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Movies / Upcoming / Swimfan
Swimfan

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Swimfan (2002)

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Reviews Counted:89

Fresh:13

Rotten:76

Average Rating:3.9/10

Consensus: A Fatal Attraction rip-off, Swimfan is a predictable, mediocre thriller.

Runtime: 85 mins

Genre: Dramas

US Box Office: $28,303,771

Synopsis: This teen psychodrama directed by John Polson plays like a Generation Y version of FATAL ATTRACTION. Ben Cronin (Jesse Bradford) is a high school swimmer with an incredibly promising future. On the... This teen psychodrama directed by John Polson plays like a Generation Y version of FATAL ATTRACTION. Ben Cronin (Jesse Bradford) is a high school swimmer with an incredibly promising future. On the verge of securing a scholarship to Stanford, and in love with the too-good-to-be-true Amy (Shiri Appleby), Ben seems to have it all. But the arrival of a new student threatens to ruin everything Ben has worked so hard to attain. Temptation arrives in the form of Madison Bell (Erika Christiansen), a beautiful, sultry cellist whose overt sexuality is too much for Ben too handle. In a fit of passion, he succumbs to her advances, but is immediately wracked with guilt. Trying to eradicate his mistake before it can escalate any further, Ben confronts Madison. To his dismay, he discovers that she has formed an abnormally strong attachment to him. Soon, Ben has been accused of taking steroids, fired from his hospital job, and targeted by the police for trying to kill Amy. With the help of friends, Ben must find a way to expose Madison and stop her reign of terror. Polson's entertaining film is fueled by an amped hard rock soundtrack and Louis Febre's moody score. [More]

Starring: Jesse Bradford, Shiri Appleby, Erika Christensen, Dan Hedaya

Starring: Jesse Bradford, Shiri Appleby, Erika Christensen, Dan Hedaya, Kate Burton, Kia Joy Goodwin, Nick Sandow, Michael Higgins

Director: John Polson

Director: John Polson
Screenwriter: Philip Schneider, Charles Bohl
Producer: John Penotti, Allison Lyon Segan, Joseph M. Caracciolo
Composer: Louis Febre
Studio: 20th Century Fox

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Reviews for Swimfan

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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The stars may be college kids, but the subject matter is as adult as you can get: the temptations of the flesh are unleashed by a slightly crazed, overtly determined young woman and a one-night swim turns into an ocean of trouble.

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
09/24/02
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Dark Horizons | comment Comment
09/22/02
Garth Franklin
Garth Franklin
Dark Horizons
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
04/29/09
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed

A tapestry of loose ends.

Full Review Source: Observer [UK] | comment Comment
02/08/08
Philip French
Philip French
Observer [UK]

Director John Polson mutes the conservative sexual politics of the original film, focusing on the lightweight, efficient suspense story.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
02/08/08
J. R. Jones
J. R. Jones
Chicago Reader

It would be so easy for an actress to overplay this role, to morph into high camp, but Christensen stays icy cool.

Full Review Source: Associated Press | comment Comment
02/08/08
Sheila Norman-Culp
Sheila Norman-Culp
Associated Press

Only the very easily pleased will be able to see past its limitations.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Trevor Johnston
Trevor Johnston
Time Out

Bradford spends the entire film with an Andrew Shue-ish sullen, slack-jawed expression, but even that's more than what the bland Appleby brings to her doormat role.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
12/06/05
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

A mean-spirited, incompetent disaster.

Full Review Source: FilmStew.com | comment Comment
02/01/04
Brett Buckalew
Brett Buckalew
FilmStew.com

Was anybody clamoring for yet another teen movie? Or, even worse, a teen version of Fatal Attraction?

Full Review Source: Star-Democrat (Easton, MD) | comment Comment
01/06/04
Greg Maki
Greg Maki
Star-Democrat (Easton, MD)

Seguindo o tom juvenil (no sentido pejorativo da palavra) do roteiro, podemos descrever este filme com uma regra de três simples: Fixação está para Atração Fatal assim como Erika Christensen está para Glenn Close.

comment Comment
07/15/03
Pablo Villaca
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena

No points for originality, but young audiences will lap up the mix of nubile teens and cheap shocks, while the solid performances provide something for less hormone-ravaged viewers.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
03/30/03
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

...fifty minutes of tedious adolescent melodramatics followed by thirty-five minutes of inflated nonsense.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
03/11/03
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

Christensen is clearly the best thing about this movie; her transition from a pretty, personable high school girl to a psychotic killer is subtle and disturbing. But its charms mainly end there.

Full Review Source: Film Quips Online | comment Comment
02/08/03
John R. McEwen
John R. McEwen
Film Quips Online

Starts well, but ends up being derivative and annoying.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
10/30/02
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

I hate this movie

Full Review Source: sbs.is | comment Comment
10/18/02
Stefan Birgir Stefansson
Stefan Birgir Stefansson
sbs.is

...it’s sometimes difficult to know whether to admire “Swimfan” for being such a tidy little mimic that admittedly has its moments or to hate it for its utter lack of ingenuity and creativity.

Full Review Source: Bangor Daily News (Maine) | comment Comment
10/15/02
Christopher Smith
Christopher Smith
Bangor Daily News (Maine)

...a listless tale of sex, stalkers and stupidity for the SAT set.

Full Review Source: HoleCity.com | comment Comment
10/14/02
Catherine Cantieri
Catherine Cantieri
HoleCity.com

No surprises.

Full Review Source: UK Critic | comment Comment
10/06/02
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
UK Critic

Drowning's too good for this sucker.

Full Review Source: eye WEEKLY | comment Comment
10/02/02
Catharine Tunnacliffe
Catharine Tunnacliffe
eye WEEKLY
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 >> >|
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Latest News for Swimfan

April 19, 2006: Russell Crowe Has a "Tender" Side
Notorious tough guy Russell Crowe has climbed aboard an indie flick entitled "Tenderness," in which he'll work with a pair of teens and fellow Aussie John Polson, the... More...

November 23, 2005: Thriller Director Tries a Little "Tenderness"
John Polson, the filmmaker who last directed the Robert De Niro / Dakota Fanning thriller "Hide and Seek," will soon step back behind the cameras, says Variety. Mr.... More...

July 07, 2005: Eastwood Drafts Three Soldiers for "Flag" Duty
Legendary filmmaker Clint Eastwood ("The Outlaw Josey Wales," "Million Dollar Baby") has just started casting his next project, which is a WWII drama... More...

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