Brilliant movie

Rating: 10/10 (13 February 2009)

Let me start with the profanity: it is SO true to Boston, particularly South Boston (known as "Southie"). (Southie is a particularly idiosyncratic neighborhood, as you can see from the way its inhabitants are portrayed.) The accents (even Robin Williams') rang true to this ex-Bostonian, and the dialogue was spot on. The script was perfect. And the performances were uniformly top-notch: Robin Williams was so believable as the educated psychiatrist who still hadn't left behind his Southie roots. He's never been better, before or since, which is a credit to Gus Van Sant.
I've been to MIT and Harvard, I've been to Southie, and I've lived in Boston. They are exactly as shown in the movie, warts and all. Hate on the movie if you will (and for the life of me, I cannot understand why), but you cannot attack its authenticity.