Cheaters (film)

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Cheaters is an HBO movie released in 2000 that chronicles the story of a team that cheats in the United States Academic Decathlon (USAD). It is based on a true story.

In the movie, Steinmetz High School has a team member who is able to secure the state finals tests. Assisted by their coach, Gerald Plecki (Jeff Daniels), they are able to defeat perennial Illinois USAD powerhouse Whitney Young Magnet High School. Because of their score at state being nearly 10,000 points (almost 1/3) higher than their regional score, an investigation was launched which ultimately exposed the cheating.

Plecki assisted his students in cheating and eventually resigned. Additionally, some members of the team to this day say they would do it again. The state title was taken away from Steinmetz and given to Whitney Young.

[edit] Criticism

The film has been widely criticized for misrepresenting Whitney Young Magnet High School. In the film, the school is characterized as an elite private institution, with a predominantly upper middle class Caucasian student body. In actuality Whitney Young is a merit-based public school, with only 28% of students reporting Caucasian as their primary ethnic background, but it should be noted that the actual Caucasian population of the school is indeed much higher.

The movie also shows the cheating being admitted after the students are placed in separate rooms and interrogated police-style. In reality such tactics by non-law enforcement officials are illegal under state law a parent or guardian had to be present during questioning (as in a police investigation of a minor.)

The movie also portrays the final cheating revelation as being made by a disgruntled student, when in fact Angela Lam, a member of the previous year's team was the one who broke the news of the cheating for the previous year.