You know the story: screw-up guy meets unattainable girl, falls in love and, despite several mishaps along the way, guy gets girl.

It's the basic scenario of every teenage coming-of-age flick.

Set this plot in the middle of the 1970s, throw in an Al Bundy father figure and a whole lot of weed, and you've got the formula for Outside Providence.

A product of the comedic genius of the Farrelly brothers and Michael Corrente, yet not as gross as There's Something About Mary or Dumb and Dumber, Outside Providence is a touching, light-hearted and downright hilarious coming-of-age tale.

Timothy Dunphy (Shawn Hatosy), aka "Dunph," is a socially inept 17-year-old pot-smoker growing up in working-class Pawtucket, R.I., a suburb of Providence, with his old man (Alec Baldwin), his wheelchair-bound kid brother and his three-legged dog.

Dunph and his core group of friends would have made great characters a few years back on the show Freaks and Geeks.

They waste away their days and nights getting high and wondering if they'll ever see the world outside of Providence. To dodge jail time after hitting a parked cop car due to a suspicious cloud of smoke in his vehicle, Dunph is shipped off to Cornwall Academy, the archetypical New England prep school.

Suitcase (i.e. garbage bag) in hand, Dunph hitchhikes his way to a whole new world -- complete with strict rules, ivy on the walls and a strict headmaster, Mr. Funderberk (Timothy Crowe), whose goal is to make Dumph's life a living hell.

While it would seem that Dumph would never fit in at Cornwall, quite the opposite is true. He quickly finds that most of the students there share his fancy for trouble.

He also meets Jane Weston (Amy Smart), the prettiest, most popular girl at Cornwall. Of course, in true teen-flick fashion, this most unlikely pair ends up together.

Outside Providence rises above most films of this genre thanks to intelligent, in-touch writing and an excellent cast. Director Corrente, a native of Pawtucket, contributes valuable insight into the invention of the characters. Hatosy does an exceptional job portraying the naïveté of a boy who knows nothing of the world outside of his hometown. The audience can easily connect to Dunph's daily trials and relationships as he matures and learns of life outside Providence.

The true gem of this film is Baldwin's performance as Old Man Dunphy. Baldwin hits the heavy-accented, politically incorrect caricature of the blue-collared Al Bundy/Archie Bunker hybrid on the money.

Some of the film's more raunchy moments involve the conversations between Old Man Dunphy and his poker buddies, who seem to deal out more F-bombs and opinions about Rock Hudson's sexuality than cards.

Old Man Dunphy's relationship with his son adds both humor and poignancy to the film.

Through terms of endearment (he addresses Tim as "Dildo") and relationship advice ("Making sex is like a Chinese dinner. It ain't over 'til you both get your cookies."), to tender moments (when he bonds with Tim while showing him how to knot a necktie), Old Man Dunphy reveals both his gruff and softer sides.

Outside Providence fell victim to lousy box office draws and press reviews upon its 1999 release and did not receive nearly the attention it deserves.

While it may not live up to the outrageous antics of other Farrelly brothers' works, this film has enough insulting humor to satisfy most Farrelly fans.

Accompanied by a rocking soundtrack that captures the spirit of the '70s, Outside Providence offers a solid blend of hysterical moments and true-to-life experiences that tops most other coming-of-age film attempts.