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Swimming
Oceanside Pictures


8.0

based on 17 reviews
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How did we calculate this?

based on 1 votes
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MPAA RATING: Not Rated

Starring Lauren Ambrose, Joelle Carter, Jennifer Dundas, Jamie Harrold, Joshua Harto, Josh Pais, and Joe Roseto

An intimate look at friendship, love and breaking away, set amidst the backdrop of a bustling beach town. (Oceanside Pictures)

GENRE(S):	Drama
WRITTEN BY:	Lisa Bazadona Robert J. Siegel Grace Woodard
DIRECTED BY:	Robert J. Siegel
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: June 3, 2003 Video: December 31, 1969 Theatrical: July 26, 2002
RUNNING TIME:	98 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

New Times (L.A.) Bill Gallo

The result is a lovely piece of writing brought to life by a terrific cast, a vivid sense of place and, not incidentally, some perfectly chosen pop tunes by such as Bree Sharp, Leona Naess, Smog and Tin Star. As for Lauren Ambrose, her big-screen debut is a revelation.

Boston Globe Loren King

A rarity among modern movies: a coming-of-age tale without cliche or sentimentality. Bolstered by a luminous lead performance from Lauren Ambrose.

Washington Post Desson Thomson

Absolutely refuse to make predictable patterns in the sand. Instead, they set their characters loose.

Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas

Ambrose's Frankie, who is more intelligent and capable of reflection than those around her but is even more unworldly than she realizes, is tremendously appealing.

Chicago Reader Reece Pendleton

It's presented in such a nicely understated manner, and Ambrose turns in such a good lead performance, that it rises several notches above most of today's teen movies.

Village Voice Laura Sinagra

Director Robert J. Siegel allows the characters to inhabit their world without cleaving to a narrative arc. It's a luxurious hangout; spaces burgeon with goofy love and generous confusion.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias

Siegel is almost too tasteful, nearly to the point where his coming-of-age story loses color and purpose. But he finds a mesmerizing presence in Ambrose, a terrific young actress who carries the film without a second of showiness.

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

Sprightly acting, understated emotions, and lovingly detailed ambience make this amiable comedy-drama an easygoing indie pleasure.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

Swimming is above all about a young woman's face, and by casting an actress whose face projects that woman's doubts and yearnings, it succeeds. The face belongs to Lauren Ambrose.

Baltimore Sun Chris Kaltenbach

Swimming is perceptive and, ultimately, embraceable. Like the adolescent it so lovingly depicts, this is a movie you want only the best for.

San Francisco Chronicle Carla Meyer

Keenly observed and refreshingly natural.

The New York Times Dave Kehr

Without exaggerating their lovability or condescending to their foolishness, Mr. Siegel makes vivid, likable people out of his three protagonists as they affect one another and are affected in turn.

Film Threat Merle Bertrand

Yes, there is a very palpable lesbian erotic undercurrent pervading this film. However, the reason it's so palpable is because it's so subtly and deftly handled...AND it's only one thread of the film's storyline.

New York Post Megan Lehmann

There's nothing particularly startling or new in the script by Siegel and his co-writers Lisa Bazadona and Grace Woodard - except that it, refreshingly, draws its characters in real-life shades of gray.

New York Daily News Jami Bernard

Its leisurely pace and reliance on Ambrose's pale-lashed gaze make it more of an interior monologue. That may not please viewers who crave action, but those with patience will be rewarded.

LA Weekly Chuck Wilson

On the surface, this coming-of-age tale feels slight and unremarkable, yet the director's final close-up of Frankie packs a punch -- a testament to the power of a gifted young actress happily lost inside her first big role.

Austin Chronicle Kimberley Jones

Ambrose owns this crawlspace between being fierce and being fragile. But she can't escape the fact that her role is underwritten; the script suffers from an excess of subtlety.

The average user rating for this movie is 8.0 (out of 10) based on 1 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Chad S. gave it an 8:
This is the route Claire Danes should have taken. Do an indie, or two, then go swimming with the sharks. Fans of the much-beloved ABC series will recognize the dynamics of the relationships, and see dopplegangers for Angela, Rayanne, and Sharon. "Swimming" is "My So-Called Life Goes to Myrtle Beach". Like Danes before she fought the Bard but the Bard won, Lauren Ambrose is absolutely wonderful. You know it's a good coming-of-age film if the girl can walk alongside a street or the water in an unbroken shot and wonder what's on her mind. Ambrose carries the movie but gets nice support from Joelle Carter(as the new shoe) and Jennifer Dundas(as the old shoe). "Swimming" is a small film that hits all the right notes and it sounds like Smog. Go Greek if you must, then go geek.

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Swimming Oceanside Pictures

Swimming
Oceanside Pictures