Movie Poster

Previous Chris Smith film review:

• Fyre

Prestige is actually a French word. In original French, it means something people don't realize - it means "deceit." That's what prestige is in the college. It's imaginary. It's an illusion. Yet people believe in it.

# Review

This documentary explores the 2019 Varsity Blues scandal where a college admissions consultant faked extracurriculars and bribed college athletics coaches to get children from wealthy families into universities.

The documentary features interviews with those involved, as well as wiretapped conversations between Rick Singer, the admissions consultant, and the various parents accused of using Singer’s "sidedoor" in getting their children into colleges. I like how the film uses actors to reenact some of the scenes; the acting is decent, in particular Matthew Modine as Rick Singer is pretty good.

Overall this scandal showcases two themes: the importance of education as a status symbol and the effects of wealth in the education system. Education makes for a great signaling device and there are many loopholes which can be exploited or bought to get a student enrolled. Some direct methods include donating vast sums of money and taking advantage of legacy admissions. It’s sad to think that the people in this film were caught, not because they tried to exploit a loophole, but because they were simply not rich enough or well-connected enough to exploit a legitimate loophole. The victims are the qualified students whose spots are taken by the students who got in through a loophole. Some of the students whose parents used the loophole without their knowledge can also be considered victims, as their reputations are now ruined and they may have even been able to get into the university by their own merit.

# Conclusion

A interesting look at the American post-secondary education system.

# Overall rating: 7.1

What does the rating mean?