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DVD Review
Swimfan
By Lee Tistaert Published April 17, 2003
US Release: September 6, 2002
Directed by: John Polson
Starring: Jesse Bradford , Erika Christensen , Jason Ritter
PG-13
Running Time: 84 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $28,563,000
Directed by: John Polson
Starring: Jesse Bradford , Erika Christensen , Jason Ritter
PG-13
Running Time: 84 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $28,563,000
C+
The complaining side of me didn?t show its huge presence until the later end of the show
If there was a film that was technically well made and appealing for the first fifty or so minutes, only to cave in to classic clich?s in its finale, Swimfan would be it.
The film actually surprised me a little bit, as after being forced to witness the trailer many times in theaters on a frustrating basis, for the most part the story isn?t bad. It opens up rather nicely, garnering attention with our protagonist, Ben Cronin (Jesse Bradford), a teenager who immediately comes off as a cool and down-to-earth guy. Known for his swimming abilities and being a highlight player on the school swim-team, Ben is well liked.
One day Cronin is met by the presence of Madison (Erika Christensen), a new girl in town, in the school hallway. Having difficulty opening up her locker, Ben comes to the assistance, which instantly draws her attention to his personality. The encounter comes off innocent, but in moviemaking terms there?s no tricking us; we know this is going to be a crucial element of the story.
Soon, Madison is drawn into Ben?s life but there seems to be an interfering dilemma ? Cronin has a girlfriend (Amy). But then again, one can make the defending argument that he and Madison could just be becoming good friends. What?s the harm in that? As the two bond and get to know each other, Ben makes a dangerous move when he agrees to go swimming at school (on off hours), permitting her to stay there with him. Being the Mr. Nice Guy, Ben agrees to teach her how to float properly in the water, which does not go over well; Madison gets a little too friendly, and before he knows it he?s engaged in a cheating scenario that will haunt him for the remaining screen time.
If there?s one thing that amazed me about Swimfan, it was how moderately well written (and performed) it was compared to my expectations (or at least, a good distance through). I was anticipating a fairly corny movie with unrealistic dialogue and characters doing unrealistic things. I was pleasantly taken aback when the complaining side of me didn?t show its huge presence until the later end of the show. Regardless, the fact that it eventually let up in intelligence was pretty irritating.
The film/script does a good job of making us sympathize with Ben, which is an essential component for the point of the flick. The dialogue (and actions performed) given to him is believable for the most part, and purely natural. Ben?s a nice and easy-to-like guy who?s stuck in an awkward position, which then places our point-of-view with him. In one angle the film does a solid job of allowing us to witness the story through his eyes, as when uneven incidents arise there is an actually eerie sensation brought on which forces the viewer into an uncomfortable status. One thing I didn?t expect from this flick was convenient storytelling, which in this case is not too bad.
Jesse Bradford does a pretty slick job of pulling his character off in execution. Via his overall body language in general, the chemistry exerted between he and Shiri Appleby (Amy), and interactions with friends, I really got the vibe that this wasn?t so much scripted sequences but every-day encounters in high school. And in that regard, the film did a nice job of proving me wrong in negative anticipation, as I really wasn?t expecting much from this flick.
Erika Christensen, while not as convincing in her role, is nevertheless reasonable as the girl who will never disappear. While some spots are better than others, it?s a creepy role that while does turn clich? and head into seen-it-before territories, it could've been worse. However, her delivery nearing the end is almost laughably bad but it also happens to be scripted material that is just so formulaic in all the wrong areas. The entire ending is one big misfire for the movie as a whole, as the story goes along convincingly enough and then tricks the audience by reminding us that clever finales take too much intelligence in writing, so why not just take the easy way out and go terribly formulaic.
Though there are huge comparisons to Fatal Attraction, I would?ve found Swimfan just as appealing as that Adrian Lyne (directed) tale (B- or B) if the ending was established with clever or fulfilling substance. Instead, the film is an adventure that seems to hold a surprise of a promise in that it?s telling a story worthy of our attention, and then breaks that trust. The movie works to the level it does due to the script staying close to the characters that matter, as a bond is formed and the viewer feels as if a relationship between them and the characters is present.
Unfortunately, due to the ultra lame (and predictable) concluding twenty-to-twenty-five minutes, Swimfan falls into a sad category where it could?ve so easily been good with the ingredients offered. It disappoints, and it?s to such a substantial degree that it makes the film go from a potentially recommending experience to one that is just plain mediocre.
DVD Features:
- Commentary by director John Polson, Jesse Bradford, and Erika Christensen
- 10 deleted/extended scenes with optional director commentary
- "The Girl From Hell" Featurette
The film actually surprised me a little bit, as after being forced to witness the trailer many times in theaters on a frustrating basis, for the most part the story isn?t bad. It opens up rather nicely, garnering attention with our protagonist, Ben Cronin (Jesse Bradford), a teenager who immediately comes off as a cool and down-to-earth guy. Known for his swimming abilities and being a highlight player on the school swim-team, Ben is well liked.
One day Cronin is met by the presence of Madison (Erika Christensen), a new girl in town, in the school hallway. Having difficulty opening up her locker, Ben comes to the assistance, which instantly draws her attention to his personality. The encounter comes off innocent, but in moviemaking terms there?s no tricking us; we know this is going to be a crucial element of the story.
Soon, Madison is drawn into Ben?s life but there seems to be an interfering dilemma ? Cronin has a girlfriend (Amy). But then again, one can make the defending argument that he and Madison could just be becoming good friends. What?s the harm in that? As the two bond and get to know each other, Ben makes a dangerous move when he agrees to go swimming at school (on off hours), permitting her to stay there with him. Being the Mr. Nice Guy, Ben agrees to teach her how to float properly in the water, which does not go over well; Madison gets a little too friendly, and before he knows it he?s engaged in a cheating scenario that will haunt him for the remaining screen time.
If there?s one thing that amazed me about Swimfan, it was how moderately well written (and performed) it was compared to my expectations (or at least, a good distance through). I was anticipating a fairly corny movie with unrealistic dialogue and characters doing unrealistic things. I was pleasantly taken aback when the complaining side of me didn?t show its huge presence until the later end of the show. Regardless, the fact that it eventually let up in intelligence was pretty irritating.
The film/script does a good job of making us sympathize with Ben, which is an essential component for the point of the flick. The dialogue (and actions performed) given to him is believable for the most part, and purely natural. Ben?s a nice and easy-to-like guy who?s stuck in an awkward position, which then places our point-of-view with him. In one angle the film does a solid job of allowing us to witness the story through his eyes, as when uneven incidents arise there is an actually eerie sensation brought on which forces the viewer into an uncomfortable status. One thing I didn?t expect from this flick was convenient storytelling, which in this case is not too bad.
Jesse Bradford does a pretty slick job of pulling his character off in execution. Via his overall body language in general, the chemistry exerted between he and Shiri Appleby (Amy), and interactions with friends, I really got the vibe that this wasn?t so much scripted sequences but every-day encounters in high school. And in that regard, the film did a nice job of proving me wrong in negative anticipation, as I really wasn?t expecting much from this flick.
Erika Christensen, while not as convincing in her role, is nevertheless reasonable as the girl who will never disappear. While some spots are better than others, it?s a creepy role that while does turn clich? and head into seen-it-before territories, it could've been worse. However, her delivery nearing the end is almost laughably bad but it also happens to be scripted material that is just so formulaic in all the wrong areas. The entire ending is one big misfire for the movie as a whole, as the story goes along convincingly enough and then tricks the audience by reminding us that clever finales take too much intelligence in writing, so why not just take the easy way out and go terribly formulaic.
Though there are huge comparisons to Fatal Attraction, I would?ve found Swimfan just as appealing as that Adrian Lyne (directed) tale (B- or B) if the ending was established with clever or fulfilling substance. Instead, the film is an adventure that seems to hold a surprise of a promise in that it?s telling a story worthy of our attention, and then breaks that trust. The movie works to the level it does due to the script staying close to the characters that matter, as a bond is formed and the viewer feels as if a relationship between them and the characters is present.
Unfortunately, due to the ultra lame (and predictable) concluding twenty-to-twenty-five minutes, Swimfan falls into a sad category where it could?ve so easily been good with the ingredients offered. It disappoints, and it?s to such a substantial degree that it makes the film go from a potentially recommending experience to one that is just plain mediocre.
DVD Features:
- Commentary by director John Polson, Jesse Bradford, and Erika Christensen
- 10 deleted/extended scenes with optional director commentary
- "The Girl From Hell" Featurette
Lee's Grade: C+
Lee's Overall Grading: 3025 graded movies
| A | 0.4% | |
| B | 30.0% | |
| C | 61.7% | |
| D | 8.0% | |
| F | 0.0% |
