Sure, we all must have thought about how wealthier families get their children into university, especially those that are not so intellectual. This documentary just proves its point, that a set of different rules applies to the wealthier. And it is embarrassing that education has fallen to such state. The existence of side doors or back doors should not even be allowed in the first place. Although what Singer did was wrong, but the bigger picture here is the educational system. Singer is making a fortune from this 'loophole' and it was the system that is allowing the existence of the 'loophole'. It seems the take home message here is do your best and be rich, life is way easier when you are rich, money is the king. Real sad.
57 Reviews
In America, We Love the Wealthy and We Hate the Wealthy
saadgkhan17 March 2021
Operation Varsity Blues - A- (Almost Perfect)
Operation Varsity Blues perfectly captures the menace Ivy Leagues collages have become in recent years. The reason, a person like Rick Singer can infiltrate the system is not because he is a genius but because the colleges have loopholes which allows it to be benefited with no questions asked.
All culprits should have been heavily fined for the greater good, and utilised that money for underprivileged as rightly said in the documentary. Instead, they got minimal few weeks and months sentence and that's about it. You want to make an example out of it as there is nothing worst than wealthy loosing their money. Reputation, I bet most of them are famous for being famous so it doesn't matter to them. The famous say or did something which offended someone, they apologise and then move on to the next thing. Then they do something again, then another apology. It is a cycle, which has made these people completely desensitized to their wrong doings.
Hundreds of young hopeful students must have lost their chance in these prestige colleges over multiple decades due to crooks like Rick but unfortunately it won't put a tend into their system. I honestly bet, that Rick will be watching this in his mansion and saying Oh, they got my gym shirt wrong; I don't wear that much Blue. America has truly become a land of opportunity for the evil.
Operation Varsity Blues perfectly captures the menace Ivy Leagues collages have become in recent years. The reason, a person like Rick Singer can infiltrate the system is not because he is a genius but because the colleges have loopholes which allows it to be benefited with no questions asked.
All culprits should have been heavily fined for the greater good, and utilised that money for underprivileged as rightly said in the documentary. Instead, they got minimal few weeks and months sentence and that's about it. You want to make an example out of it as there is nothing worst than wealthy loosing their money. Reputation, I bet most of them are famous for being famous so it doesn't matter to them. The famous say or did something which offended someone, they apologise and then move on to the next thing. Then they do something again, then another apology. It is a cycle, which has made these people completely desensitized to their wrong doings.
Hundreds of young hopeful students must have lost their chance in these prestige colleges over multiple decades due to crooks like Rick but unfortunately it won't put a tend into their system. I honestly bet, that Rick will be watching this in his mansion and saying Oh, they got my gym shirt wrong; I don't wear that much Blue. America has truly become a land of opportunity for the evil.
Well Crafted Documentary with Eye-Opening Wiretapped Conversations
mrileydavidson18 March 2021
"Back doors", "side doors", and endless loopholes - this documentary shows how the world is just an infinite playground for the wealthy. One of the unique elements to this doc is the recreation of conversations which were achieved through wiretapping. These conversations are... disgusting, to say the least. This format really allows you to see just how culpable and guilty these people are. The fact they're on tape admitting to knowingly doing wrong is sickening.
The sentences at the end are, of course, a joke. Without enforcement, this signals there will be a continuation of such practices in the future. But that's how it is in America. A high profile bust with lots of glitz and cameras, followed by an anemic jail sentence. Something's clearly broken here.
Overall, excellent documentary. I'm not usually a big fan of dramatic reenactments in this format - but it worked very well this time.
The sentences at the end are, of course, a joke. Without enforcement, this signals there will be a continuation of such practices in the future. But that's how it is in America. A high profile bust with lots of glitz and cameras, followed by an anemic jail sentence. Something's clearly broken here.
Overall, excellent documentary. I'm not usually a big fan of dramatic reenactments in this format - but it worked very well this time.
This is America
Agent108 January 2022
For those that might need a real knock into reality, the rich really have it good. Mobility, comfort, and most importantly...power. I laugh when low wage sycophants speak about how tough it is for rich people and that their problems are no different than the lower class schlub like me. No. No. No. When my car ultimately breaks down, that is going to be a stress in my life. When they have a car that breaks down, they can saunter over to the BMW dealer and get a new one, no problem. And most importantly, they can easily downsize their home living situation if they wanted to. My landlord doesn't care whether I can afford the 100 dollar hike in my rent I am consistently getting each year, provided they don't decide to just sell the house under me and really leave me up a creek. What I am saying is, rich people do not have the same problems I would have.
In turn, this is the moral of this story. Mikey Moneybags wants his average kid to go to a prestigious university but doesn't want to spend Dr. Dre money and spend upwards of 30 million at the problem. So he went to Rick Singer, who had figured out a perfect system that worked just like a huge donation but for pennies on the dollar. It was elaborate and requires a lot of people willing to risk their credibility and livelihoods on the promises of some good side scratch. Singer knew how to exploit pressure points, and man he was good at it.
The nice thing about the documentary, which was expertly played by Matthew Modine, was how Singer would assure his co-conspirators results. He never had a shred of doubt until the FBI met him at a hotel and basically gave him an ultimatum to comply or crumble. We all know how cowardly "entrepreneurs" will quickly fold to save themself.
Much of the aftermath was something I was well aware of, but like with any result...the punishment didn't fit the crime. People got off with light sentences and small fines, which is nothing for these people. A guy stealing a television gets more time. And this is where I wish the documentary had not pulled punches. Justice was not served. These people will get to move on, for they might have to sell a car or two or downgrade from a two million dollar home to a one million dollar home. Worst of all, their own greed kept deserving people from actually making it to college, some of them possibly not privileged. The documentary also skipped the biggest point...the American public was also subsidizing these schemes.
Yup, they conveniently forgot to mention that the "donations" they made were going to a 501c and technically they could write it off. They could probably even write off the main payments to Singer as well. So they were gaming the system and gettin taxpayer money to help with the sting of the price tag. Way to go for forgetting that detail documentary makers. Like I said, I could try to steal a few televisions from Walmart and could get a worse sentence. Let's not even talk about the fact the universities suffered no consequences, for I am sure they loved the fact so many rich people are cheating to get into their school.
Why do I keep watching these? It feels like justice is never served in these situations.
In turn, this is the moral of this story. Mikey Moneybags wants his average kid to go to a prestigious university but doesn't want to spend Dr. Dre money and spend upwards of 30 million at the problem. So he went to Rick Singer, who had figured out a perfect system that worked just like a huge donation but for pennies on the dollar. It was elaborate and requires a lot of people willing to risk their credibility and livelihoods on the promises of some good side scratch. Singer knew how to exploit pressure points, and man he was good at it.
The nice thing about the documentary, which was expertly played by Matthew Modine, was how Singer would assure his co-conspirators results. He never had a shred of doubt until the FBI met him at a hotel and basically gave him an ultimatum to comply or crumble. We all know how cowardly "entrepreneurs" will quickly fold to save themself.
Much of the aftermath was something I was well aware of, but like with any result...the punishment didn't fit the crime. People got off with light sentences and small fines, which is nothing for these people. A guy stealing a television gets more time. And this is where I wish the documentary had not pulled punches. Justice was not served. These people will get to move on, for they might have to sell a car or two or downgrade from a two million dollar home to a one million dollar home. Worst of all, their own greed kept deserving people from actually making it to college, some of them possibly not privileged. The documentary also skipped the biggest point...the American public was also subsidizing these schemes.
Yup, they conveniently forgot to mention that the "donations" they made were going to a 501c and technically they could write it off. They could probably even write off the main payments to Singer as well. So they were gaming the system and gettin taxpayer money to help with the sting of the price tag. Way to go for forgetting that detail documentary makers. Like I said, I could try to steal a few televisions from Walmart and could get a worse sentence. Let's not even talk about the fact the universities suffered no consequences, for I am sure they loved the fact so many rich people are cheating to get into their school.
Why do I keep watching these? It feels like justice is never served in these situations.
Interesting Documentary Ruined By Morality
daebat8 September 2023
I love documentaries. I love learning about things. What I don't like is motive behind documentaries beyond education. Unfortunately most "documentaries" these days seem to have motives and lessons they are trying to give. The majority of this documentary is educational but every once in a while they'll pepper in some random commentary from a person that has nothing to do with the story to give character opinions on people or to give their opinion on how things should be done. At the end some lady is droning on about how the justice systems should have fined these people exponentially to raise money for "under privileged kids". That's not what the justice system is designed to do. To think they are going to now have to choose where that money goes and enforce that it's not going into yet another person's pocket is the real issue here. These people are just virtue signaling as most people do these days.
In summary, it's a decent enough documentary if you are interested in the subject since most of the conversations seem to be from actual transcripts and they didn't have the actors play up any of the discussions. It's the third party opinions trying to teach some lesson that bothers me.
In summary, it's a decent enough documentary if you are interested in the subject since most of the conversations seem to be from actual transcripts and they didn't have the actors play up any of the discussions. It's the third party opinions trying to teach some lesson that bothers me.
The real scam is the way the government & education system is:
kerry-white7726 March 2021
The real scam here is the way the government and educational system is. Rick Singer made a "side door" to get students into these colleges, and he actually did. He gave "donations" (bribes) to individuals and/or individuals groups or parts of the colleges. So, he and an individual got the money. The government did NOT. And the college did NOT or made far less than usual. That is the only reason why what he did was deemed "illegal".
Colleges have a "back door" where students can MOST LIKELY get in for really expensive "donations" (bribes). But because the "donations" are 5-20 million, and because the government and the college itself gets this money, it's deemed "legal". Of course. The government and education system is a big old con in itself.
Just glad that the "criminals" got little to no jail time for trying to put their children in a "prestigious" college.
Colleges have a "back door" where students can MOST LIKELY get in for really expensive "donations" (bribes). But because the "donations" are 5-20 million, and because the government and the college itself gets this money, it's deemed "legal". Of course. The government and education system is a big old con in itself.
Just glad that the "criminals" got little to no jail time for trying to put their children in a "prestigious" college.
Very Well Done Documentary
diana_m_j17 March 2021
I just finished this documentary, and thought it was very well done. What is atrocious, however, is that the "back door" donations (parents donating multi-millions directly to colleges to get their kids in) is apparently a legal and accepted practice. This has to stop, as it's really no more ethical than the Operation Varsity Blues scandal. Colleges can make money from their sports teams, donors who are truly *donating* without expecting something in return, as well as any government grants. That's IT. Routine auditing needs to be conducted on the admissions process, and the bribe donations that are deemed legal need to be exposed and ended.
Before watching this, I, of course, was familiar with the scandal and who the big players were, but I didn't know the intricacies of the scam. The ONE person I feel sorry for is the former Stanford sailing coach (who agreed to take part in this documentary). Sure, what he did was technically wrong, but he didn't do it to financially benefit HIMSELF, he did it to benefit Stanford's sailing team. I can see the difference, and am glad he has overcome this and appears to be doing well. As far as the others (with the exception of the kids who had no knowledge of the scam), I think they got off way too easily. However, their reputations (as well as their kids') have been permanently damaged, and that might negatively affect them more than any fine or prison sentence. They have huge egos, so that likely hits them where it hurts the most.
I highly recommend this program to those who are interested in true crime and the exposure of injustice.
Before watching this, I, of course, was familiar with the scandal and who the big players were, but I didn't know the intricacies of the scam. The ONE person I feel sorry for is the former Stanford sailing coach (who agreed to take part in this documentary). Sure, what he did was technically wrong, but he didn't do it to financially benefit HIMSELF, he did it to benefit Stanford's sailing team. I can see the difference, and am glad he has overcome this and appears to be doing well. As far as the others (with the exception of the kids who had no knowledge of the scam), I think they got off way too easily. However, their reputations (as well as their kids') have been permanently damaged, and that might negatively affect them more than any fine or prison sentence. They have huge egos, so that likely hits them where it hurts the most.
I highly recommend this program to those who are interested in true crime and the exposure of injustice.
Prestige = Deceit
vivianla19 March 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Documented very well.
Rick Singer was the mastermind behind this scandal. Many parents wanted to get their children into colleges for sure and paid money to Rick Singer.
In the end we see college advisors state that prestige is all an illusion. The school you go to has very little effect on how your future looks. The USA has 3000 schools. Don't go to USC one says, go somewhere else. The impact these school rankings have on today's teens...it creates a lot of anxiety for them.
Rick Singer was the mastermind behind this scandal. Many parents wanted to get their children into colleges for sure and paid money to Rick Singer.
In the end we see college advisors state that prestige is all an illusion. The school you go to has very little effect on how your future looks. The USA has 3000 schools. Don't go to USC one says, go somewhere else. The impact these school rankings have on today's teens...it creates a lot of anxiety for them.
The College system seems broken, or not?
fajarsantoso18 March 2021
This documentary sheds light on the system of getting into a top notch college and reveals how flawed and fraudulent the system actually is. The shocking reality is, it is actually not any different with other systems in our society. For example, in politics, large corporations donate millions of dollars to their representatives to buy influences and outcomes. So for me, the subject of this documentary isn't that shocking at all and all the players involved are just folks who used the flawed system in their advantage.
Aint it great being rich
jasha8917 March 2021
A story about a college fraud. There is a "back door" and a "side door" and who knows how many more doors available to get anything in life, not just education for your kids.
If you have the money, your options are limitless, yet it is never enough. They have enough money for the rest of their life but they always want more. Can you imagine the audacity to push illegaly for your kids to get into schools knowing they dont deserve it? knowing they will kick out someone who actually deserves it, paying money and in the end get a joke, literally a joke of a sentense for doing so (few weeks to a few months in jail)....give me a break please. With that kind of punishment they will do the same thing tomorrow if the opportunity arrives.
If you have the money, your options are limitless, yet it is never enough. They have enough money for the rest of their life but they always want more. Can you imagine the audacity to push illegaly for your kids to get into schools knowing they dont deserve it? knowing they will kick out someone who actually deserves it, paying money and in the end get a joke, literally a joke of a sentense for doing so (few weeks to a few months in jail)....give me a break please. With that kind of punishment they will do the same thing tomorrow if the opportunity arrives.
When Status Trumps an Education
joeltrunks17 March 2021
This is a half movie / half documentary hybrid which delves into the college admissions scandal that occurred a couple of years ago now where the wealthy used their fame and fortune to secure a spot for their children to get into an Ivy League college.
I wasn't too familiar with the whole story before watching this and I believe it does a really good job breaking down the events that lead to the many arrests which followed.
The status that Ivy League colleges in the U.S. have established for themselves over the decades has placed an insurmountable amount of pressure on kids who want to be a part of that as they feel they won't get anywhere in life without it. When you see people with wealth that cheat the system for their kids over the much more deserving it really does strike a chord and shows how broken and unfair it all is.
The film displays different perspectives from people directly involved and also outsiders to really flesh out the internal workings of how Rick Singer was able to orchestrate his scheme of getting the undeserving into extremely competitive colleges. Any dialogue heard during the movie portions are transcribed from real wiretap recordings and it's really surprising to hear what some people will say over the phone.
One of the key things to take away from the film is that it's far more important that you or your child gets a quality education as opposed to going somewhere specific to be used as a badge of honour for bragging rights.
I wasn't too familiar with the whole story before watching this and I believe it does a really good job breaking down the events that lead to the many arrests which followed.
The status that Ivy League colleges in the U.S. have established for themselves over the decades has placed an insurmountable amount of pressure on kids who want to be a part of that as they feel they won't get anywhere in life without it. When you see people with wealth that cheat the system for their kids over the much more deserving it really does strike a chord and shows how broken and unfair it all is.
The film displays different perspectives from people directly involved and also outsiders to really flesh out the internal workings of how Rick Singer was able to orchestrate his scheme of getting the undeserving into extremely competitive colleges. Any dialogue heard during the movie portions are transcribed from real wiretap recordings and it's really surprising to hear what some people will say over the phone.
One of the key things to take away from the film is that it's far more important that you or your child gets a quality education as opposed to going somewhere specific to be used as a badge of honour for bragging rights.
This film is accidentally deceiving...
bluefoxniner20 March 2021
Warning: Spoilers
A slick, well written, part documentary part documentary drama on a very interesting story about the wealthy buying prestigious college and university places for their children...
Or is it??
What this film accidentally becomes is a beautiful metaphor for what America is and what it stands for... Greed, money, power, corruption, lies and the eradication of poverty by merely eradicating the poor by removing any opportunity they have to escape poverty through Education.
This film is essential viewing for anyone who has any doubts of what America has become.
Or is it??
What this film accidentally becomes is a beautiful metaphor for what America is and what it stands for... Greed, money, power, corruption, lies and the eradication of poverty by merely eradicating the poor by removing any opportunity they have to escape poverty through Education.
This film is essential viewing for anyone who has any doubts of what America has become.
Here's Something No One's Ever Said: I Need More Lori Loughlin
willwatch21 March 2021
Good, not great. It's 40 mins until we get the juicy Lori Loughlin/Olivia Jade business. And the details of that case, and the Felicity Huffman/William Macy case, are scant. The producers have said that they didn't want to dive into those stories because they've already been publicized. C'mon. That's why we clicked on your doc. Do I really have to give click-thirsty Olivia Jade more online traffic in order to get the deets about her case?
The new type of documentary: with actors
richard-17872 May 2021
This is an example of a new type of documentary, in which actors act out what supposedly happened in real life. I confess I don't like that approach to documentary making at all.
But there are other things to dislike here as well. There's a lot of supposing. There's a lot of drone shots of the various college campuses in question. (I went to two of them, so it was fun to see them from "up above.") In short, there's just a lot of filler.
The basic story, however, is fascinating: people with a lot of money are willing to buy their children entrance into elite institutions. Not to get them a better education - if the kids don't make the effort, they won't get a good education even at the best of schools. But rather, to get them prestige. The same sort of prestige you evidently get by driving a Mercedes, or wearing Gucci, or ....
What this movie never considers, but should have, is the "follow up": the number of wealthy parents who finance their children's cheating once they get into college. (Paying flunkies with Ph. D.s to write papers for them, etc.) Because remember: it's not enough to get into these places. Students do actually have to perform academically to stay there. So that takes more cheating, which requires more money.
I would have cut about half of this movie, and used the time to cover the follow-up: how wealthy parents keep their kids in these schools. Because remember what the guy who runs this scam says over and over through this movie: he has been operating this scam for 20+ years. So the students he helped to get into these schools must also, in many cases, have had paid help to stay there and graduate.
Several of the speeches by talking heads near the end of the movie are stupid. One says that you can get a good education at most any of the nation's 3000 colleges and universities. That's not true of all of them, but probably true of many of them. But the parents featured here don't give a damn about whether their kids get an education, so that's not an issue for them. The parents are buying the prestige/bragging rights of attendance at these elite schools. And no, most of the nation's 3000 colleges and universities will not provide that.
Whether anyone should care about that prestige is another issue, of course.
But there are other things to dislike here as well. There's a lot of supposing. There's a lot of drone shots of the various college campuses in question. (I went to two of them, so it was fun to see them from "up above.") In short, there's just a lot of filler.
The basic story, however, is fascinating: people with a lot of money are willing to buy their children entrance into elite institutions. Not to get them a better education - if the kids don't make the effort, they won't get a good education even at the best of schools. But rather, to get them prestige. The same sort of prestige you evidently get by driving a Mercedes, or wearing Gucci, or ....
What this movie never considers, but should have, is the "follow up": the number of wealthy parents who finance their children's cheating once they get into college. (Paying flunkies with Ph. D.s to write papers for them, etc.) Because remember: it's not enough to get into these places. Students do actually have to perform academically to stay there. So that takes more cheating, which requires more money.
I would have cut about half of this movie, and used the time to cover the follow-up: how wealthy parents keep their kids in these schools. Because remember what the guy who runs this scam says over and over through this movie: he has been operating this scam for 20+ years. So the students he helped to get into these schools must also, in many cases, have had paid help to stay there and graduate.
Several of the speeches by talking heads near the end of the movie are stupid. One says that you can get a good education at most any of the nation's 3000 colleges and universities. That's not true of all of them, but probably true of many of them. But the parents featured here don't give a damn about whether their kids get an education, so that's not an issue for them. The parents are buying the prestige/bragging rights of attendance at these elite schools. And no, most of the nation's 3000 colleges and universities will not provide that.
Whether anyone should care about that prestige is another issue, of course.
Badly made
marc80024 March 2021
Intriguing real life story but horrid acting and portrayal of the story. No tension, no intrigue...certainly didn't capture the shock of this scandal. Way too many random scenes with parents calling the implicated person. Had potential but failed miserably
A very mixed bag, but worth the watch
zmos9926 March 2021
The college admissions scandal was a huge eye-opener for the entire nation. But to enjoy this documentary, you need to be able to accept the good with the bad, sometimes the very bad.
The show's accuracy and reenactments are top notch. The actors generally look like their real life counterparts. But more importantly, all of the script spoken by the actors are the actual words of the perpetrators. Numerous conversations were captured over a period of time by the FBI via wire tapped phone calls and body wires, so much of the conversations happen while people are on the phone. This really contributed to my confidence that I wasn't being fed a false narrative. Unfortunately, that confidence slowly dissolved the more I watched.
The weak side of this documentary is that, and there's no other way to say this, Netflix is a class hustling poverty pimp. Oh, And the background music is kind of silly. The music makes you think you're watching the slasher movie, even though it's really just about people making and taking bribes. Anyway, what did I mean about the "poverty pimp" comment? Practically all the narrative, not counting the real life phone conversations, constantly beats the drum against evil wealthy people. I get it, to a point. People have class envy and that's what made this story popular to begin with. But when you take phone calls and constantly, frequently, joyously interject that WEALTH people are doing wrong, that's kind of sick. Would middle class people have done this if they could? Of course. Would poor people have gotten involved with this if they could? No doubt. There are bad people everywhere. But that's not good enough for Netflix. They shamelessly bash the wealthy, the successful. Are they just leftists? I don't know, but I do know they are class hustling poverty pimps that entender hatred unnecessarily. It's frustrating and kind of embarrassing.
The foreboding music and class hatred in the show would make you believe that these families were involved in murder. They weren't. They were involved in bribes that were wrong, and they received sentences commensurate with her behavior. Good news! The guilty were tried and punished despite their wealth! But somehow Netflix seem to of missed that fact. I wonder why.
The show's accuracy and reenactments are top notch. The actors generally look like their real life counterparts. But more importantly, all of the script spoken by the actors are the actual words of the perpetrators. Numerous conversations were captured over a period of time by the FBI via wire tapped phone calls and body wires, so much of the conversations happen while people are on the phone. This really contributed to my confidence that I wasn't being fed a false narrative. Unfortunately, that confidence slowly dissolved the more I watched.
The weak side of this documentary is that, and there's no other way to say this, Netflix is a class hustling poverty pimp. Oh, And the background music is kind of silly. The music makes you think you're watching the slasher movie, even though it's really just about people making and taking bribes. Anyway, what did I mean about the "poverty pimp" comment? Practically all the narrative, not counting the real life phone conversations, constantly beats the drum against evil wealthy people. I get it, to a point. People have class envy and that's what made this story popular to begin with. But when you take phone calls and constantly, frequently, joyously interject that WEALTH people are doing wrong, that's kind of sick. Would middle class people have done this if they could? Of course. Would poor people have gotten involved with this if they could? No doubt. There are bad people everywhere. But that's not good enough for Netflix. They shamelessly bash the wealthy, the successful. Are they just leftists? I don't know, but I do know they are class hustling poverty pimps that entender hatred unnecessarily. It's frustrating and kind of embarrassing.
The foreboding music and class hatred in the show would make you believe that these families were involved in murder. They weren't. They were involved in bribes that were wrong, and they received sentences commensurate with her behavior. Good news! The guilty were tried and punished despite their wealth! But somehow Netflix seem to of missed that fact. I wonder why.
Matthew Modine really?
gregorydewaegheneire25 March 2021
Whatever pays the bills he must have thought.
He is much too overqualified as an actor to play in a reenactment documentary.
That said... I'm a big fan of documentaries, not so much for this type... but it is a good reenactment documentary.
That said... I'm a big fan of documentaries, not so much for this type... but it is a good reenactment documentary.
Unique, but nothing new
rlsmith199411 April 2021
This film just under covered what's been pretty clear for centuries: 1)highly selective institutions are significant engines of social inequality and 2) rich people will spare no expense on buying the best credentials for their kids. Some will say money doesn't matter in education - intelligence and hard work do. That's nonsense. The day rich people start spending less on the education of their children is the day I will believe that.
Speechless
t-yanagimoto19 March 2021
Depiction of a sad reality
Mike_Devine2 May 2021
It was only a matter of time before the celeb-fest hot mess college admissions scandal made its way to Netflix in the form of a documentary. Have no fear - Matthew Modine is here - starring in 'Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal.'
This doc has a bunch going for it - celebs and rich folk behaving badly, pricey, elite colleges acting corruptly, a delusional wannabe college athletics and admission powerbroker and lots of media attention. Put all this together and you get a trainwreck of a premise that you can't help but keep watching. For this reason, 'Varsity Blues' is an easy watch; it's impossible to be bored by it. It's also put together pretty well - the editing is creative, the inclusion of anxious college applicants' selfie videos adds a layer of intentionally unintentional humor and the storyline of scenes that recreate the cringeworthy conversations between Modine's Rick Singer and the desperate parents he swindles almost feel like a separate film altogether.
Sure, it's not a masterpiece in documentary filmmaking, but 'Operation Varsity Blues' is as informative as it is entertaining and should not be counted out. Parents of (near) college-aged kids - prepare for some heartburn upon watching.
This doc has a bunch going for it - celebs and rich folk behaving badly, pricey, elite colleges acting corruptly, a delusional wannabe college athletics and admission powerbroker and lots of media attention. Put all this together and you get a trainwreck of a premise that you can't help but keep watching. For this reason, 'Varsity Blues' is an easy watch; it's impossible to be bored by it. It's also put together pretty well - the editing is creative, the inclusion of anxious college applicants' selfie videos adds a layer of intentionally unintentional humor and the storyline of scenes that recreate the cringeworthy conversations between Modine's Rick Singer and the desperate parents he swindles almost feel like a separate film altogether.
Sure, it's not a masterpiece in documentary filmmaking, but 'Operation Varsity Blues' is as informative as it is entertaining and should not be counted out. Parents of (near) college-aged kids - prepare for some heartburn upon watching.
Elite Schools and the Rich
mxsuba2618 March 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Very nicely done documentary about how rich parents, with the help of one highly unethical and sleezy college admissions consultant, complicit university admissions directors, greedy athletic directors and minor sport coaches gamed the system to get super privileged rich kids admitted mostly so their parents can have bragging rights about where they go to college.
Most disappointing was that fact that the sentences for the guilty were so light. No one got more than about 6 months for cheating. Singer is still awaiting sentencing according to the film. The universities apparently did not pay any price for their part in this scam and are still taking tens of millions in individual donations from well heeled elites to influence acceptance decisions in favor of their kids. If the average Joe or Jane embezzles $5000 they go to prison for years. If you bribe university officials to get your spoiled brat into USC, you might get 14 days in jail, not a prison, maybe or just probation. If you are a university foundation taking tens of millions from parents, you get praised by the university president for great fund raising. One system for the rich and one for the rest.
Most disappointing was that fact that the sentences for the guilty were so light. No one got more than about 6 months for cheating. Singer is still awaiting sentencing according to the film. The universities apparently did not pay any price for their part in this scam and are still taking tens of millions in individual donations from well heeled elites to influence acceptance decisions in favor of their kids. If the average Joe or Jane embezzles $5000 they go to prison for years. If you bribe university officials to get your spoiled brat into USC, you might get 14 days in jail, not a prison, maybe or just probation. If you are a university foundation taking tens of millions from parents, you get praised by the university president for great fund raising. One system for the rich and one for the rest.
EYE-OPENING
jeromesgabilo26 May 2021
It was my first time I came across this scandal. The film used a lot of resources to search from, and that made it impartial and shocking at times. I also liked how the mentality and influence of the rich was portrayed as somehow a driving factor that led to this issue.
Jared kushner
fletchy-5735421 March 2021
Dark reality of College Admissions
shashank-m29 March 2021
Operation watch and forget
peterkowalski18 March 2021
As far as being a well grafted, carefully produced documentary goes, "Operation Varsity Blues ..." doesn't do too bad; I do however doubt whether the makers used all the crayons in their box to make sure it's impactful as well. It becomes clear towards the end, during one of the interviewees poignant words describing the sentences as being pitiful and unlikely to make a difference - and it's on the ironic side that the makers didn't ensure at least their documentary was making a difference either.
The documentary leaves you with an unsatisfactory feeling, unfinished business, and it's slightly more informative than the news coverages you have probably already seen. And it's a shame.
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