Difference between revisions of "New Jersey Turnpikes (unreleased mockumentary basketball film; 1999)"
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'''''New Jersey Turnpikes''''' is a 1999 mockumentary film starring Kelsey Grammer, Tommy Chong and Orlando Jones.<ref>[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0160572/reference IMDb page.] Retrieved 25 Mar '16.</ref> It was shot entirely in Toronto and directed by Bryan Buckley.
==Plot==
The film centers on the fictional basketball team, the "New Jersey Turnpikes," during the final days of the American Basketball Association. It features narration by Kelsey Grammer, who additionally plays the team's owner. "Kool Williams", played by Orlando Jones, is the only good player, as the team is known to be the worst in the league.<ref>[http://www.ettc.net/njarts/details.cfm?ID=532 Plot summary.] Retrieved 25 Mar '16.</ref>
A rough cut underwent test screenings in 1998<ref>[http://www.aintitcool.com/node/2402 Ain't it Cool News review.] Retrieved 25 Mar '16.</ref>, and posters were designed<ref>[http://onesheetdesign.com/project/new-jersey-turnpikes/ Poster designs, with commentary.] Retrieved 25 Mar '16.</ref>, but the film was never released. The exact reasons are unclear, but one IMDb user who was an extra in the film claims that Grammer hated the final result and bought the rights so that it would never be released.<ref>[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0160572/reviews IMDb reviews from various extras.] Retrieved 25 Mar '16.</ref> It has not been screened publicly in any form since 1998.
==Background==
In 1990, the novel ''Loose Balls'' by Mark Pluto was published. It was later freely adapted into a screenplay by Hank Perlman and Michael Berg.
==Post-production Issues==
While the production itself went fine, although star Kelsey Grammar was "going through some personal stuff at the time" according to Alan Goluboff, the film's first assistant director. There started to be issues during post-production.
The executives at Universal Studios were fired and replaced, while the new executives were uninterested in the film.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and TriStar Pictures both expressed interest in purchasing the film for distribution. However, Universal was unwilling to sell the film. They had just sold off ''Shakespeare in Love'' to Miramax Films and the film went on to win seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Roy Jones, Jr., who cameos as a basketball player, claimed (in reference to the executives) "nobody wants to be embarrassed if it turned out to be a success."
A rough cut underwent test screenings in 1998<ref>[http://www.aintitcool.com/node/2402 Ain't it Cool News review.] Retrieved 25 Mar '16.</ref>, and posters were designed<ref>[http://onesheetdesign.com/project/new-jersey-turnpikes/ Poster designs, with commentary.] Retrieved 25 Mar '16.</ref> The movie performed poorly with test audiences and Universal order reshoots. However, the reshoots and reediting process did not involve director Bryan Buckley.
Buckley then went, with his cut, to the Tribeca Film Festival. Afterwards, Keith Olbermann, then of MSNBC, saw the film and gave it a review on television. A review was also done by a pseudonymous author known as Trent Walker ''Ain't It Cool News''.
Universal did not like a review being done for a film of their's prior to it even getting a release. Because they did not want to sell it to another studio and the executives were uninterested, the film would go unreleased.
Afterwards, Buckley would pursue litigation against Universal, but it never went anywhere.
The film is still owned by Universal and the negative is still in the studio's vault.
==Connection to ''Semi-Pro''==
While it may just be a coincidence, the 2008 film ''Semi-Pro'', starring Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson and André Benjamin, features a similar plot. It is about a basketball team in the ABA in the league's final season, with Ferrell playing the head coach (who is also the owner and starting power forward) and Benjamin as the team's only good player.
*[https://sports.vice.com/en_us/article/wnmqvb/the-new-jersey-turnpikes-lost-aba-movie-kelsey-grammer ''Vice Sports'' article]
*[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0160572/reviews IMDb reviews by people involved in the film's production]
Original film poster.
Status: Lost
New Jersey Turnpikes is a 1999 mockumentary film starring Kelsey Grammer, Tommy Chong and Orlando Jones.[1] It was shot entirely in Toronto and directed by Bryan Buckley.
3 Post-production Issues
4 Connection to Semi-Pro
Plot[edit | edit source]
The film centers on the fictional basketball team, the "New Jersey Turnpikes," during the final days of the American Basketball Association. It features narration by Kelsey Grammer, who additionally plays the team's owner. "Kool Williams", played by Orlando Jones, is the only good player, as the team is known to be the worst in the league.[2]
Background[edit | edit source]
In 1990, the novel Loose Balls by Mark Pluto was published. It was later freely adapted into a screenplay by Hank Perlman and Michael Berg.
Post-production Issues[edit | edit source]
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and TriStar Pictures both expressed interest in purchasing the film for distribution. However, Universal was unwilling to sell the film. They had just sold off Shakespeare in Love to Miramax Films and the film went on to win seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Roy Jones, Jr., who cameos as a basketball player, claimed (in reference to the executives) "nobody wants to be embarrassed if it turned out to be a success."
A rough cut underwent test screenings in 1998[3], and posters were designed[4] The movie performed poorly with test audiences and Universal order reshoots. However, the reshoots and reediting process did not involve director Bryan Buckley.
Buckley then went, with his cut, to the Tribeca Film Festival. Afterwards, Keith Olbermann, then of MSNBC, saw the film and gave it a review on television. A review was also done by a pseudonymous author known as Trent Walker Ain't It Cool News.
Connection to Semi-Pro[edit | edit source]
While it may just be a coincidence, the 2008 film Semi-Pro, starring Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson and André Benjamin, features a similar plot. It is about a basketball team in the ABA in the league's final season, with Ferrell playing the head coach (who is also the owner and starting power forward) and Benjamin as the team's only good player.
External Links[edit | edit source]
Vice Sports article
IMDb reviews by people involved in the film's production
↑ IMDb page. Retrieved 25 Mar '16.
↑ Plot summary. Retrieved 25 Mar '16.
↑ Ain't it Cool News review. Retrieved 25 Mar '16.
↑ Poster designs, with commentary. Retrieved 25 Mar '16.
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