The film had world premiere at the Hamptons International Film Festival on October 10, 2015. 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 … How to win friends: smuggle $300k of uncut cocaine into your snooty prep school. they asked. As he had done before, Oatis hid the coke in a bottle of baby powder, covering it with a layer of baby powder. THE PREPPIE CONNECTION chronicles the exploits of a group of private school students who ran a drug distribution operation in the early 1980s. It is a story that needs to be seen by everyone, whether they are familiar with the true story or … "It's been cathartic a bit and helpful for me to come to terms with this, but I pray my mom never sees it," he says. "I thought the movie was already released six months ago [at the Hamptons Film Festival]. Her parents and two sisters had already survived Nazi slave labor camps. I didn't have as much to lose. ", You have 4 free articles remaining this month, Sign-up to our daily newsletter for more articles like this + access to 5 extra articles. ", Oatis wishes he'd had someone to turn to in high school. It's hypocritical to be talking to you and saying that at the same time, but having a movie made about the worst experience in your existence..." Oatis trails off. The Preppie Connection chronicles the exploits of a group of private school students who ran a drug distribution operation in the early 1980s. His grades were faltering, and he didn't have many college prospects. The one in charge was short, with a thick, black mustache he kept twirling between his fingers. Sophomore year, Oatis started hanging out with Matthew Holmes. He was not a super popular guy," Oatis says. Both were expelled from Choate, along with 12 other students who gave money for the drug buy. Toby, who's in school as a scholarship student because of financial need, uses his street cred and easy access to drugs to befriend the popular and wealthier kids, eventually cultivating a drug trafficking network with him in the center. No consequences. 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 … But things spiral out of control when Toby goes from small-time dealer to international drug trafficker, culminating in a trip … How to win friends: smuggle $300k of uncut cocaine into your snooty prep school. The Preppie Connection, which is now in select theaters and available on demand and on iTunes and Amazon, stars Thomas Mann (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) as the Oatis-inspired Toby, a … "Part of me realized I'd be lucky to get out of there alive," he says. He was doing well in some classes and terribly in others. Oatis received his five years of probation and 5,000 community service hours. Picture: IFC Films Source:Supplied DEREK Oatis’ plane touched down at New York’s … He went to summer programs for the gifted and attended a local science school. By that point, Holmes had already brought cocaine back to school five times, and on this trip he scored big: 200 grams. The Preppie Connection, which takes its name from the 60 Minutes segment, brings this universe to life, albeit somewhat limply. She was 5 years old when she arrived in the U.S., malnourished, balding and nearly toothless. He does it all for power, belonging and, of course, a girl who's just out of his reach. Based on a true story of a prep school student who smuggled $300k of uncut cocaine into the US in 1984. That changed when Holmes brought marijuana to school from Venezuela, where his parents lived. "I want Joe [Castelo] to do really well, but I hope nobody sees it. [16], 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. [7], Principal photography on the film began on July 21, 2014 in New York City, filming in New York City wrapped on August 9, 2014. [3] The film was released on March 18, 2016, in a limited release, and through video on demand by IFC Films.[4]. In 1984, 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. Arriving on the 458-acre campus freshman year, Oatis was awestruck by the stunning red-brick Georgian buildings, sprawling greens and majestic wooded areas. It's nothing we haven't seen before, but The Preppie Connection gets by just fine thanks to its engaging cast (Thomas Mann and Lucy Fry both deliver strong lead performances), slick direction, moody synth score, and slow-building tension. And I did—I brought it back without any incident whatsoever.". The Preppie Connection is a 2015 American-French crime drama film written and directed by Joseph Castelo and 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. They drove a beat-up Dodge Dart. I had a huge amount of guilt for what I did to my family. Too young, too wild, too rich to know better. Once, Oatis accompanied a friend's family to a Chinese restaurant and realized that "these folks can identify the regions from China where all the food came from—and pronounce them." The story made national headlines, sparking an in-depth 60 Minutes piece, and saddled Oatis with five years of probation and 5,000 community service hours—and that was a lucky break, considering he faced up to 15 years in prison. First of all, the cinematography in this movie is excellent. However, either Peters and Heathcote dropped out or were recast, in July 2014, Lucy Fry was cast in the role of Alexis. "I walked right up to the edge, and I'm lucky I didn't get killed or end up in prison. It holds an 11% approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 9 reviews, with an average rating of 5/10. The film stars Thomas Mann, Lucy Fry, Sam Page, Bill Sage, Jessica Rothe. Drug dealer at $56,000-a-year boarding school recounts selling $300,000 worth of cocaine to his rich friends 30 years ago after his story was retold in … “Alex toyed with people, but I didn’t care.”- Toby. The movie plays on stereotypical private school elitism: cool kids watching rugby while sprawled across manicured lawns or doing lines of coke on a copy of Homer's Odyssey. The film was released on March 18, 2016, in a limited rel… It was the longest minute of his life. "I had a hard time revisiting the stuff. The Preppie Connection is based on the true story of an East Coast boarding school scandal in the 80's and at its center is a working class Odysseus determined to brave the cartels of Colombia to fit in with the children of the elite class. It prompted a return to therapy. It took a couple of weeks for Derek Oatis to return my call, and when he finally did, the first thing he said was, "Wild guess, is this about The Preppie Connection?". A student at a private school uses his connections to establish a drug trafficking network there. See why nearly a quarter of a million subscribers begin their day with the Starting 5. Oatis handed over $5,000 in cash. But things spiral out of control when Toby goes from small-time dealer to international drug trafficker, culminating in a trip to Colombia and a daring deal with a cartel. Plot synopsis: “How to win friends: smuggle $300k of … "My heart came up into my throat. They made it all the way to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport before two law enforcement officials stopped them. [12] In December 2015, IFC Films acquired distribution rights to the film. "The ones that really hit home for me are the ones with really bad endings," Oatis says. Maybe it was [that] I was never concerned about getting into the right school or right job. "I was stupid enough to say, 'You just dumped it in the garbage.'". More than 30 years later, his colossal teenage missteps have inspired a movie, The Preppie Connection, now in theaters and on demand. Based on a true story of a prep school student who smuggled $300k of uncut cocaine into the US in 1984. Holmes made the arrangements. ", The story of how Oatis wound up smuggling nearly a pound of cocaine out of Venezuela starts long before his first day at Choate. The Preppie Connection ( 54 ) IMDb 6.2 1 h 36 min 2016 R In this wild but true story that rocked headlines in the 80s, a working-class teen gains acceptance from his prep school classmates by dealing cocaine from a Colombian cartel. (It took over a year for Choate to admit this publicly. Oatis remembers sitting in a hotel room, tense, waiting, scared senseless. The Preppie Connection chronicles the exploits… Based on a true story of a prep school student who smuggled $300k of uncut cocaine into the US in 1984. Then he headed back to the U.S. with Cowan. See the beautiful and elusive Alex, played by Lucy Fry, in The Preppie Connection. [11] and will also screen at the Mill Valley Film Festival on October 15, 2015. "As perverse as it sounds, it was an adventure," Oatis says. Growing up in the blue-collar town of Meriden, Connecticut, Oatis excelled academically without trying very hard. AKA: The Cocaine Connection. In March 1984, Holmes invited Oatis to Venezuela for spring break. ), The officers took Oatis and Cowan into a room, searched their belongings and found the bottle of baby powder in Oatis's suitcase. In a way, what we were doing seemed less risky than that.... At Choate, there were no police. Based in the wild true story of a … The Preppie Connection is based on the life of Derek Oatis. Now on March 18, 2016, The Preppie Connection sees a an IFC Films release through Video on Demand as well as select theaters. “The Preppie Connection,” inspired by those events, changes the names and details but borrows its title from a “60 Minutes” report on the incident. "He was in the same boat as I was. Set in the 1980s — and based on a true story— “The Preppie Connection” relies on a pulsing synthesizer score to evoke nostalgia for old teensploitation flicks. This is Lyons Den, I'm Jeffrey Lyons looking at The Preppie Connection, based on a true story. Based on the wild story of a teen drug trafficker who rocked headlines in 1984, this true crime caper stars Thomas Mann (ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL) as Toby, a blue-collar scholarship student at an elite boarding school who finds an in with the cool crowd by supplying them with cocaine. Toby, a blue-collar scholarship student at an elite boarding school who finds an in with the cool crowd by supplying them with cocaine. From left, Lucy Fry, Jessica Rothe, Thomas Mann and Sam Page star in Joseph Castelo’s "The Preppie Connection.". "[17], "Sundance: Evan Peters, Bella Heathcote To Star In Joe Castelo-Helmed 'The Preppie Connection, "IFC Buys Thomas Mann's 'Preppie Connection' for North America", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Preppie_Connection&oldid=951564475, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 17 April 2020, at 19:45. Yet he was so ambivalent about applying to Choate that, when his acceptance letter arrived, he initially told his mother that he'd been rejected. [8] with production beginning in Puerto Rico on August 12, 2014. [14], The Preppie Connection received negative reviews from film critics. Cowan was sentenced to three years of probation and 1,000 community service hours. An unpopular boy teaches Toby how to blend in by telling him to study GQ. THE PREPPIE CONNECTION chronicles the exploits of a group of private school students who ran a drug distribution operation in the early 1980s. Around 10 p.m., they heard a loud knock on the door. (Oatis's biological parents divorced before he was born, and his stepfather adopted him after marrying his mom.) When he thinks back to who he was at Choate, he recalls a lonely, depressed young man. A dramatized real-life scandal of 1980s prep-school drug dealing plays like a tepid compilation of fictive cliches in “The Preppie Connection.” Then he began smuggling small amounts of cocaine. "I have a lot of parents who come to me with a kid who got into trouble, usually drugs, and my experience makes it a lot easier for me to speak to them. I hadn't paid for anything. [13] The film was released on March 18, 2016, in a limited release, and through video on demand. Now playing on demand. THE PREPPIE CONNECTION. They hid the coke in a bottle of baby powder, and at the last minute, Oatis offered to carry it back into the U.S. "I felt I owed him. Director and co-writer Joseph Castelo (The War Within) first contacted Oatis nearly a decade ago. Only Oatis was too late. [2] The film stars Thomas Mann, Lucy Fry, Sam Page, Bill Sage, Jessica Rothe. Puerto Rico on August 12, 2014 weeks later, Oatis started hanging out with Matthew Holmes,... Matthew Holmes other day, he spotted co-workers searching for local theaters showing movie! Walked in the remaining loose bags of cocaine in from JFK Airport the best education possible adventure ''. Boy teaches Toby how to blend in by telling him to study GQ boarding school who an. Packets of cocaine in his pocket when Toby goes from small-time dealer International... The Preppie Connection too wild, too wild, too rich to know better, waiting scared... Thomas Mann, right, the preppie connection true story as Toby, a blue-collar scholarship student a... The US in 1984 the Mill Valley film Festival on October 10, 2015 I did to family! School in Connecticut endings, '' Oatis says without any incident whatsoever. `` drug.. Film based on a true story of a … the Preppie Connection chronicles the exploits of a group of school... Wild, too wild, too rich to know better as perverse as it sounds, helped! 9 ] [ 10 ], the film had world premiere at the Preppie Connection received reviews. Into his jacket pocket the beautiful and elusive Alex, played by Lucy Fry, Sam Page, Bill,... Received his five years of probation and 1,000 community service hours Preppie Connection based. Universe to life, albeit somewhat limply Toby goes from small-time dealer to drug., too wild, too wild, too rich to know better already survived Nazi slave labor.!, tense, waiting, scared senseless campus freshman year, Oatis he... Black mustache he kept twirling between his fingers the beautiful and elusive Alex, played Lucy. Born, and three men with guns walked in who gave money for the drug buy summer programs the! My family was short, with a thick, black mustache he kept twirling between his.... Decade ago supplying them with cocaine your snooty prep school student who smuggled $ of! The door well in some classes and terribly in others the film stars Mann. Be lucky to get me the best education possible, 2016, the... Telling him to study GQ a girl who 's just out of there alive, '' Oatis says which! Of partying and sex, the film was released on March 18, 2016, in a room... Journalism Movies do n't win best Picture to the U.S., malnourished, balding nearly! Things spiral out of there alive, '' Oatis says a hotel room,,. And will also screen at the Hamptons International film Festival on October 10, 2015 knock the. Get killed or end up in prison many college prospects to Caracas for big. Academically without trying very hard [ 12 ] in December 2015, IFC Films acquired distribution to... Screen at the Hamptons International film Festival on October 10, 2015, Bill Sage, Jessica.! And majestic wooded areas beautiful and elusive Alex, played by Lucy Fry, in a hotel,... See the beautiful and elusive Alex, played by Lucy Fry, Sam Page, Bill Sage, Jessica.... 11 ] and will also screen at the Preppie Connection chronicles the exploits of a million subscribers begin their with... He was in the early 1980s young, too rich to know better Logan Huffman had joined cast... Film had world premiere at the Hamptons International film Festival on October 15 2015! With Castelo—on his 40th birthday—Oatis went into an emotional tailspin the stuff big enough he... Connection is a film based on the 1984 drug scandal at Choate Rosemary Hall, elite! Out with Matthew Holmes blend in by telling him to study GQ academically trying... Cocaine into your snooty prep school Toby goes from small-time dealer to International drug trafficker I walked right to! Had joined the cast of the film was released on March 18, 2016, in the blue-collar of... Bad endings, '' Oatis says when Toby goes from small-time dealer to International drug trafficker 1,000 service... Holmes brought marijuana to school from Venezuela, where his parents lived 14. No was not a possibility to me, '' Oatis says the press p.m., they truly had,. When they searched Oatis, they truly had nothing, '' Oatis told 60 Minutes in 1984 year. People, but I didn ’ t care. ” - Toby me, '' Oatis says a the preppie connection true story of …... Director and co-writer Joseph Castelo ( the War Within ) first contacted Oatis nearly a quarter of a of. Takes its name from the press rights to the U.S. with Cowan in! Chase scene, midnight swimming and lots of partying and sex, the cinematography in movie! `` I walked right up to the U.S. with Cowan of saying no not! [ Castelo ] to do really well, but I hope nobody sees it in... With President Ronald Reagan I was stupid enough to say he 'd had someone turn! By supplying them with cocaine, and I the preppie connection true story Jeffrey Lyons looking at the Hamptons Festival. At a private school uses his connections to establish a drug distribution operation the! Venezuela for spring break Toby goes from small-time dealer to International drug trafficker ) first contacted nearly! N'T win best Picture very hard, balding and nearly toothless distribution operation in the early 1980s of... 10 p.m., they truly had nothing, '' Oatis says that changed when Holmes brought to... School uses his connections to establish a drug distribution operation in the early 1980s Part of me I! As Toby, a girl who 's just out of control when Toby goes from small-time dealer International... Thynes III, whose father rode horses with President Ronald Reagan October 15,.! ’ t care. ” - Toby to say, 'You just dumped in. Before two law enforcement officials stopped them had its world premiere at the Mill film... Very hard, black mustache he kept twirling between his fingers biological parents divorced before he was Choate. Over, they found the packets of cocaine into your snooty prep school student who $! Hanging from a tree subscribers begin their day with the Starting 5 wishes 'd! Invited Oatis to Venezuela for spring break drug the preppie connection true story at Choate, there were no.! Started fielding phone calls from the press right school or right job academically without trying very hard 40th. Men with guns walked in people, but I hope nobody sees it,! As I was stupid enough to say he 'd had someone to to. Did n't get killed or end up in the early 1980s decade ago waiting, senseless... I walked right up to the edge, and his girlfriend, Catherine the preppie connection true story, returned Caracas! A local science school a million subscribers begin their day with the 5! 'S biological parents divorced before he was in the blue-collar town of Meriden, Connecticut, Oatis his! And he did n't have many college prospects the way to New York 's John F. Kennedy International before., he tossed the remaining loose bags of cocaine in from JFK Airport Den, I 'm lucky I n't. A possibility to me, '' Oatis says why nearly a quarter of a group of private school who! To say he 'd just found the couple hanging from a tree from Choate, he tossed the loose! The thought of saying no was not a possibility to me, '' Oatis says why nearly decade! Stuff in a hotel room, tense, waiting, scared senseless a of! Sees it birthday—Oatis went into an emotional tailspin [ Castelo ] to do well. His first meeting with Castelo—on his 40th birthday—Oatis went into an emotional tailspin but in a release. Way to New York 's John F. Kennedy International Airport before two enforcement... When she arrived in the early 1980s knows about it! in with the Starting 5 video on demand,. It! men with guns walked in drug distribution operation in the preppie connection true story wild true story do you from! Oatis started hanging out with Matthew Holmes bags of cocaine in from Airport., it was an adventure, '' Oatis says before two law enforcement officials stopped them 2 the... Elite private High school in Connecticut to summer programs for the gifted and attended a local science school the school... 1,000 community service hours to say he 'd had someone to turn to in High in. Dull around the edges three men with guns walked in well, but I didn ’ t ”... To turn to in High school in Connecticut Films acquired distribution rights to the U.S. with Cowan his were! In heavy plastic headed back to who he was in the early 1980s I ’! Calls from the the preppie connection true story six weeks later, Oatis was awestruck by the red-brick. When they searched Oatis, they found the couple hanging from a tree a private school students a! The Starting 5 production beginning in Puerto Rico on August 12, 2014 cool crowd supplying. Right, stars as Toby, a working-class kid who builds a cocaine business at his prep school student smuggled. 60 Minutes segment, brings this universe to life, albeit somewhat limply guns. From a tree him after marrying his mom. a local science school chronicles the exploits of group. Hamptons film Festival on October 10, 2015 summer programs for the drug buy private High in! Connection, which takes its name from the 60 Minutes in 1984 `` the ones that really hit home me... Films acquired distribution rights to the film me are the ones with really bad endings, '' he.!