The Preppie Connection (2015)

A student at a private school uses his connections to establish a drug trafficking network there.

Director:

Joseph Castelo

Writers:

Joseph Castelo, Ashley Rudden

Stars:

Thomas Mann, Lucy Fry, Logan Huffman

2 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Thomas Mann	...	Tobias Hammel
Lucy Fry	...	Alexis Hayes
Logan Huffman	...	Ellis Tynes
Guillermo Arribas	...	Fidel
Amy Hargreaves	...	Ingrid
Bill Sage	...	Mike Hammel
Dylan Blue	...	Dennis
Robert Gorrie	...	Ben
Jessica Rothe	...	Laura
Sam Page	...	Mr. Jennings
Hemky Madera	...	Raul
Nat DeWolf	...	Mr. Gaines
Tom Tammi	...	Dr. Fielding
Doug Plaut	...	Chuck
Cilda Shaur	...	Peg Atherton

Storyline

Based on a true story of a prep school student who smuggled $300k of uncut cocaine into the US in 1984. THE PREPPIE CONNECTION chronicles the exploits of a group of private school students who ran a drug distribution operation in the early 1980s. The story centers on Toby, the lower-class scholarship student, who uses his street cred and access to drugs to make friends with the popular kids, eventually allowing him to cultivate a drug trafficking network. Toby gets in far over his head as he leads his friends into the dangerous world of Colombian drug cartels.

---

Plot Keywords:

teenager | drug dealer | drug dealing | drugs | cocaine | 

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for drug use, language throughout, sexuality/nudity and some violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

It was hard for Derek Oatis to watch the film saying: "I had a hard time revisiting the stuff. It prompted a return to therapy. I had a huge amount of guilt for what I did to my family. But in a weird way, it helped me process this stuff in a way I never had."

---

Goofs

the $100 bills used to buy the cocaine during the bidding war are newbie prints/modern bills.

---

Crazy Credits

There is a snippet with Ed Bradley interviewing Derek Oatis during the end credits. Derek Oatis was the real life drug smuggler that this story is based upon.

---

Connections

Edited from 60 Minutes (1968)

---

Soundtracks

Made
Written and performed by Sam Bisbee
bamsammusic (BMI)

User Reviews

The privileged

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 ...

Details

Official Sites:

Coalition Films [United States]

Country:

Puerto Rico USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

18 March 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Preppie Connection

Filming Locations:

Puerto Rico

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,576, 20 March 2016

Gross USA:

$11,558

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$11,558

Company Credits

Production Co:

Coalition Films, Mensch Productions, Parallell Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1