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I thought that I would maybe like this movie because the preview looked interesting. Frankie (Lauren Ambrose) is the main character, and she co-owns a restaurant with her brother, but he does most of the work, and she waitresses. She doesn't have a car, hangs around with the same girl (Nicola) all of the time, and basically wanders through her life, which isn't that interesting to begin with. The thing is, with a main character that is shown alone so often throughout the movie, we should be able to tell what she is feeling on her face if she is to carry the movie, but I couldn't.
This new girl comes into town, and Frankie seems to be very taken by her, and vice versa. They click, Nicola becomes jealous, and we start to wonder if there are feelings that Nicola has for Frankie, because of how strongly her negative feelings are for the "new girl." I also started to wonder if Frankie was going to experience anything with the new girl because of all of the tension that seems to go on. Franie then meets a guy who lives in his van with two dogs and sells Tie Dye t-shirts, and everything changes.
It appears that there are a lot of people that are using each other in this film. I gave it two stars but there were some interesting things that "could have" come from it, but, nothing really did, and the ending just sort of "happened." I understand that there are some movies that are just supposed to show you a "slice of life," but I can't even consider this being a coming of age movie, because the character didn't really seem to learn any life altering lessons, or change anything about her life that she was unhappy with.
One of the nicest features of this film is that it's more serious and doesn't have the forced light-hearted mood of most teen movies. There have been a ton of coming-of-age movies and Swimming doesn't break any new ground plotwise, but it is a very good execution of an old theme. All the cast members -especially Ambrose- turn in excellent performances and the direction and editing are just right. This is a mellow movie that's best enjoyed on a quiet night and in an an introspective mood.
Frankie has lived in Myrtle Beach for her entire life. She's left it only once to visit her parents who had moved to Arizona to retire. Her parents used to run a restaurant that catered to the tourists who crowd the beaches in the summer. When they retired they left the restaurant to Frankie and her brother Neil (Josh Pais, A Beautiful Mind), whom keep it running `til this day.
Frankie is the kind of girl whose kind of shy and introverted and a tad bit homely. Which makes her best friend Nicola (Jennifer Dundas, Changing Lanes) the exact opposite. Nicola is outgoing and kind of sexy but she cares deeply for Frankie, and is willing to spite others who may be out to lose her friend. But when Josee (Joelle Carter, High Fidelity), a new girl blows into town and starts to get closer to Frankie, it test the two best friends loyalty.
This is Ambrose's movie. She embodies the right characteristics to play Frankie with such sweet and strong confidence. She commands the movie without trying too hard. She grows and changes without fireworks and `beat over your head' sentiment. How does she make it look so easy?
There is not one moment you can isolate out of this movie and point to as the reason why this movie works because her performance is that good. You don't give a damn about a plot holes, silly dialogue or various subplots that go nowhere, because you naturally care for Frankie as a human, not just as some film character. You want to see her grow, you want to see her smile, and you just want to be there to watch as her life unfolds.
SWIMMING doesn't attempt to give you clear-cut excuses for what's going on? I liked that. I liked not having to figure out why a minor character had to talk to an invisible guy. I liked that Frankie and Josee's relationship isn't quite clear. I like that the movie just let little moments happen, with absolutely no need for stunning revelations.
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What a great movie SWIMMING is. I Highly recommend it.
The ambience of the film is great. It's got a laid-back feel and strange characters. Like I said, the main plot is about a relationship, but I love the scenery, it reminded me of family vacations past.
This is not a life-changing movie. Don't expect to get shaken up, and if you really need directors to prode you to love their characters then you'll be dissappointed. It's an extrememly well-made, pleasant diversion and character-study. It's got great songs, too, btw. Highly recommended. At least rent it.
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