Touchstone and Beyond: "New Port South"

Feature Presentation: New Port South

Cast of Characters

• Kevin Christy as Clip
• Blake Shields as Maddox
• Will Estes as Chris
• Melissa George as Amanda
• Todd Field as Walsh
• Raymond J. Barry as Edwards

Elevator Pitch

Will Maddox doesn’t like school. He sees it as a prison and thinks that the teachers are purposely trying to stifle the freedom that the students deserve. Having learned about the exploits of a former student named Stanton who was committed to an asylum, Maddox makes friends with the much-aggrieved Stanton.

Through his mentor, Maddox starts to manipulate and push the boundaries of right and wrong in school. Bringing his friends Clip, Chris, and Amanda on the journey to take back control, they soon learn that Will has lost his reasoning, and they need to seek help or else he will bring them all to a dangerous end. 

While Maddox fights against the anger of teachers like Walsh, his friends wonder if they have gone too far.

The Orson Welles Award of Brilliance

The idea for the story is very interesting. The concept behind the battle between repression and conformity in education is always a story worth exploring, and New Port South brings a fresh take to the narrative. 

The Alan Smithee Award of Anonymity

It may have brought a fresh look to an interesting idea in film, but New Port South fails to register because the main characters are forgettable. I don’t like Maddox he sounds like a whiny teenager who doesn’t want to conform because he has been sold an idea that everyone should be able to do their own thing whenever they want. This is an especially dangerous idea when you get a moody teenager who doesn’t feel the need to work, but yet expects rewards. The only problem is that if Will Maddox is unwilling to conform through adaptation, he is not going to survive in the world.

Touchstone has released countless stories about characters that buck the trends of conventions or expectations, and these films have done well at the box office and allowed the stars to shine on the screen. The problem that I see with this film is that it feels more like an independent stage production that should never have been filmed and might have worked when the audience was closer to the stars and not separated through a screen.

Furthermore, stories like Dead Poets Society register with the audience because these are films about characters challenging the norm of expectations while also respecting the idea of being successful by showing your true full measure of ability. New Port South wants to challenge the expectations of society but also manages to show the lead characters are limited in their intelligence or want or desire for success. The only thing Maddox wants to do is argue and defy authority.

Wow, kids who don’t want to listen to rules, I’m sure that will be an enjoyable time spent at the movies.

It’s not. New Port South fails not because of the actors, nor the grey tones of the coloring that is what makes up much of the filmmaking. Instead, the movie is a flop because any audience who watches this movie will be annoyed by the ignorance of Maddox, and the stupidity of his friends for going along with his fruitless crusade. 

Production Team

• Directed by Kyle Cooper
• Produced by Touchstone Pictures / Hughes Entertainment
• Written by James Hughes
• Release Date: September 7, 2001
• Domestic Box Office Gross: $100,000

I Know Their Name

Raymond J. Barry plays the principal Edwards. Film fans will recognize him for many roles, but for me, he will always be the Vice President in the Jean-Claude Van Damme hockey themed action flick Sudden Death. 

Deep Dive Behind the Scenes

• Eagle eyed viewers will notice in the opening credits that the New Port South title changes to New Youth trying to show the students rebel logo.
• Seven led to the production of this film. Kyle Cooper, who showed his talent with the Brad Pitt thriller, was given the director’s reins and the film was produced by John Hughes with his son James writing the picture.
• The film was released on DVD through Kino Lorber Studios. 
• The movie was shot at Libertyville High School in Libertyville, Illinois.
• Viewers who think they see a young Michael Shannon in the cast are correct. He plays Stanton.
• The film was a limited release and quickly faded from the box office. 

Bill’s Spicy Take

Perhaps the Hughes family has exceeded their hall pass in making movies deconstructing the life of a high school teenager.

Oscar Thoughts

(These rankings are awarded based on my love for Hitchcock films)

{Frenzy Award-Skip this Film, Torn Curtain Award-Desperate for Something to Watch, For the Birds-A Perfect Film for Any Device, Rear Window Award- You Must Watch This Film on a Big Screen because this film is cinema.}

I have nothing to say about this film. It’s not worth watching, it’s something to skip, and forget about because New Port South is a waste of time. That’s why it gets my Frenzy Award.

Coming Attractions

Next week, a look back at the Paramount Pictures collaboration, Abandon.