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Movie Review: Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal

Mike Tyrkus

Although it is ostensibly a somewhat impartial examination of the scheme employed by Rick Singer to empower his lucrative business of side-stepping the college admissions process to the benefit of the children of his numerous wealthy clients, Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal, takes the unique approach of interspersing interviews with several of the actual participants of the case (mostly those on the “law and order” side of the aisle) and dramatic recreations of the conversations between Singer and his clients that the FBI obtained through wiretaps to tell the story that, yet again, brought to national attention the inequality between the privileged and those who are not.

Working from a script by Jon Karmen, director Chris Smith expertly illustrates the depths to which Singer went to pull off his colossal grift. It is a testament to the work of both Karmen and Smith that the film is so relatable and universal (and entertaining), despite being centered around the deceitful and clandestine activities of the rich and powerful as well as the rather dry source material one might expect to find within the transcripts of an FBI wiretap. There is a bountiful amount of explanation included in the early parts of the film that allows the viewer to not only understand the complex machinations involved throughout the scandal (and take down) as well as the mindsets of the players involved. While there is not an overabundance of examination of motive, the intent and purpose of the players is readily evident.

Matthew Modine in “Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal.”

Ever present at the center of the scandal, Modine turns in a fine performance as Rick Singer. He is both likable and deplorable, depending on the necessity of the situation and the actor imbues the character with those qualities quite effortlessly. Like the rest of the film, it is often difficult to tell where the actor ends and the character begins, and vice versa. But that is precisely what makes the work so compelling. There is an unsettling undercurrent at play throughout that often makes the film feel more like a horror film than a quasi-documentary.

As a straight documentary, Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal offers a specific view of the aforementioned scandal. However, as a film, it is an entertaining and informative examination of a con that is both a sobering wake-up call and an infuriating reminder that the caste system is still very much alive and present in many aspects of the current system of higher education.

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Mike Tyrkus

Editor in Chief at CinemaNerdz.com
An independent filmmaker, co-writer and director of over a dozen short films, the Editor in Chief of CinemaNerdz.com has spent much of the last three decades as a writer and editor specializing in biographical and critical reference sources in literature and the cinema, beginning in February 1991 reviewing films for his college newspaper. He was a member of the Detroit Film Critics Society, as well as the group's webmaster and one-time President for over a decade until the group ceased to exist. His contributions to film criticism can be found in Magill's Cinema Annual, VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever (of which he was the editor for nearly a decade until it too ceased to exist), the International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, and the St. James Film Directors Encyclopedia (on which he collaborated with editor Andrew Sarris). He has also appeared on the television program Critic LEE Speaking alongside Lee Thomas of FOX2 and Adam Graham, of The Detroit News. He currently lives in the Detroit area with his wife and their dogs.

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