New Port South (2001)
Review by Doc Ezra
Film:
DVD:

Written by James Hughes
Directed by Kyle Cooper
Starring Todd Field, Kevin Christy, Will Estes, Melissa George, Blake Shields, Gabriel Mann, and Raymond Barry

Features:

• None

Rating: PG-13

Anamorphic: Yes

My advice: Give a wide berth.

The Hughes Brothers have made a number of excellent films, edgy and real. New Port South is not one of them. With a near-incoherent script, a stack of actors that possess only a modicum of talent, and no real aesthetic identity, the movie is an absolute dud.

The story, such as it is, goes like this: a few years ago, a student from Newport South High School was committed to a mental institution. Nobody talks about the event, and circumstances surrounding it are cloaked in what passes for mystery among high school students.

So Maddox (Shields), one of the current students, gets obsessed with this “rebel” in the school’s past, and decides that it must be evidence that the administration and faculty are engaged in some sort of serious conspiracy to oppress the students and drive them all into mediocrity.

Unfortunately, all one really gets out of the story is that Maddox somehow has it in his head to start a popular student-body rebellion against…a decent education, apparently. The teachers, barring one (Field), seem to be a decent sort, generally open to seeing the students do well, and the principal (Barry) is an absolute pushover, unwilling to do anything that threatens the students’ individuality. The new teacher, a fresh-faced graduate, gets abuse from the bad teacher and does little except help the students. So Maddox’s little rebellion looks stupid from the get go.

Of course, there are a few of the requisite scenes of the little cadre of rebels achieving some petty minor victory (posters on the wall, some simple vandalism, stealing art supplies, what have you), because this movie’s aimed at an audience that will be absolutely swayed by any meager rebellion by the students, because all teachers are of course constantly scheming new ways to oppress teenagers. “School is a prison, man!” Yawn.

At bottom, Maddox gets too wrapped up in his little war, loses friends, perspective, and credibility, and ends up discovering the truth behind the committed student, Stanton. In essence, Stanton was, as reported, batshit crazy and a danger to himself and others. Not a rebel. Not a visionary. Just a garden variety whacko.

The problems with the film are many, and too extensive to be chronicled in a simple review. It boils down to a few simple factors, however. One, the script is awful. Dialogue is clichéd, tired, and often serves to advance very little of the story. The story itself contains a handful of subplots that are not even half-assed developed, including the committed Stanton’s escape from his mental institution, a sort of romantic involvement, the history behind the “bad” teacher’s crappy attitude – and none of these ideas get enough screen time to be anything but a pointless distraction.

In essence, I can’t even imagine most teenagers (at least those with a couple grey cells to rub together) would find the protagonist anything but a laughable moron. I, personally, was rooting for the teachers pretty much from the get-go. The story is so weak, that all hope of pulling the picture together rests on the shoulders of a truly under-qualified lead. I will grant that the friends of our hero, Clip and Chris (played by Christy and Estes, respectively), put a great effort forward in an uphill battle and should be commended.

The DVD possesses no features whatsoever, which may be a sign that both the studio and the Hughes Brothers are trying to gain minimum safe distance from this stinker. Labeled a “thriller,” there’s very little in the way of suspense or excitement, and the ending is a foregone conclusion from the first ten minutes in. Take your lead from the makers of the flick, and keep your distance.