Swimfan (2002)

Director:

John Polson

Writers (WGA):

Charles F. Bohl (written by) &
Phillip Schneider (written by)

Release Date:

6 September 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller | Drama

Tagline:

Obsession. Betrayal. Revenge. Some girls have all the fun.

Plot:

A high school senior with a promising swimming career has a one-night stand with consequences.

Plot Keywords:

High School | Swimming | Hospital | Fatal Attraction | Speedo

Cast

Jesse Bradford	...	Ben Cronin
Erika Christensen	...	Madison Bell
Shiri Appleby	...	Amy Miller
Kate Burton	...	Carla Cronin
Clayne Crawford	...	Josh
Jason Ritter	...	Randy
Kia Goodwin	...	Rene (as Kia Joy Goodwin)
Dan Hedaya	...	Coach Simkins
Michael Higgins	...	Mr. Tillman
Nick Sandow	...	Detective John Zabel
Pamela Isaacs	...	Mrs. Egan
James DeBello	...	Christopher Dante (as James Debello)
Phyllis Somerville	...	Aunt Gretchen Christopher
Tom Cappadona	...	Janitor
Malcolm Barrett	...	Jock

Also Known As:

Swimf@n (USA) (alternative title)
Swimfan85 (USA) (working title)
Tell Me You Love Me

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements, sexual content, disturbing images and language.

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Malaysia:18PL | Finland:K-15 | Brazil:14 | Iceland:12 (video rating) | Iceland:14 (original rating) | South Korea:15 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:PG (British Columbia/Ontario) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:14A (Alberta/Manitoba) | Germany:12 | India:A | New Zealand:M | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:NC-16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:12A | USA:PG-13 (certificate #39018)

Filming Locations:

Bayonne High School - Avenue A & 28th Street, Bayonne, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Cobalt Media Group

Trivia:

The scenes inside Madison's house are the only ones where a light blue tint was not added to the screen.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Ben and Madison are hooking up for the first time in the pool, Madison's hair is dry. However, the camera cuts to another shot of them from a different angle and Madison's hair is suddenly wet even though she never dipped her head under the water.

Quotes:

Ben: How many times to I have to make this clear to you? I'm not with you. I'm with Amy!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Dawson's Creek: The Importance of Not Being Too Earnest (#6.3)" (2002)

Soundtrack:

It's Nothing New

This shouldn't be that good, but it is

I would like to say that this movie hasn't got many reasons to be as good as it is, because it is a teen/twentysomething play on a formula that's kind of, or for lack of a better phrase truly, been done to death. Fatal Attraction movies, while occasionally pulling at least one different trick out of their hat, are always the same, that's why Michael Douglas is in 95% of them. However, it's extremely well made by director John Polson and well-acted by the young cast, particularly Traffic's Erika Christensen, who shines as Madison Bell, the obsessive swim fan of the title.

The story deals with Ben Cronin, a high school senior who's life is going pretty well, as the hero's usually is at the start of these pictures, he has a lot of good friends, he has a girlfriend Amy (Shiri Appleby) who is as sweet as apple pie, and he's on the way to a swimming scholarship to Stanford. However, all of that changes once he encounters Madison Bell, the seductive new girl in town. He only wants to be friends with her, but after they have a one night stand, she becomes more obsessive, stalking him, ruining every aspect of his life, and generally acting like a nuisance. I suppose I don't have to say that because that is pretty much how a Fatal Attraction picture works.

What makes this movie work is that it is well done, and it is as creepy as most FA clones need to be if they expect to work. Plus, the three leads are all very good, albeit this film belongs to Erika Christensen, who does a pretty good job of stealing the movie.