared in. It's the story of the South Boston neighborhood, a rugged Irish enclave as seen through the eyes of Danny Quinn and his family. It certainly isn't all Irish charm and blarney.

Donnie Wahlberg, late of New Kids on the Block and older brother of Mark Wahlberg, is Danny Quinn. He's gotten in trouble with the son of one of the two local mob chieftains vying for control of the neighborhood. So he beat it to New York for a while and now he's back.

He tries to go straight, but because of the need for money due to his mom's heart condition, young Quinn gets involved again in illegal activities. His old enemy is still around and leads to a whole lot of tragedy.

This was obviously a labor of love for Wahlberg as that's where he and the other New Kids on the Block sprang from. Too bad his neighborhood wasn't better photographed.

Lawrence Tierney as the old mob boss from South Boston and Anne Meara as Wahlberg's mother give strong performances.

This was all under the direction of John Shea, better known as Lex Luthor, from Lois and Clark. Too bad he didn't have better production values in what could have been a great film.

... the Southie that tried so hard from the Garrity era on down to portray themselves as Just Another Heart Of Gold (all-white) Community, or the one that really exists?

This isn't a great movie. The production values are spotty, such plot as exists is threadbare, sound fades in and out, and you won't put the tape back in the box having learned much of anything.

But paintings don't tell stories either; they're evocative mood-setting pieces, and so is this movie. Wahlberg doesn't put phony speeches in the characters' mouths, he doesn't have a happy ending, nothing much is resolved, and no one is any less of a mess than at the beginning. He presents you a moving image of a profane, drunken, violent environment that is a side of Southie the residents and the city of Boston would prefer you not see. It's there nonetheless.

6/10.

"Southie" is worth a look. We have seen this movie before, only that now instead of being about Italian-Americans, it depicts Irish-Americans in Boston. As directed by John Shea, it misses the mark, but it shows a director who shows a lot of promise, as we already know him as an excellent film actor.

The film has an improvised look, which might have been the case, but we'll never know. The different Boston heavy accents stand in the way for enjoying it much more, in my humble opinion.

Donnie Wahlberg shows his usual intensity. Rose McGowan, as Kathy, shows she has the potential to do bigger and better things. As the Quinn matriarch, it was a pleasure to see Anne Meara, a wonderful actress and a great human being in real life.

Let's hope Mr. Shea will come out with a better film the next time out.

I saw SOUTHIE at the Montreal World Film Festival. I was impressed really, there is no other way to describe it. This film is poignant and true to life. The characters are believable and evoke strong feelings. Rose McGowan's portrayal of a young woman struggling with alcoholism was REAL, Donnie Wahlberg's character Danny Quinn battling to do the right thing, when it's the hardest thing to do was REAL! Wow, you leave the theater with your heart in your hand.

I lived in South Boston for 10 Years. I wasn't born there or raised in Southie but I had the perspective of living in the place for a long time and some what assimilating into it's culture. "SOUTHIE" in NO WAY (Until the Back Credit Sequence) captures anything REAL about Southie. The character's are cliched, like bad acting versions of Godfather character's with Shanty hats on. The plot is aimless, little or no narrative structure. Sure, South Boston is controlled (to some extent) by the Irish Mafia. However, Southie was a GREAT place to live because there wasn't hardly any crime and no open "violence" involving elements of those organizations. South Boston is a great place. You have yuppies, people right off the boat from Ireland, Southie Natives, in a nice mix that makes up a genuine atmosphere. This film NEVER captures what being in South Boston really feels like visually (neither did Good Will Hunting.) They portray it as an abyss of dank row houses. It doesn't look like that.

After watching 'Southie' I was surprised at its low rating on the IMDb; and somewhat puzzled because almost everyone who took the time to post a comment found it an excellent film. Although in overall effect it is not on the level of 'Mean Streets', it a still a very solid production; on the level of "Monument Avenue" and "The Friends of Eddie Coyle". I suppose that a rather ordinary screenplay and a downbeat ending put some people off.

But this small film did a fine job of presenting a believable (if troubled) family, it utilized some interesting (out of favor) camera techniques to advance the storyline, and it showcased some excellent acting. It is refreshing to watch something without a hint of computer generated crap. If your production fundmentals are sound you don't need that kind of distraction.

There are two diametrically opposite scenes between Donnie Wahlberg and Rose McGowan that work so well that you wonder why they didn't alter the script to expand McGowan's part . One is in an Irish bar where Danny convinces his sister to enter an in-patient alcohol treatment program. The other is a few days later when he visits her in the middle of the program. The contrast between the intensity levels of these two scenes is amazing and McGowan pulls off the dramatic performance of her career. She is great at comedy but in these scenes she shows unexpected dramatic range. 'Southie' would be worth watching for just these two scenes but it is a solid effort from start to finish. Highly recommended.

This movie, and basically all movies based in or about South Boston are an utter disgrace. This movie, and all movies based in or about Southie, are a horribly inaccurate portrayal of a wonderful neighborhood. No, the Irish Mafia does not run Southie. In reality, Southie is generally a safe place to live. I've lived here in Southie all my life and I find movies based in or about Southie as an insult to Southie and it's residents. Movies like this are just a waste of time, not to mention painfully bad to watch just because of the sheer fact that the movie is just so INACCURATE. Even if this particular movie wasn't based in Southie, it would still be a horrible movie just because of it's utterly poor acting. Talk about a waste of a movie studio's money. Not to mention that all attempts at a Bostonian accent in this movie are so bad that they're painful to listen too. If you're not from Boston, don't even attempt to try to talk like us. Just don't, because you'll make a complete fool of yourself.

Not able to shake its Low-Budget roots, this good try, once again, at tough Neighborhood Street Stuff, is a somewhat confusing rival Gang Melodrama with strong Characters in front of a meandering Script.

The confusing Story about the troubled financing of an After Hours Club bogs down this otherwise engaging Movie that, in its sincerity, can't seem to find the right Melody. It has some episodic believability with Family interactions on a personal level.

But the problem here is definition. Aside from the strong elements of interpersonal relationships among Siblings and the Home Unit, this gets lost in the Mob stuff where it is difficult at times to tell who is with who and what all the fuss is about.

Worth a watch for some of its intensity and works best in the more quiet introspective moments, it just meanders and its lack of clarity confuses and can be too heavy, at times, with all the fisticuffs and the pushing and shoving going over the top to the detriment of the Drama.

I was completely amazed by Southie. I was expecting a movie where Donnie Wahlberg was the center of attention and the action focused around drawn out, bloody battles. To my surprise it wasn't. The story line was interesting and the cast seemed like they were all meant to be together. If you can get past the "New Kids on the Block" Donnie Wahlberg mentality, Southie is an excellent movie worthy of the award it has won and many more.

I found this film to be well written and directed. The characters were likeable, for the most part, and the situation was realistic. What I liked most about this movie was Donnie Wahlberg's performance. Raw, gritty, and full of loyalty and heart. I gave this movie a 9 out 10. It would have gotten a 10 had Donnie spoke up a little. You could barely hear some lines! New Kids fans will enjoy seeing this kid all grown up (and the soundtrack isn't half bad either)!

I rented this movie because I read the box too quickly and thought it starred Marc Wahlburg, not Donnie. When I got it home my wife asked me who Donnie was and I realized my mistake. However, I was very pleased with my mistake. This was a very good movie. A real family, good vs. bad and even small time mob interests. No nudity for those interested in that sort of thing.

Rose McGowen's acting was very good. Also, she looks gorgeous even when she's made up to look like a white trash alcoholic. The characters' accents do sometimes slip in and out with the exception of Donnie who is from Boston in real life.

All in all, it was a very good movie.

As a personal friend of some of the actors I must say that this film is great. I have seen this film and it is outstanding. You should have seen the crowds on Nantucket in June of 1998 trying to catch a glimpse of this movie. The acting is superb and the sountrack is even better. After two years of trying to get this movie on the big screen it is finally going to get its spotlight in the theaters.

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.

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

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!

Donnie Wahlberg gives a wonderful, quiet performance as Danny Quinn, a young man returning home after taking time away to get himself together. What he finds is that his sister (Rose McGowan) has become an alcoholic, one of his brothers owes money to a mafia boss, and his mother's health is deteriorating.

Danny is a protagonist you'll find yourself rooting for because his dilemma is classic: how to avoid the problems of his neighborhood without insulting his family and old friends? How to be respected by the people he loves without repeating their mistakes? I know this movie is supposed to be about a particular neighborhood, but I found that the values and problems depicted in it could be found in many lower middle class areas.

The only distraction was John Shea as the cop friend of Danny, who helped him get out of "Southie" (before the movie begins.) Shea did a great job directing, but he ought to have cast someone else in this role because he comes across as frantic and almost annoying.

But nevermind that; his role is small. Rent "Southie." This is a great alternative to Hollywood's usual version of blue collar life. Real clothes, real cars, real houses, real life.

Good plot and characters. I give it extra points for "tonic."

I watched this movie last week and was surprised to see it rated at 4.8...I think it deserves more, it was a solid movie. Donnie Wahlberg did a good job as Danny Quinn, for me it was enhanced having seen Band of Brothers, I pretty much liked all the other characters, even if they had only a line or two it still seemed meaningful...very well created.

The plot of the movie was great. The cast was excellent. Donnie Wahlberg played a great part, Rose McGowan played an excellent alcoholic, and Anne Meara played a great mother under stress. I recommend everyone to see this movie, the great acting makes the situations seem real.

10/10

I was shocked to see a weighted score of 4.7, because this movie is full of fine performances...Danny Wahlberg, Rose McGowan and Amanda Peet most especially. Sure, what plot there is isn't original, but after you've seen a hundred or so movies, what plot is? It's all the other aspects that make a movie stand out, and this one does.

i think it is a good movie with good acting but the story isn't strong.it's good i think and it shows people that there is an irish mob.but it doesnt show it as truely as the mob is like.i know alot of people in boston and they know some people who used to be and are in the irish mob.overall i think alot of people should see it.its still good.

Dont listen to that other guy.he's just mad that they didn't make it look like the real boston or southie.and from what he says he doesn't sound like he really know whats going on in boston.He probably isn't even irish.

:)

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.

I happened upon Southie one day while browsing through my local video store. Having grown up around Boston I was amazed that I did not hear of it before. Even though the DVD had a very `B' looking cover, I gave it a shot… I was very surprised! Donnie Wahlberg was very convincing as Danny Quinn, a Southie kid who returns home after a self-imposed exile. He finds his family slowly falling apart, and hears the neighborhood beckon him to return to a life of crime. If this sounds familiar, that's because it is! The script suffers from a lack of originality, but the interesting thing is that the dialogue is very well written, even though the theme is well trodden. The acting is also well done: James Cummings plays the film's principle antagonist Joey Ward, and manages not to go over the top, (as many others tend to in gangland films such as this). Rose McGowan is also wonderful as Danny's younger sister Kathy, who battles with alcohol addiction. Finally Lawrence Tierney gives a fine Cameo as a local `good' gangster. The only thing that is noticeably absent in this film is any drug use whatsoever. South Boston like many other urban neighborhoods has had many problems with drugs. The difference is that in Southie most live by a code of silence, and do not like to air dirty laundry about their community, whether it's true or not. That may explain why James Cummings, a South Boston native, didn't include any reference to them. Overall this is a fine film, which I recommend to anyone who enjoys the genre. The DVD also includes one of the best Cast/Director commentaries that I've ever experienced… A real treat!!!