Southie

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.

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.

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.

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 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!!!