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All-Reviews.com Movie/Video Review
Swimfan
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 out of 4
| *Also starring: | Shiri Appleby, Kia Joy Goodwin, Nick Sandow, Clayne Crawford, Dan Hedaya, James DeBello |
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Review by Susan Granger
2 stars out of 4
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In this teen version of "Fatal Attraction," the life of a hunky
high-school swimmer is forever changed when he's seduced by 'the new girl in
town.' The champion swimmer in an upscale New York suburb, Ben Cronin (Jesse
Bradford) not only has a chance to win an athletic scholarship to Stanford but
he also has a wholesome, devoted, long-time girl-friend (Shiri Appleby). Then
sexy Madison Bell (Erika Christensen), a transfer student, sets her sights on
him, and her slithering in a red bikini is too good a pool prize for Ben to
refuse. Immediately feeling guilty about his impetuous indiscretion, Ben tells
Madison it's a one-time fling. She pretends to understand but what Ben doesn't
realize - at first - is how diabolically persuasive, selfish and obsessive
Madison can be. Then the creepy e-mails with Madison's topless photo arrive - 81
in one day! - along with beeper messages, phone calls and an unannounced visit
to meet his mother. On the other hand, even his swim coach (Dan Hedaya) realizes
that Ben's not too bright, particularly as he's coping with anxiety-ridden
memories of past sins that once landed him in a juvenile detention center. As a
result, Ben gets in too deep and the homicidal stalking continues far too long.
The derivative, sophomoric script by Charles Bohl and Phillip Schneider,
directed by John Polson, eventually gets soggy and ridiculous, sinking to
madness, even murder. Jesse Bradford ("Clockstoppers") remains remarkably bland
throughout his ordeal as pouty Erika Christensen (Michael Douglas's
drug-addicted daughter in "Traffic") goes over-the-top crazy. On the Granger
Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "Swimfan" is a shoddy, shallow 5. It's a psychological
thriller with cautionary clout: Don't do a one-night stand with a psychopath!
Copyright © 2002 Susan Granger
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