Top 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsMost Popular Video GamesMost Popular Music VideosMost Popular Podcasts
    Release CalendarBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Swimming with Sharks

  • 19941994
  • RR
  • 1h 33m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
24K
YOUR RATING
Kevin Spacey and Frank Whaley in Swimming with Sharks (1994)
Home Video Trailer from Trimark
Play trailer2:11
1 Video
99+ Photos
ComedyCrime
A young, naive Hollywood studio assistant finally turns the tables on his incredibly abusive producer boss.A young, naive Hollywood studio assistant finally turns the tables on his incredibly abusive producer boss.A young, naive Hollywood studio assistant finally turns the tables on his incredibly abusive producer boss.
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
24K
YOUR RATING
    • George Huang
    • George Huang
  • Stars
    • Kevin Spacey
    • Frank Whaley
    • Michelle Forbes
    • George Huang
    • George Huang
  • Stars
    • Kevin Spacey
    • Frank Whaley
    • Michelle Forbes
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 164User reviews
    • 37Critic reviews
    • 66Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos1

    Swimming With Sharks
    Trailer 2:11
    Watch Swimming With Sharks

    Photos107

    Kevin Spacey and Frank Whaley in Swimming with Sharks (1994)
    Michelle Forbes and Frank Whaley in Swimming with Sharks (1994)
    Kevin Spacey and Frank Whaley in Swimming with Sharks (1994)
    Kevin Spacey in Swimming with Sharks (1994)
    Kevin Spacey and Frank Whaley in Swimming with Sharks (1994)
    Kevin Spacey and Michelle Forbes in Swimming with Sharks (1994)
    Kevin Spacey and Frank Whaley in Swimming with Sharks (1994)
    Kevin Spacey and Frank Whaley in Swimming with Sharks (1994)
    Kevin Spacey and Frank Whaley in Swimming with Sharks (1994)
    Kevin Spacey and Frank Whaley in Swimming with Sharks (1994)
    Kevin Spacey in Swimming with Sharks (1994)
    Kevin Spacey and Frank Whaley in Swimming with Sharks (1994)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Kevin Spacey
    Kevin Spacey
    • Buddy Ackerman
    Frank Whaley
    Frank Whaley
    • Guy
    Michelle Forbes
    Michelle Forbes
    • Dawn Lockard
    Benicio Del Toro
    Benicio Del Toro
    • Rex
    T.E. Russell
    T.E. Russell
    • Foster Kane
    Roy Dotrice
    Roy Dotrice
    • Cyrus Miles
    Matthew Flint
    • Manny
    Patrick Fischler
    Patrick Fischler
    • Moe
    Jerry Levine
    Jerry Levine
    • Jack
    Sabryn Genet
      Kyle Reed
      • Studio Executive
      • (uncredited)
        • George Huang
        • George Huang
      • All cast & crew
      • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

      More like this

      The Big Kahuna
      6.6
      The Big Kahuna
      The Ref
      6.9
      The Ref
      Ordinary Decent Criminal
      6.3
      Ordinary Decent Criminal
      Glengarry Glen Ross
      7.7
      Glengarry Glen Ross
      Swimming with Sharks
      6.3
      Swimming with Sharks
      Trees Lounge
      7.1
      Trees Lounge
      China Moon
      6.3
      China Moon
      In the Company of Men
      7.1
      In the Company of Men
      The Indian Runner
      6.9
      The Indian Runner
      Suicide Kings
      6.9
      Suicide Kings
      Bad Lieutenant
      7.0
      Bad Lieutenant
      State and Main
      6.7
      State and Main

      Storyline

      Edit

      Did you know

      Edit
      • Trivia
        Buddy Ackerman's character was inspired by real life movie mogul Joel Silver whom Huang used to work for.
      • Goofs
        Guy puts a CD in the player upside-down. The display then shows "no disc" but the music begins to play anyway.
      • Quotes

        Buddy: Life is not a movie. Good guys lose, everybody lies, and love... does not conquer all.

      • Connections
        Featured in At the Movies: Crimson Tide/A Little Princess/The Perez Family/The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill/Swimming with Sharks (1995)
      • Soundtracks
        THE SPOKEN WORD
        Written by J. Munns, M. Dingle, J. Lyde

        Performed by Vibes Alive

        Published by 83 Jazz, Inc. (ASCAP)

        Courtesy of Ubiquity Recordings, Inc.

      User reviews164

      Review
      Review
      Featured review
      7/10
      Hollywood's dark heart
      From Sunset Boulevard (1950) through to The Player (1992), the dark side of Hollywood has given up juicy material for filmmakers looking to bite the hand that feeds. Not that there is any secret to be revealed here - pretty much everything you need to know about the soulless, spirit-crushing side of movie-making is contained in Raymond Chnadler's 1945 essay "Writer's in Hollywood", which contains more horror than any of the celluloid parodies it has since inspired.

      Swimming with Sharks is the tale of innocent Guy (a freshly scrubbed Frank Whaley), whose monster boss is tinsel town king-maker Buddy Ackerman, a screaming, mood-shifting bully who dangles just enough opportunity before Guy to keep him on his leash. But payback is due, and comes in spades.

      It is all very dark and delicious, and Spacey gets to rip loose as the psycho boss, the joke being that it is his very lack of sanity and compassion that allows him to thrive in the business. Love interest is supplied by producer Dawn (Michelle Forbes), who allows Guy to stay grounded as he negotiates his way to the top. Dawn and Guy show us that even in Hollywood true love can conquer all - or can it? It is received wisdom that movies about movies don't travel very well. Swimming with Sharks is about delusion and corruption, and how much the human spirit can take. It just happens to be set in Hollywood, but Buddy Ackerman could be Gordon Gecko in a different market. Worth watching to see Spacey enjoying himself in a role where he gets to say pretty much whatever he likes, and does so with relish.
      helpful•24
      5
      • LunarPoise
      • Mar 9, 2011

      FAQ1

      • What is Swimming with Sharks about?

      Details

      Edit
      • Release date
        • April 21, 1995 (United States)
        • United States
        • English
      • Also known as
        • Culver Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA
      • Production companies
        • Cineville
        • Keystone Studios
        • Mama'Z Boy Entertainment
      • See more company credits at IMDbPro

      Box office

      Edit
      See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

      Technical specs

      Edit
      • 1 hour 33 minutes
        • Color
        • Dolby

      Related news

      Contribute to this page

      Suggest an edit or add missing content
      Kevin Spacey and Frank Whaley in Swimming with Sharks (1994)
      Top Gap
      By what name was Swimming with Sharks (1994) officially released in India in English?
      Answer
      • See more gaps
      • Learn more about contributing
      Edit page

      More to explore

      Recently viewed

      Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
      Get the IMDb App
      • Get the IMDb App
      • Help
      • Site Index
      • IMDbPro
      • Box Office Mojo
      • IMDb Developer
      • Press Room
      • Advertising
      • Jobs
      • Conditions of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Your Ads Privacy Choices
      IMDb, an Amazon company

      © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.