X
- 1995
- R
- Trimark Pictures
- 1 h 33 m
- 1995
- R
- Trimark Pictures
- 1 h 33 m
Summary A young, naive Hollywood studio assistant finally turns the tables on his incredibly abusive producer boss.
Directed By: George Huang
Written By: George Huang
- 1995
- R
- Trimark Pictures
- 1 h 33 m
- 1995
- R
- Trimark Pictures
- 1 h 33 m
Swimming with Sharks
66
7.0
Where to Watch
Summary A young, naive Hollywood studio assistant finally turns the tables on his incredibly abusive producer boss.
Directed By: George Huang
Written By: George Huang
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 14 Critic Reviews
66
71% Positive
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
21% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
7% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 14 Critic Reviews
66
71% Positive
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
21% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
7% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Swimming With Sharks swipes its basic design from Robert Altman’s The Player: It’s yet another black satirical morality play about a yuppie climber who learns to be a killer. But since Guy, for all his ass-kissing resentment, isn’t really filled in as a character, our attention — and, in a curious way, our sympathy — shifts to the monster himself. When Spacey goes ballistic, only to freeze the nitroglycerine in his veins a moment later, you don’t want to look anywhere else.
Swimming With Sharks, the latest Tinseltown dig at Tinseltown, is being advertised as a jokey spoof, but it's something quite different: a dark slice of retribution that recalls Stephen King in his Misery mode.
There is much that is hilarious about this bleak house of horrors, based on the real-life traumas of writer-director George Huang. Most of the humor surfaces early--including a clever opening restaurant scene--as Buddy (Kevin Spacey, in a terrific performance) gives his new assistant, Guy (Frank Whaley), a harsh lesson in subjugation. [12 May 1995, p.H]
Within its very limited range, pic has verve, a fine control of tone and a stylish look given its low budget and three-week sked. Spacey dominates, but Whaley makes a convincing transition from goody-goody to icy insider, and Forbes manages well despite being forced to flip-flop on command between sarcastic bitchiness and softer intimacy.
Swimming with Sharks is fine when it puts Buddy into outrageous play. But it stumbles in a few other places, requiring a pretty hefty suspension of disbelief - first at Guy's making it into his miserable job that many would kill for, then when he finds himself on the receiving end of romantic attentions. [09 June 1995, p.57]
Swimming With Sharks, despite its attempt to be wicked and hiply fun, is ultimately just tiring as it pits people against one another.
George Huang's Swimming With Sharks purports to give us the goods on the big bad egos who run Hollywood, but it lacks both credibility and coherence. [06 May 1995]
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 7 User Ratings
7.0
71% Positive
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
29% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 7 User Ratings
7.0
71% Positive
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
29% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.
Awards
Deauville Film Festival
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
New York Film Critics Circle Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Seattle International Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
