The Preppie Connection

Ok, all in all it was pretty typical entertainment. I was kind of along for the ride all the way, it was cool to watch poor person become rich, etc. Kind of like 21, etc. Always whenever the poor person goes and gets rich he gets busted lol. Acting was like... well it was kids, so you know. Honestly I would recommend this if you're bored, looking for something to watch. It's intriguing, and kept my attention all the way through. The only thing that killed me was the ending. It was incredibly typical. After-school special. I couldn't handle it lol. Like, beyond "Drugs are bad, mmkay" ending. Basically when the show looks like it's over, just go ahead and turn it off lol. Nothing special. Well, sort of. Actually there's one interesting part in there. I liked it because it reminded me of a friend that used to get caught up in stuff like that. Lol. He actually got off the hook though! lol Was busted and ended up with a mistrial because the car had been searched after detention lasted much longer than it should.

The narrative follows a predictable arc without any insight that would otherwise make it worthwhile for viewers to watch this film. There was nothing provocative or contentious offered by the flat, almost cardboard like characters. It is the kind of shallow, angst filled melodrama found in movies aimed at the young adults segment except the topic of hard drug use by teenagers is anything but because the tragedy is very real. Derek Oatis is the person whom this movie was based off. He got away with 5 years probation and 5,000 hours of community service for selling hard drugs to teenage boys and girls. Mull over that for a while and then watch a documentary about what happens when young people become addicted to drugs. None of the people associated with the Derek Oatis case (including Derek Oatis himself) suffered any long-term consequences for what they did. They got expelled from school but then went on to lucrative and prestigious careers in law, finance, media and the like. Knowing this, is it really meaningful to make a film about the 'social injustices' of being a poor kid in a rich kid school?

Before watching a movie, I often look at the reviews first. Going into the Preppy Connection, I was sure I wasn't even going to be able to finish it, but I was surprised. First of all, the cinematography in this movie is excellent. It is very subtle and intimate, making the whole story feel more real, which I suppose was the purpose given this is based off of a true story. The acting was pretty good, I was especially impressed by Lucy Fry's performance. By the end of the movie, the physical damage cocaine had on the characters, shown by the dark circles under their eyes or the yellow tint of their skin was a good choice. Overall I think what really stood out to me was how convincing this movie was. Not necessarily from the plot, but from the little details. Coming from a New England boarding school, I was impressed by how realistic the dormrooms, classrooms, uniforms, as well as the different characters in this movie were. Private school scandals are often blown out of proportion in the media, vilifying everyone involved and I was expecting this movie would do the same, but I actually found myself either relating to characters or at least seeing people I actually knew in characters. The movie moves at a pretty slow pace and definitely is about first world problems, but once you get over this you might find yourself surprised by this movie too.

With a hurried ending, the Preppie Connection hits the highlights of a college boy turned campus drug god. It's all the exciting parts, without much of a deep connection.

There are other cocaine movies such as Blow, and even one Tom Cruise did. This is not the mind bending ride that those two were. There are also movies about class differences between teenagers in America. This is probably a very good one. Certainly it's well acted and well put together. The drama is very much like that of teen horror movies. If you find teenagers a pain to watch then this won't be for you. How much it is based on fact is a big question. The movie doesn't really answer that. Still, it adds an element of intrigue to a well told story, a story that certainly has some great moments, a clear message and a protagonist most of us will identify with.

Good very well-executed social study but what a shame the writer brings such a hopeless dark outlook to the ending. The young cast is first rate, well filmed, and well directed. The story is not original but definitely pushes the usual limits of the high school drama beyond the comfortable bounds of suburbia, all the way to Medellin, Colombia. This said, as one considers the sad realities of growing up underprivileged, do we really have to be convinced that wealthy youths do indeed live in a dream world, protected from responsibility and remorse by an immuable armor or money and privilege. Do we really have to believe that the hopeful middle-class teenagers have nothing to hope for than despair and boredom in future made of struggle and misery? I don't think so. Why waste your public's hopes and flush them down the toilets of despair? Move on from the clichés and start using your art to help shape the world rather than this sob fest over injustices and impossible futures. Where are America's balls?

Great story. Without looking it up I already knew it was a true story. Everything that the movie demonstrated was very real.

I rarely write reviews, but this was so awful I felt compelled to warn other unsuspecting viewers. I thought this was going to be a movie of some rich jerk turned drug mule and have to do hard time....nope. Just a bunch of rich kids hooked on Coke. I prayed they would all get caught and have horrible lives as the karma bug comes around. No such luck the prep gets off with probation and everyone else goes on like it never happened. The sets were awful, I think they had a tight budget. It's set in the 80's, however, not one hairstyle, song or anything else made an appearance from that decade save the corded phones. Speaking of phones, I think the producers phones this film in.

Sometimes people wonder, why and how kids who have it all, got into trouble. Be it stealing, rampaging or as in this case, dealing with drugs. You can't judge some by the cover or by the appearance. So even rich kids get bored and want to have "fun". Or just do things that they are not allowed to do. And having an adventure, like going to another country and buying drugs there. This real life story that we get served here, has quite some impact and is also a coming of age story. Even someone who is considered a reasonable kid may go the wrong way/route. In this case, he may say that a girl was the reason, but there is more to it. It is the respect (if you can call it that) he got from it). But is it worth it all? I would say no, but watch and judge for yourself. It's one thing to try something for fun ... it's another thing to dabble in things you cannot comprehend ...

Based on a true story, a poor white kid tries to get in good with the rich privileged kids going to a fancy prep school by smuggling in drugs for them to take. I seen this drug tale before a dozen times, but the film is quite interesting to watch despite. Especially the lead actor Thomas Mann, who became big from Me, Earl, and a Dying Girl. Just like that movie, Mann's character narrates the story, in a very very similar fashion. Lucy Fry also played an interesting character as well as Logan Huffman who played one of the rich prep school kids. He did a fantastic job of being very unlikable to the point were you like to not like him. very nice. Worth sitting through.