The Big Bad Swim

This indie film looks at the lives of a group of people taking an adult swim class in Connecticut. The plot is fairly thin. What drives the film is the characters, excellently played by mostly unknown actors. Standouts in the cast are Brewster as a high school teacher experiencing marital problems and Weixler as a casino dealer who moonlights as a stripper. The two actresses give natural performances and work well together. This is an impressive feature film debut for writer Schechter and director Setton. The latter keeps the narrative moving at a fast clip. The film title and poster suggest something raunchy, but this is a marvelous little comedy-drama.

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 actually thought this is a comedy and sat watching it expecting to laugh my ass off. pretty soon in became clear this is no comedy, or at least not a 'Jim Carrey type' one. what kept we watching was the characters - the movie starts with some pretty grim, troubled people, gathered together to try and fight one of their basic fears - fear of water, fear of swimming. we start to get bit by bit into their lives, witness their troubles, guess of their thoughts.

actually i made it look much darker than it actually is, and besides the chain of events soon brings some light and hope to their lives.

i probably wouldn't have watched the movie had i known its not a comedy but rather a drama, but i had good time, enjoyed the story and don't mind i spent about 90 minutes with it.

many films treat the alienation between people in the western world, this movie shows how people can get together and help each other

"and if in the light of dying day you meet her, don't let her pass you by and leave, don't loose her, she is your gift from the sun..."

9/10

peace and love

A community pool in Connecticut is the setting for this "under the radar" film which is charming, funny, entertaining, and appealing. Although it won prizes in major film festivals, "The Big Bad Swim" was not released to hordes of theaters across America, but was distributed in DVD form, and shown in theaters selectively.

It is unfortunate that "The Big Bad Swim" never had the marketing hype of a Hollywood release, considering how many sinkers Hollywood HAS released this year, such as "I Know Who Killed Me." "The Big Bad Swim," a genuinely good independent film, has had to swim upstream on its own.

Nevertheless, in "The Big Bad Swim," actress Paget Brewster is endearing and believable as Amy, the wired-to-breaking point math teacher who not only is being dumped by her husband but also is about to lose her job, and ends up taking a gamble on a new life. TV soap actor Jeff Branson-- who is HOT-- plays Noah, the earnest, vulnerable swim teacher who goes the extra pool length to help his students overcome their fears, and discovers he can learn from his students. Pretty, sexy Jess Weixler (did I just see her in a bank commercial?) deftly plays Jordan, the swimmer-to-be who works two jobs, one as a pole dancer, the other as a blackjack dealer. Her character provides the catalyst for change amongst the ensemble, but is the least understandable of the characters, because of a lack of a "back story" or motivation as to why she does what she does. Jordan is young enough to still live at home with a ubiquitous, video-camera-toting younger brother who spies on her. However, her parents are not shown to be involved with her life in any way, which seems odd. There's no drunken mother or abusive father here to explain why a normal, attractive girl from a Connecticut suburb would choose to be a self-medicating pole dancer who debases herself for loutish bachelor parties.

Despite this quibble, "The Big Bad Swim" succeeds, in large part, because it is a happy, feel good film.

As one might expect, learning to swim is the metaphor for life. Ultimately it's better to jump in with both feet, and get in the swim, rather than sit on the deck, because life happens to you anyway.

The Big Bad Swim is a great date movie, a great dorm movie, a great "what haven't I seen" movie, and men like it as well as women.

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.