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There’s every reason not a give a damn about the ‘College Admissions Scandal’ that, among other things, sent actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Laughlin to prison for eleven days and two months, respectively. But if you’re curious to know how it all worked – and the way it all worked is, in my book, inherently fascinating – then Operation Varsity Blues, now available on Netflix, will fill you in. Chris Smith’s zippy (99 minute) documentary hybrid casts Matthew Modine as Rick Singer, the odd mastermind behind the whole thing; we mainly see him on the phone as he negotiates his extremely expensive services – mainly bribery-broking and test-cheating – with extremely wealthy clients, all of whom don’t want their little darlings to know that mummy and daddy were breaking the law to buy their way into a fancy university. Along the way we meet all sorts of grifters, and one poor sailing instructor who just gets caught up in the morass. Grimy fun.
Now streaming on Netflix.