The Preppie Connection

The Preppie Connection
The Preppie Connection
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Joseph 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	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
Edited by	Giacomo Ambrosini
Music by	Sam Bisbee
Production; companies	Coalition Films; Relic Pictures; Bullet Pictures; Mensch Productions; Parallell Cinéma;
Distributed by	IFC Films
Release dates	October 10, 2015 (Hamptons Film Festival); March 18, 2016 (United States);
Running time	95 minutes
Countries	United States; France;
Language	English
Box office	$11,558

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

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

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.^[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

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

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

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

^ "The Preppie Connection". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
^ Collins, Dave (March 23, 2016). "'Preppie Connection' recounts Choate student's cocaine bust in 1984". New Haven Register. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
^ 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.
^ "Sundance: Evan Peters, Bella Heathcote To Star In Joe Castelo-Helmed 'The Preppie Connection'". Deadline Hollywood. July 30, 2014. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
^ "'Preppie Connection' Hooks Huffman, Evers-Swindell On 'Wrong Side Of Right'". Deadline Hollywood. July 31, 2014. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
^ 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.
^ "The Preppie Connection Update". Relic Pictures. August 15, 2014. Archived from the original on July 2, 2015. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
^ 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.
^ 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.
^ "The Preppie Connection". NorthBayMovies. Archived from the original on October 3, 2015. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
^ McNary, Dave (December 3, 2015). "IFC Buys Thomas Mann's 'Preppie Connection' for North America (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
^ "The Preppie Connection". IFC Films. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
^ "The Preppie Connection". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
^ "The Preppie Connection Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
^ Harvey, Dennis (November 4, 2015). "Film Review: 'The Preppie Connection'". Variety. Retrieved March 31, 2016.

External links

[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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