In the blisteringly funny Princeton’s in the Mix, playing this week at the Santa Fe International Film Festival, an entitled mom finds herself in a precarious situation. Her son, Teddy, is smart and talented, but not smart or talented enough to get into an elite school based on merits.
The real tragedy, she explains, is that he isn’t disadvantaged enough to get special treatment that might secure him a spot at an Ivy League.
“Teddy’s struggling with the SAT,” says the mom, played by Miss Congeniality‘s Heather Burns, explaining her dilemma to two fellow parents.
“We got him a neuropsych evaluation for a test accommodation for a disability,” she continues. “The doctor says that he’s on the cusp for ADHD, but he’s spooked because of that Lori Loughlin crap. So no extra time on the SAT.”
The film, as you may have gathered from those lines, is a sharply satirical takedown of entitled parents angling to get their children every possible advantage, by feigning disadvantage. Soon the mom, Beth, figures out a way to get her charmingly well-meaning son, played by Charlie Besso, the extra time he deserves. (Or at least that she thinks he deserves.)
One of the best things about Princeton’s in the Mix is that it’s broadly comic enough to play a mainstream, Oscar-qualifying festival like SFiFF and just grisly enough to play horror festivals. If it were a college student, it would be the kind who could major in poetry or biotechnology with equal aplomb.
The film is written and directed by New York City-based Jonathan DiMaio, who has a thing for afflicting the comfortable: He’s currently developing a Robert Altman-inspired monster movie set in yuppified Brooklyn.
It is produced by Antonio Alonzo Ayala, who knows all about being a youthful overachiever: The San Francisco native was making budget proposals to then-Mayor Gavin Newsom and then-District Attorney Kamala Harris at the age of 16, and started his production company, Vanishing Pictures, at 21. He has won two consecutive Emmy Awards for his work producing video content with The San Francisco Giants.
The producers also include Archstone Entertainment VP of marketing and operations Heather Brawley and Foxstone Entertainment founder Matt Stoner.
We talked over email with DiMaio and Ayala about balancing elegance and horror, finding your team, and people who try to make themselves the victims.
Antonio Alonzo Ayala and Jonathan DiMaio on the Sharp Satire of ‘Princeton’s in the Mix’
MovieMaker: What was the origin story or the jumping-off point of “Princeton’s in the Mix”? Did you start this in response to what the film calls “the Lori Loughlin crap”?
Jonathan DiMaio: Partially, yes, but I also wanted to explore the way that getting extra time on the all-important SAT via a hand injury can create a perverse incentive. … Soon after the Varsity Blues scandal, someone whose children go to a competitive private school told me that students can get extra time on the SAT if they have a hand injury. That was the initial spark.
MovieMaker: How did you two start collaborating?
Antonio Alonzo Ayala: In 2022, a fellow NYU alumni connected me with Jon. My producing partner Heather Brawley and I interviewed him to be 1st AD on a feature we were developing. That feature didn’t end up working out but I connected with Jon in NYC shortly after where he pitched me “Princeton’s In The Mix.” I fell in love with the story instantly and secured the funding to produce it right away.
MovieMaker: How did your own college application experiences affect this film, if at all?
Jonathan DiMaio: Not at all, fortunately.
MovieMaker: The satire is so perfect — you don’t jump into the insanity too quickly, and the film ramps up the mom’s insane motivation in a totally logical (though of course totally misguided) way. How did you find the right grounded tone, where the absurdity is always lurking?
Jonathan DiMaio: Thank you! I think there are a few key elements to getting that build up right. First and foremost is Heather Burns. I was so excited when she signed on as our heroine because — aside from being super talented — she often brings this fun charisma to characters, often in comedies. Based on the script and my conversations with Heather about her character in pre-production, I knew that she was going to bottle that energy up to get some magical, unhinged moments to bubble out of this more repressed character.
Her subtle performance was key to getting the absurdity to grow at the right pace. I also want to highlight the graceful camerawork of Jason Joseffer set against Rob Riutta’s beautiful production design. Even when the characters are making very bad decisions for themselves and their loved ones, the world around them is elegant and staid, which is crucial for setting the tone and satire.
MovieMaker: Do you think this has broader points to make about the ridiculousness of wealthy white people trying to position themselves as victims?
Antonio Alonzo Ayala: Totally. I truly believe that the responsibility of an artist, in our times especially, is to shed light upon the wicked problems within society to create an environment where social change is possible. We’re fortunate to have worked with an executive producer, Nagi Chami, who is also a talented artist himself. Nagi put so much confidence and support (both financially and creatively) in our team, our story and our creative vision to make this film in the highest quality caliber possible.
I couldn’t have done this without Heather Brawley, who was a key part of putting our creative team together, and Matt Stoner, who ensured that the set was run in a professional manner. My philosophy as a producer is to take on projects that have some type of social, cultural or political message behind it.
“Princeton’s In the Mix” is a great example in the way that it explores the extent to which the super wealthy will go to extreme lengths to get what they want. In a fun and satirical way of course.
“Princeton’s in the Mix” plays in the Genre Block at SFiFF on Friday, Oct 18th, at 5:30 PM at CCA Studio.
Main image: Heather Burns in “Princeton’s in the Mix.”