Swimfan (2002)

Not sexy or edgy enough to swim with the big fish (i.e. Fatal Attraction), this film drowns in its own predictability. Sloppy direction and editing, a lackluster femme fatale, and a pervasive lack of realism (he carried a beeper? tell me nobody carried a cell phone in a NJ high school in 2002? puh-leeze) make this more of a snoozer than a suspense film.Having just watched the DVD "Obsessed" with Beyonce and Ali Larter, I can see we haven't improved much in the 7 years since Swimfan was released. Again, predictable and preposterous. But at least Ali Larter had a bit of spark (only a bit, mind you) whereas the evil stalker chick (Erika Christesen)in Swimfan has a face so deadpan and expressionless you'd swear she just had a partial lobotomy.

This teenager 'Fatal Attraction' clone has left me torn. I really like the first part where the main character Ben is seduced by Madison; the new kid in town. Although you know straight away that she is going to seduce him you wonder whether Ben is just oblivious to this or that he does know, but that he is young and foolish, and just a man....The plot then unravels nicely and you are sucked into the story big time. Alas halfway the movies quality changes dramatically. Madison becomes from intriguing and scary to pathetic and stupid. The whole story becomes more and more unbelievable as the movie continues, which is a shame really as it started out so nicely.The acting was actually quite good. Madison (Erika Christensen) is perfectly cast as she looks seductive, innocent, bitchy and devilish at the same time. All the other actors are quite good too. In short, not too bad, but could have been a lot better.

We've seen this idea before, in other films like "Fatal Attraction" (1987) and "The Crush" (1993). A woman obsesses about a man, and won't let go. Given the high school age of the main characters in "Swimfan", and given background music that is mostly sophomoric, the film is clearly targeted at people under the age of twenty-five.Ben Cronin (Jesse Bradford) is annoyingly smug. He's your prototype high school pop jock. He drives around in a macho-looking pickup truck. Madison Bell (lovely Erika Christensen) gets a crush on Ben and, even knowing he already has a girlfriend, stalks him relentlessly; she's his femme fatale. Conveniently unstable and manipulative, Madison makes trouble for Ben with one plot contrivance after another.The script has a setup that is too long. And the second half of the script has action that is wildly improbable. Madison just seems to appear from out of nowhere in the most unlikely places, and at just the right time. Her efforts are too easy, especially as they relate to hospital security and police procedures. It's as if she has superhuman powers, not an effect you want to impart as a storyteller, unless your story fits in the sci-fi or fantasy genre, which this film does not.If the script is weak, the acting is generally pretty good, with reasonably effective performances from Jesse Bradford, Erika Christensen, and James DeBello as Dante. The film's color cinematography is fine. And I also liked the editing, with jump cuts that neatly corresponded with Madison's state of mind."Swimfan" is not a bad movie. But its premise is unoriginal, and the plot structure is faulty. A script rewrite or two might have rendered a better cinematic outcome. However, other elements of the film are fine. And for the right audience, this film does have some entertainment value, at least for a one-time viewing.

I understand that this movie was like Fatal Attraction, but there are a lot of movies that we could compare any movie to if we were to seriously break it down and compare them to another. This movie was very good, and I loved it. I thought the whole experience of cheating and the gf closeness was great really. I mean even thought it was comparable this is a separate film, and I really enjoyed it. Oh by the way for all the horn dogs that were talking about Madison and Amy and how they looked....Madison was hot for a thick girl...and I thought Amy was beautiful. Thats my opinion don't disagree with my comment unless you don't like what I said about the movies, not the girls. This was really a good movie.