Coming of Age in ‘Providence’ : Corrente’s blue-collar sensibility warmly combines with a few Farrelly antics.

“Outside Providence” is a coming-of-age story of exceptional warmth and humor that represents a felicitous teaming of writer-director Michael Corrente and the brothers Farrelly, Peter and Bobby. 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.

Peter Farrelly’s 1988 novel, the basis for the film’s script, on which the Farrellys and Corrente collaborated, represents a broader scope for all concerned. “Outside Providence” reveals further development as a filmmaker for Corrente while it allows the Farrellys to explore on the screen more serious concerns while offsetting them with moments of hilarity typical of their comedy classic “There’s Something About Mary.” What’s more, it provides young Shawn Hatosy a star-making role and for Alec Baldwin the kind of performance that will be remembered come awards season.

Hatosy’s Tim Dunphy is a likable 17-year-old who lives in seedy Pawtucket, R.I., with his widowed father (Baldwin) and younger brother Jackie (Tommy Bone). The year is 1974, and Tim and his pals are preoccupied with getting high, allowing for lots of Cheech and Chong-style pothead humor. Tim is brighter, more responsible than the others, but he is not fully aware that he is. He is a wonderful older brother to Jackie, who uses a wheelchair after a fall from a rooftop. He’s loving yet won’t let Jackie feel sorry for himself, believing that he won’t “fit in” if he succumbs to self-pity. The boys’ father spends virtually every evening playing poker with his buddies in his old frame house, from which the paint is peeling seriously. The father is a tough parent, and he’s especially hard on his older son for reasons not readily apparent.

One night Tim, although he does not have a license, is driving his father’s car, which is packed with his pals, all of them high as a kite, when he crashes into a parked police car. What looks to be the kind of catastrophe that can potentially ruin a life turns out to be Tim’s salvation. One of his father’s poker regulars, Caveech (Mike Cerrone), a used-car salesman rumored to be “connected,” proves to be just that. Instead of reform school or worse, Tim, through Caveech’s efforts, winds up at Cornwall Academy, a posh, venerable New England prep school. It’s so strict, however, that it is virtually a reform school, albeit one for the upper classes.

In short, Tim becomes the classic fish out of water, and the Farrellys and Corrente make the most of his predicament. Tim becomes drawn to pretty, well-bred Jane (Amy Smart), good-humored and unpretentious but also a disciplined student intent on being accepted at Brown. Most important, Tim discovers that he is more intelligent than he ever realized, that he has the capacity to learn and earn good grades and to feel fulfilled in doing so. Tim is beginning to change, and this gives him some perspective on his troubled relationship with his father and the confidence to confront him when the time comes. He even begins to think of college for himself, which would be a family first.

Corrente and the Farrellys manage Tim’s emergence with admirable deftness, moving between Cornwall and visits home, between the serious and the comic, in a manner that gives Tim’s story a richness of variety expressed in a graceful, buoyant shifting in mood and tone. They demand a lot from young Hatosy, and he delivers with ease and naturalness.

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He has a sweet-natured, unforced masculinity and clear intelligence that give him an easy yet commanding presence. His Tim is a sturdy foil to his father’s blunt, working-class machismo, a shield against painful loss that also hides a capacity for insight and reflection. Old Man Dunphy is one of Baldwin’s best parts ever, and his present beefiness only adds to the authenticity of his portrayal. In addition to Bone and Smart, there are terrific supporting performances all around, especially from Tim Crowe as a headmaster who could teach Mrs. Tingle a few tricks in gleeful killjoy nastiness; Jack Ferver as Tim’s skinny, hyper roommate; and George Wendt as one of Dunphy’s poker players, a guy who packs a walloping surprise.

By the time it’s over, “Outside Providence” has belied the negative spiritual implication of its geographical title. If ever a teen hero discovered redemption, it’s Tim Dunphy.

* MPAA rating: R, for pervasive teen drug use, strong language, including sexual references. Times guidelines: Since the film discourages rather than endorses drug use the film is suitable entertainment for most families.

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‘Outside Providence’

Shawn Hatosy: Tim Dunphy

Alec Baldwin: Old Man Dunphy

Amy Smart: Jane Weston

George Wendt: Joey

A Miramax presentation of an Eagle Beach production. Director Michael Corrente. Executive producers Bob Weinstein and Harvey Weinstein. Executive producer Billy Heinzerling. Producers Michael Corrente, Peter Farrelly, Bobby Farrelly, Randy Finch. Screenplay by Peter Farrelly, Corrente and Bobby Farrelly. Cinematographer Richard Crudo. Editor Kate Sanford. Music by Sheldon Mirowitz. Costumes by Annie Dunn. Production designer Chad Detwiller. Art director Tom Walden. Set decorator Karen Weber. Running time: 1 hour, 36 minutes.