“Operation Varsity Blues” Trailer Features Stunning Confessions

The college admissions scandal united just about everyone in the country in abject hatred. Rich, privileged jerks gaming the system even further? I don't know who wouldn't be outraged. But how did such a crime take place, and how was it able to continue for so long?

To paint that picture, Netflix's new documentary Operation Varsity Blues uses a combination of all-star re-enactments and interviews with law enforcement. Matthew Modine plays the man at the center of it all: Rick Singer, who took bribes from some of the richest and most famous people in the U.S. in exchange for admission at top universities.

This is the latest buzzworthy doc from Chris Smith. He's already a legend for directing American Movie, but has lately become one of the most in-demand non-fiction filmmakers, helming Fyre and producing Tiger King in recent years.

Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal premieres exclusively on Netflix on March 17.

About Kip Mooney

Like many film critics born during and after the 1980s, my hero is Roger Ebert. The man was already the best critic in the nation when he won the Pulitzer in 1975, but his indomitable spirit during and after his recent battle with cancer keeps me coming back to read not only his reviews but his insightful commentary on the everyday. But enough about a guy you know a lot about. I knew I was going to be a film critic—some would say a snob—in middle school, when I had to voraciously defend my position that The Royal Tenenbaums was only a million times better than Adam Sandler’s remake of Mr. Deeds. From then on, I would seek out Wes Anderson’s films and avoid Sandler’s like the plague. Still, I like to think of myself as a populist, and I’ll be just as likely to see the next superhero movie as the next Sundance sensation. The thing I most deplore in a movie is laziness. I’d much rather see movies with big ambitions try and fail than movies with no ambitions succeed at simply existing. I’m also a big advocate of fun-bad movies like The Room and most of Nicolas Cage’s work. In the past, I’ve written for The Dallas Morning News and the North Texas Daily, which I edited for a semester. I also contributed to Dallas-based Pegasus News, which in the circle of life, is now part of The Dallas Morning News, where I got my big break in 2007. Eventually, I’d love to write and talk about film full-time, but until that’s a viable career option, I work as an auditor for Wells Fargo. I hope to one day meet my hero, go to the Toronto International Film Festival, and compete on Jeopardy. Until then, I’m excited to share my love of film with you.