Undergrads (2022 film)

Undergrads is a narrative feature film directed by Andrew Zuckerman. It was produced by Zuckerman, Dillon Orth, and John Cronin. The film follows a group of college friends over the course of a weekend. Principle photography began in July 2020, with a numerous reshoots due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. It is Zuckerman's feature film debut as a director.

Plot

Jamie and Chloe are introduced as a couple of six years on the campus quad after class on Friday.  Chloe, who is a senior undergraduate student, has just been accepted into medical school in New York City.  Jaimie, on the other hand, never went to college, and works around town.  Later that afternoon, Chloe returns home to her roommate Sam, who has just returned from studying abroad in Italy, and her other roommate, Leila.  Back at the guys’ house, Jaimie chats with his roommates, Wyatt, a hothead pitcher for the school’s baseball team, and Drew, a campus radio co-host and stoner.  The two groups convene at Bogey’s Bar that night.  While at the bar, Jaimie tells Chloe that New York is simply not in the cards for him, because of his financial limitations, and happiness in his hometown.  Instead, he insists that they will figure long-distance out.  Meanwhile, Drew meets Bella, a freshman architecture student, and they hit it off.  Wyatt drunkenly leaves the bar early to go to his “girlfriend’s” place - they’re on a break.  They get into a fight when he tells Carly that he wants to end their break, but discovers she’s moved on to someone new.  This sets Wyatt on a sour path for the weekend.  The next morning, Chloe and Jaimie get into a small argument.  Chloe tells him that she’s not sure if she can do long distance.  

The groups split ways for the weekend, as the guys head up to Drew’s parents’ cabin and the girls celebrate Leila’s birthday at the club.  Unbeknownst to the guys, Drew has invited Bella and her friend to join them.   Meanwhile, the girls meet up with CJ, a friend of the guys and radio show co-host with Drew.  He is accompanied by Van Ham, a visiting rockstar.  Chloe and Van hit it off, which leads to a kiss.  Back at the cabin, Jaimie chats with Wyatt about whether moving to New York might really be an option in order to maintain his relationship with Chloe.  The next morning, Chloe struggles with the guilt of her actions the night before.  She must finally face the decision of whether or not she truly wants to stay with Jaimie.

The next afternoon, Jaimie and Chloe speak on the phone.  They apologize for the fight the morning before, and Jaimie tells her that he would go to New York with her.  Chloe does not tell him about Van Ham.  That night, Wyatt tries to call Carly, only to discover that his number has been blocked.  This sets him off, and he pushes past Jaimie to confront Carly in person.  After he leaves, Jaimie convinces Drew and Bella that they need to stop him.  Once again, Wyatt drunkenly arrives at Carly’s as she approaches the house with her new lover.  He storms out in an attempt to “talk,” and a pathetic brawl ensues between the two guys.  Jaimie, Drew, and Bella arrive and break up the fight.  The guys argue when they return to the house because Drew is upset and embarrassed by Wyatt’s antics.  Jaimie convinces them to get pizza and walk around the quad, where Wyatt falls asleep.  The next day, Chloe shows up at the guys’ place.  She tells Jaimie that they need to take a break in order to figure things out.  While no final decision is made, it can only be assumed that things won’t work out for the couple.    

Production

Development

Zuckerman and Orth first had the idea to create a feature film while working Hollywood production internships in Summer 2019. That same summer, they brought aboard Cronin as a producer. They began writing the script in Fall 2020 under the name Monday Night Special.

Casting

Casting proved difficult in the midst of COVID-19, with initial auditions interrupted by the virus. Zuckerman had met Stanford grad Ali Rosenthal at a New York party in 2018. Rosenthal was brought aboard as a casting director and helped fill the cast. Zuckerman also sourced local talent, such as Tik-Tok star Xavier Goodman and musician Van Ham.

Key Cast

Trace Guzmán as Jamie

Chloe Skoczen as Chloe

Dillon Orth as Wyatt

Elijah McNally as Drew

Ali Rosenthal as Sam

Maya Caulfield as Leila

Xavier Goodman as CJ

Madi Hart as Bella

Lizzy Gesensway as Carly

Van Ham as himself

Filming

Filming began on July 13th, 2020. The cast and crew followed a strict COVID-19 protocol including masks, daily temperature checks, and monitoring blood oxygen levels. Despite this, production was shut down due to a positive COVID case several days later. Production resumed with multiple reshoots, finally wrapping in 2021. Filming was completed in the St. Paul/Minneapolis area at Bogey's Lounge, The Exchange & Alibi Lounge, St Vincent de Paul Thrift Store, Thomas Liquors, the West St Paul Police Department, as well as local Airbnb properties.

Reception

Film Festivals

As of January 17th, 2022 Undergrads was selected into the San Francisco Independent Film Festival and Beloit International Film Festival.

Reviews

Rob Rector of Film Threat compared Undergrads to fellow "hangout movies" American Graffiti, Friday, and Clerks. He said "The vibe is casual and loose, and the filmmaking is as tight and polished as any feature on the roster at Sundance."

Crew Credits

Directed by Andrew Zuckerman

Written by Andrew Zuckerman and Dillon Orth

Produced by Andrew Zuckerman, Dillon Orth, and John Cronin

Cinematography by Nihal Dantluri and Shane Sleger

Production Design by Caymen Sheets and Jonathan Trujillo

Edited by Andrew Zuckerman and Mack Hastings

Costume Design by Livia Caligor

Composed by Van Ham

References

This article "Undergrads (2022 film)" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Undergrads (2022 film). Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

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