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American Swing
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59 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 9 Critics What's this?

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  • Summary: The year was 1977 and New York City burned. As the metropolis hurtled into bankruptcy, the city's nightlife hit unprecedented heights. In midtown, the ultra-exclusive Studio 54 was a cocaine-fueled celebrity clubhouse. Downtown, at the spartan CBGB’s, punk rockers set out to destroy everything Pop. Meanwhile, in the basement of the prestigious Ansonia building on the conservative Upper West Side, Plato's Retreat opened its doors to ordinary couples who came to dance, to swim, and… to swap. It was the start of a revolution. The brainchild of former wholesale meat purveyor Larry Levenson, Plato’s Retreat quickly emerged as the epicenter of public sex for the “me” generation. Previously, swinging was mostly an underground activity, engaged in primarily by the attractive and the well-to-do. But Plato's welcomed anyone and everyone. For a mere $35, couples checked their judgments and pedigrees at the door of this clothing-optional Disneyland. Debutantes got it on next to bus drivers, as movie stars gave secretaries the “starlet treatment.” For Levenson and others, Plato's was a utopia. For some, it is a time capsule that they are eager to forget. Utilizing exclusive interviews with former patrons, employees, and family members, intercut with riveting, never-before-seen archival materials, “American Swing" brings this little-known epic of sex and excess to the big screen for the first time. (Magnolia)… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Owen Gleiberman
    91
    Plato's Retreat was a buffet of bodies, and the film catches the moment America could think that was tasty.
  2. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Elizabeth Weitzman
    60
    Directors Jon Hart and Matthew Kaufman don't delve deeply enough into the psyche of club founder Larry Levenson or the culture he exploited. But they do present an entertaining snapshot of his brief reign as New York's self-appointed King of Swing.
  3. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Melissa Anderson
    50
    The film tries--and fails--to swing both ways, nostalgically glorifying its subject only to smugly revel in Levenson's ignominious demise.

See all 9 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. BillW.
    9
    The New York Daily News gave this three stars and yet the score in the list is only a 60 for that review. I thought three-star reviews were given a 75 score. Can you check this? The mislabeling of the review brought the overall score down to a 60 when it should be much higher.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. DanteB.
    8
    I liked it alot. Obviously, there wasn't a huge budget but the story and people were engrossing enough to carry the film. i thought some of the critics got it wrong. This movie defies them precisely because it is a just-do-it philosophy, it doesn't try to present a political or societal point of view, which I quite enjoyed. Sex used to be fun without all the head trips.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes