The Big Bad Swim

I had the good fortune of screening this movie as part of the Tribeca Film Fest and it was an absolute pleasure. A great combination of comedy and drama, served up without any of the pretense that can be so inherit in first feature outings. This did not feel like a low-budget first feature.

Big Bad Swim has a lot going for it: A polished but still still indie look and feel, a tremendous cast and strong performances. I found the story to be just the right balance of complex and accessible. It had characters that you can immediately relate to and more importantly care about.

I highly recommend checking out this flick!

I don't know why I picked this movie to watch, it has a strange title and from the description it just looked like something different. Every once in a while its good to try a film that's slightly different from the mainstream Hollywood hero/thriller flick and this film certainly was different. Right from the beginning this film had me intrigued but I couldn't figure out why until the end if the film when I realized that the movie was great because the characters were so real. I thought the acting was superb and the character development really makes you care about them and hope things turn out well for them in the end. I think that everyone who watches the film could in some way relate to one of the characters and this makes for great viewing and some good laughs at the sheer ordinariness of the actors.

At the culmination of the movie you definitely get a sense of well being, and are left with the 'things are going to be OK' type of a feeling. I'm sure this will have wide appeal and should be given a chance.

I watched this movie for Paget Brewster, whom I first encountered during the delightful Showtime program "Huff." Was anxious to see more of her acting, especially as a different character. As a "vehicle" for her, it was good. If you're a fan of hers, you'll truly enjoy the movie.

All the acting in the movie is solid. The storytelling is relatively brisk (note: relatively). One element builds on a previous element, shown in chronological order. Style is good and consistent through-out. Sub-plots are uneven in places. A few characters are either not fleshed out or stereotypical. There are a couple missed opportunities for interactions between characters.

When I saw it, I didn't realize it was an independent film until I came online to IMDb.com to view/make comments on it. I guess that's high praise, that it didn't feel like an independent film in size or scope. The "hook" of the story revolving around adult characters in a beginners "learn to swim" class mostly worked.

The big bad swim has a low budget, indie feel about it. So many times I start to watch independent films that have had really good reviews only to find out they are pretentious crud, voted for by people who are so blinded by the idea of the film and its potential to be provocative that they forget that film is a form of entertainment first and foremost.

I do not know if The big bad swim has any message or higher meaning or metaphor, if it does then I missed it.

From the get go BBS felt right, it was easy and warm and human, there were no major dramas or meaningful insights, I just connected with the characters straight off. And when, as with all good films the end came around I felt sadness at the loss of that connection.

If you are looking for something big, or fast or insightful look elsewhere, look for a film trying to deliver more than it can. BBS delivers a solid, enjoyable, real experience and I felt rewarded and satiated having watched it.

This is an excellent film about the characters in a adult swimming class, their problems, relationships and interactions with each other. It should have managed a wider distribution as it's much better than similar films from major studios out at the same time.

The swimming instructor is an almost-Olympian, reduced to teaching adults basic lessons, and often the target of horndogging from his female students. He attempts, more or less, to fend them off, with varying results.

The students characters are mainstream U.S.A; teachers, policemen, college students and retired people, all of whom haven't learned to swim for some reason. The movie covers their relationships, including friends, relatives and romantic conquests as they go through the class. Several subplots provide amusing fodder, including a teacher going through a divorce, some high school students making a documentary, and a girl who is only in the class to meet guys.

This is a good date movie, or just one to watch when you're in the mood for a romantic drama with overtones of reality.