The Preppie Connection

The Preppie Connection is a 2015 American-French crime drama film written and directed by Joseph Castelo and based on the infamous 1984 incident where Choate Rosemary Hall student Derek Oatis, along with a handful of friends, ran a cocaine smuggling operation on the school's campus.[2] The film stars Thomas Mann, Lucy Fry, Sam Page, Bill Sage, Jessica Rothe. The film had world premiere at the Hamptons International Film Festival on October 10, 2015.[3] The film was released on March 18, 2016, in a limited release, and through video on demand by IFC Films.[4]

The Preppie Connection
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJoseph Castelo
Produced by
  • Charlie Bunting
  • Joseph Castelo
  • Adam Folk
  • Joseph Mensch
  • Billy Raftery
  • F.A Eric Schultz
  • Carlo Sirtori
Written by
  • Joseph Castelo
  • Ashley Rudden
Starring
Music bySam Bisbee
CinematographyBrett Jutkiewicz
Edited byGiacomo Ambrosini
Production
company
  • Coalition Films
  • Mensch Productions
  • Parallell CinĂ©ma
  • Relic Pictures
Distributed byIFC Films
Release date
Running time
95 minutes
Country
  • United States
  • France
LanguageEnglish
Box office$7,138[1]

Premise

In 1984, a private school student uses connections to create a drug trafficking network at his school which leads him and his friends into the dangerous world of drug cartels.

Cast
  • Thomas Mann as Tobias Hammel
  • Lucy Fry as Alexis Hayes
  • Sam Page as Mr. Jennings
  • Jessica Rothe as Laura
  • Guillermo Arribas as Fidel
  • Bill Sage as Mike Hammel
  • Logan Huffman as Ellis Tynes
  • Amy Hargreaves as Ingrid
  • Ryan Ward as Piper
  • Hemky Madera as Raul
  • Keenan Joliff as Topper
  • Robert Gorrie as Ben
  • Daniel Covin as Chip
  • Tom Tammi as Dr. Fielding
  • Teresa Yenque as Calista
  • Dylan Blue as Dennis
  • Jimmy Brewer as Michael
  • David Vega as Ramon
  • Harry Sutton Jr as Ed Bradley
  • Doug Plaut as Chuck

Production

In January 2013, it was announced that Evan Peters, Bella Heathcote had been cast in the lead roles of Tobias and Alex respectively, and the project had been written and directed by Joseph Castelo.[5] However, either Peters and Heathcote dropped out or were recast, in July 2014, Lucy Fry was cast in the role of Alexis.[6] A day later, it was announced Thomas Mann, Logan Huffman had joined the cast of the film.[7]

Filming

Principal photography on the film began on July 21, 2014 in New York City, filming in New York City wrapped on August 9, 2014.[8] with production beginning in Puerto Rico on August 12, 2014.[9][10]

Release

The film had its world premiere at the Hamptons International Film Festival on October 10, 2015.[11] and will also screen at the Mill Valley Film Festival on October 15, 2015.[12] In December 2015, IFC Films acquired distribution rights to the film.[13] The film was released on March 18, 2016, in a limited release, and through video on demand.[14]

Critical reception

The Preppie Connection received negative reviews from film critics. It holds an 11% approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 9 reviews, with an average rating of 5/10.[15] On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 34 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[16]

Dennis Harvey of Variety gave the film a negative review writing : "Unconvincingly presented in a way that belies the factual basis of a case that won national notoriety at the time, the film will make serviceable small-screen fodder, but lacks the deeper insight or distinguishing directorial style that might have tempted arthouse distributors."[17]

References
  1. "The Preppie Connection". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
  2. Collins, Dave (March 23, 2016). "'Preppie Connection' recounts Choate student's cocaine bust in 1984". New Haven Register. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
  3. Lewis, Hilary (October 1, 2015). "'The Preppie Connection' Clip, Exclusive Poster : 'The Preppie Connection' Clip: Thomas Mann's High-School Drug Dealer Had Quite a Trip to Colombia". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  4. "The Preppie Connection". IFCFilms.com. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
  5. Fleming Jr, Mike (January 22, 2013). "Sundance: Evan Peters, Bella Heathcote To Star In Joe Castelo-Helmed 'The Preppie Connection'". Deadline.com. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
  6. "Sundance: Evan Peters, Bella Heathcote To Star In Joe Castelo-Helmed 'The Preppie Connection'". Deadline.com. July 30, 2014. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
  7. "'Preppie Connection' Hooks Huffman, Evers-Swindell On 'Wrong Side Of Right'". Deadline.com. July 31, 2014. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
  8. "That's a wrap for filming in New York for #The Preppie Connection Thank you to everyone who worked so hard these last 3 weeks in NY.". Relic Pictures. August 9, 2014. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
  9. "The Preppie Connection Update". Relic Pictures. August 15, 2014. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
  10. "'Filming for The Preppie Connection may be wrapped in New York, but production in Puerto Rico is just beginning!". Relic Pictures. August 12, 2014. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
  11. Lewis, Hilary (October 1, 2015). "'The Preppie Connection' Clip, Exclusive Poster : 'The Preppie Connection' Clip: Thomas Mann's High-School Drug Dealer Had Quite a Trip to Colombia". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  12. "NorthBayMovies - Selected Film". North Bay Movies. 2015. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  13. McNary, Dave (December 3, 2015). "IFC Buys Thomas Mann's 'Preppie Connection' for North America". Variety.com. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  14. "The Preppie Connection". IFCFilms.com. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
  15. "The Preppie Connection". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  16. "The Preppie Connection". Metacritic.com. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
  17. Harvey, Dennis (November 4, 2015). "Film Review : 'The Preppie Connection'". Variety. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
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