The Preppie Connection

{{Infobox film

| name = The Preppie Connection

| image = The Preppie Connection Poster.png

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| director = Joseph Castelo

| writer = {{Plainlist|

Ashley Rudden
Joseph Castelo

}}

| producer = {{Plainlist|

Joseph Castelo
Billy Raftery
Adam Folk
Joseph Mensch
Carlo Sirtori
Charlie Bunting
Eric Schultz
Travis Burgess

}}

| starring = {{Plainlist|

Thomas Mann
Lucy Fry
Logan Huffman
Sam Page
Robert Gorrie
Dylan Blue
Jessica Rothe
Guillermo Arribas
Hemky Madera
Amy Hargreaves
Bill Sage

}}

| cinematography = Brett Jutkiewicz

| editing = Giacomo Ambrosini

| music = Sam Bisbee

| studio = {{Plainlist|

Coalition Films
Relic Pictures
Bullet Pictures
Mensch Productions
{{sic|hide=y|Paral|lell|expected=Apprent misspelling is correct name of company}} Cinéma

}}

| distributor = IFC Films

| released = {{Film date|2015|10|10|Hamptons Film Festival|2016|3|18|United States}}

| runtime = 95 minutes

| country = {{Plainlist|

United States
France

}}

| language = English

| budget =

| gross = $11,558{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt2654572/|title=The Preppie Connection|website=Box Office Mojo|access-date=September 29, 2021}}

}}

The Preppie Connection is a 2015 crime drama film co-written and directed by Joseph Castelo, 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.nhregister.com/entertainment/article/Preppie-Connection-recounts-Choate-11331925.php|title='Preppie Connection' recounts Choate student's cocaine bust in 1984|work=New Haven Register|first=Dave|last=Collins|date=March 23, 2016|access-date=September 29, 2021}} The film stars Thomas Mann, Lucy Fry, Logan Huffman, Sam Page, Jessica Rothe, and Bill Sage. It had world premiere at the Hamptons International Film Festival on October 10, 2015. It was released in the United States on March 18, 2016, in select theaters and through video on demand by IFC Films.

Premise

In 1984 Wallingford, Connecticut, 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

{{Cast listing|

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.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2013/01/sundance-evan-peters-bella-heathcoate-to-star-in-joe-castelo-helmed-the-preppie-connection-408281/|title=Sundance: Evan Peters, Bella Heathcote To Star In Joe Castelo-Helmed 'The Preppie Connection'|work=Deadline Hollywood|first=Mike Jr.|last=Fleming|date=January 22, 2013|access-date=October 10, 2015}}

However, either Peters and Heathcote dropped out or were recast, in July 2014, Lucy Fry was cast in the role of Alexis.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2014/07/lucy-fry-enrolls-in-private-school-drug-trafficking-pic-the-preppie-connection-812215/|title=Sundance: Evan Peters, Bella Heathcote To Star In Joe Castelo-Helmed 'The Preppie Connection'|work=Deadline Hollywood|date=July 30, 2014|access-date=October 10, 2015}} The following day, it was announced that Thomas Mann and Logan Huffman had joined the cast of the film.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2014/07/preppie-connection-casting-logan-huffman-813007/|title='Preppie Connection' Hooks Huffman, Evers-Swindell On 'Wrong Side Of Right'|work=Deadline Hollywood|date=July 31, 2014|access-date=October 10, 2015}}

=Filming=

Principal photography took place in New York City from July 21 to August 9, 2014.{{cite tweet|author=Relic Pictures|user=RelicPictures|number=498269131972812800|title=That's a wrap for filming in New York for #thepreppieconnection! Thank you to everyone who worked so hard these last 3 weeks in NY.|date=August 9, 2014|access-date=October 10, 2015}} with production beginning in Puerto Rico on August 12, 2014.{{cite web|url=http://www.relicpictures.com/blog/2014/8/15/the-preppie-connection-update|title=The Preppie Connection Update|work=Relic Pictures |date=August 15, 2014|access-date=October 10, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702120705/http://www.relicpictures.com/blog/2014/8/15/the-preppie-connection-update|archive-date=July 2, 2015}}{{cite tweet|author=Relic Pictures|user=RelicPictures|number=499357154764406784|title=Filming for #thepreppieconnection may be wrapped in New York, but production in Puerto Rico is just beginning!|date=August 12, 2014|access-date=October 10, 2015}}

Release

The film had its world premiere at the Hamptons International Film Festival on October 10, 2015.{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/preppie-connection-clip-poster-thomas-828570|title='The Preppie Connection' Clip: Thomas Mann's High-School Drug Dealer Had "Quite a Trip" to Colombia|work=The Hollywood Reporter|first=Hilary|last=Lewis|date=October 1, 2015|access-date=October 1, 2015}} It was also screened at the Mill Valley Film Festival on October 15, 2015.{{cite web|url=http://www.northbaymovies.com/film25863mv.html|title=The Preppie Connection|work=NorthBayMovies|access-date=October 1, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151003052326/http://www.northbaymovies.com/film25863mv.html|archive-date=October 3, 2015}} In December 2015, IFC Films acquired distribution rights to the film.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2015/film/news/ifc-buys-thomas-mann-preppie-connection-1201653171/|title=IFC Buys Thomas Mann's 'Preppie Connection' for North America (EXCLUSIVE)|work=Variety|first=Dave|last=McNary|date=December 3, 2015|access-date=December 4, 2015}} The film was released on March 18, 2016, in select theaters and through video on demand.{{cite web|url=http://www.ifcfilms.com/films/the-preppie-connection|title=The Preppie Connection|publisher=IFC Films|access-date=January 9, 2016}}

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.{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_preppie_connection_2016/|title=The Preppie Connection|website=Rotten Tomatoes|access-date=May 19, 2019}} On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 34 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-preppie-connection|title=The Preppie Connection Reviews|website=Metacritic|access-date=March 31, 2016}}

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."{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2015/film/reviews/the-preppie-connection-review-1201623869/|title=Film Review: 'The Preppie Connection'|work=Variety|first=Dennis|last=Harvey|date=November 4, 2015|access-date=March 31, 2016}}