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The Preppie Connection

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The Preppie Connection
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJoseph Castelo
Written by
  • Ashley Rudden
  • Joseph Castelo
Produced by
  • Joseph Castelo
  • Billy Raftery
  • Adam Folk
  • Joseph Mensch
  • Carlo Sirtori
  • Charlie Bunting
  • Eric Schultz
  • Travis Burgess
Starring
CinematographyBrett Jutkiewicz
Edited byGiacomo Ambrosini
Music bySam Bisbee
Production
companies
  • Coalition Films
  • Relic Pictures
  • Bullet Pictures
  • Mensch Productions
  • Parallell Cinéma
Distributed byIFC Films
Release dates
Running time
95 minutes
Countries
  • United States
  • France
LanguageEnglish
Box office$11,558[1]

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.[2] 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

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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

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  • 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

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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.[3] However, either Peters and Heathcote dropped out or were recast, in July 2014, Lucy Fry was cast in the role of Alexis.[4] The following day, it was announced that Thomas Mann and Logan Huffman had joined the cast of the film.[5]

Filming

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Principal photography took place in New York City from July 21 to August 9, 2014.[6] with production beginning in Puerto Rico on August 12, 2014.[7][8]

Release

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The film had its world premiere at the Hamptons International Film Festival on October 10, 2015.[9] It was also screened at the Mill Valley Film Festival on October 15, 2015.[10] In December 2015, IFC Films acquired distribution rights to the film.[11] The film was released on March 18, 2016, in select theaters and through video on demand.[12]

Critical reception

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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.[13] On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 34 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[14]

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."[15]

References

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  1. ^ "The Preppie Connection". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  2. ^ Collins, Dave (March 23, 2016). "'Preppie Connection' recounts Choate student's cocaine bust in 1984". New Haven Register. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  3. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (January 22, 2013). "Sundance: Evan Peters, Bella Heathcote To Star In Joe Castelo-Helmed 'The Preppie Connection'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
  4. ^ "Sundance: Evan Peters, Bella Heathcote To Star In Joe Castelo-Helmed 'The Preppie Connection'". Deadline Hollywood. July 30, 2014. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
  5. ^ "'Preppie Connection' Hooks Huffman, Evers-Swindell On 'Wrong Side Of Right'". Deadline Hollywood. July 31, 2014. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
  6. ^ Relic Pictures [@RelicPictures] (August 9, 2014). "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" (Tweet). Retrieved October 10, 2015 – via Twitter.
  7. ^ "The Preppie Connection Update". Relic Pictures. August 15, 2014. Archived from the original on July 2, 2015. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
  8. ^ Relic Pictures [@RelicPictures] (August 12, 2014). "Filming for #thepreppieconnection may be wrapped in New York, but production in Puerto Rico is just beginning!" (Tweet). Retrieved October 10, 2015 – via Twitter.
  9. ^ Lewis, Hilary (October 1, 2015). "'The Preppie Connection' Clip: Thomas Mann's High-School Drug Dealer Had "Quite a Trip" to Colombia". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  10. ^ "The Preppie Connection". NorthBayMovies. Archived from the original on October 3, 2015. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  11. ^ McNary, Dave (December 3, 2015). "IFC Buys Thomas Mann's 'Preppie Connection' for North America (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  12. ^ "The Preppie Connection". IFC Films. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
  13. ^ "The Preppie Connection". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  14. ^ "The Preppie Connection Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
  15. ^ Harvey, Dennis (November 4, 2015). "Film Review: 'The Preppie Connection'". Variety. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
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