MOVIE:
Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal
WHERE TO WATCH:
OUR RATING
2/5
WHAT IT'S ABOUT:
A deep dive into the fraudulent methods used by Rick Singer to get the children of rich and famous families into top U.S. universities.
WHAT WE THOUGHT:
There's not much that can be said about the college admissions scandal that rocked headlines in May 2019 that hasn't already been said. Unfortunately, the new Netflix documentary, Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal, fails at its attempt to present the shameful story in a fresh and interesting way.
As we all know, starting in 2011, wealthy parents, CEOs and a few well-known celebrities – including actors Felicity Huffman, Lori Loughlin and fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli – paid 'college admissions councillor' Rick Singer hundreds of thousands of dollars to "side door" their kids into the country's most prestigious universities. Everything from fake athletic photo shoots to cheating on standardised tests and bribes offered to coaches and administrators gave Rick Singer the ability to guarantee spots for over-privileged rich kids in the college of their parents' dreams, until it all came crashing down seven years later.
While Chris Smith's documentary directing accolades include the incredibly cringe-worthy but terrifically captivating Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened, his latest offering could very easily be mistaken for another ripped-from-the-headlines Lifetime movie. Even the melodramatic network couldn't resist taking a jab at retelling the conspiracy with their 2019 title The College Admissions Scandal.
The first issue for me is how the doccie relies on mawkish re-created conversations – recited from wiretapped transcripts that were released by the US government – between Singer (played by Matthew Modine) and the rich and famous he duped, as well as interviews with previous clients of Rick's and those offering professional commentary on the scandal.
What makes true-documentaries worth-watching is when they offer something new, something that has not been widely covered – further information, a new source or anything. Operation Varsity Blues offers never-heard-before conversations and dealings, but the simple fact is that these very ordinary conversations are excruciatingly dull and don't translate into anything that might catch the viewer's attention. The only draw-in, probably, is brief cuts of former Stanford University sailing coach John Vandemoer, recalling his involvement with Singer; however, his feeble presence falls flat, and while he may not have benefited from the bribery money himself, I find it extremely hard to feel sympathy for this 'victim' they are trying to portray him as.
This brings me to the second issue I have with this doccie – the focus is entirely on Singer, the mastermind behind the scheme, which then cooperates with the FBI and brings down his wealthy clients. Yes, that is important, but perhaps even more important is how elite American colleges have unashamedly created this perception that without money and privilege, your chances of being accepted are next to nothing and by not being accepted, your future is therefore doomed. Even more so is the fact that this massive scandal has done absolutely nothing to change this perception.
Truth be told, I do not understand the obsession with prestige colleges when the USA has over 3 000 colleges to choose from. South Africa only has 26 public universities to choose from. While the application process and preparation process is entirely different for each country, the underlining narrative they all share is that privilege trumps all other notable aspects a person needs to be accepted to a tertiary institution, never mind their fundamental right to education. And while the college admissions scandal rocked the varsity world, all these colleges that are so-called elite – Stanford, USC, Harvard – will continue to keep their 'back door' of admission open for those willing to pay. More attention needs to be given to why, in the 21st century, the power-hungry atmosphere created in high-wealth societies is still controlling the narrative.
Because the scandal dominated headlines and exposed well-known faces, Operation Varsity Blues will seem like a must-watch, but if you followed the stories when they happened three years ago, then watching this doccie is not worth your time.