The Big Bad Swim (2006)

A group of Connecticut locals enroll in an adult-education beginner's swim class.

Director:

Ishai Setton

Writer:

Daniel Schechter

Stars:

Paget Brewster, Jeff Branson, Jess Weixler

4 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Paget Brewster	...	Amy Pierson
Jeff Branson	...	Noah Owens
Jess Weixler	...	Jordan Gallagher
Raviv Ullman	...	Hunter McCarthy (as Ricky Ullman)
Avi Setton	...	David Gallagher
Todd Susman	...	Martin Webber
Kevin Porter Young	...	Carl
Darla Hill	...	Joanna Webber
Terria Joseph	...	Norah
Liza Lapira	...	Paula
Crystal Bock	...	Mary Beth
Emma Adele Galvin	...	Jaime (as Emma Galvin)
Judy Cole	...	Rosy
Ostaro	...	Efram
Michael Mosley	...	Shawn

Storyline

An adult swim class sets the stage for this sexually charged comedy-drama about love, loss, and second chances. Three strangers-inextricably connected through personal heartbreak-find themselves entering deep water as they learn that life isn't always about diving right in-it's about getting your feet wet once in awhile.

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Plot Keywords:

swimming instructor | teacher | learning to swim | swimming lesson | independent film | 

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Taglines:

Life is about keeping your head above water.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance | Sport

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 April 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Strach przed plywaniem

Filming Locations:

Old Lyme, Connecticut, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Four Act Films, Renart Films, Setton Sun Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in Cinematographer's Video Journal for 'The Big Bad Swim' (2007)

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Soundtracks

Outerspace
Written and Performed by Julian Velard
Courtesy of Oort Media, LLC
by arrangement with Dennis Martin

User Reviews

The Big Bad Swim makes a quiet, pleasing splash

A community pool in Connecticut is the setting for this "under the radar" film which is charming, funny, entertaining, and appealing. Although it won prizes in major film festivals, "The Big Bad Swim" was not released to hordes of theaters across America, but was distributed in DVD form, and shown in theaters selectively.

It is unfortunate that "The Big Bad Swim" never had the marketing hype of a Hollywood release, considering how many sinkers Hollywood HAS released this year, such as "I Know Who Killed Me." "The Big Bad Swim," a genuinely good independent film, has had to swim upstream on its own.

Nevertheless, in "The Big Bad Swim," actress Paget Brewster is endearing and believable as Amy, the wired-to-breaking point math teacher who not only is being dumped by her husband but also is about to lose her job, and ends up taking a gamble on a new life. TV soap actor Jeff Branson-- who is HOT-- plays Noah, the earnest, vulnerable swim teacher who goes the extra pool length to help his students overcome their fears, and discovers he can learn from his students. Pretty, sexy Jess Weixler (did I just see her in a bank commercial?) deftly plays Jordan, the swimmer-to-be who works two jobs, one as a pole dancer, the other as a blackjack dealer. Her character provides the catalyst for change amongst the ensemble, but is the least understandable of the characters, because of a lack of a "back story" or motivation as to why she does what she does. Jordan is young enough to still live at home with a ubiquitous, video-camera-toting younger brother who spies on her. However, her parents are not shown to be involved with her life in any way, which seems odd. There's no drunken mother or abusive father here to explain why a normal, attractive girl from a Connecticut suburb would choose to be a self-medicating pole dancer who debases herself for loutish bachelor parties.

Despite this quibble, "The Big Bad Swim" succeeds, in large part, because it is a happy, feel good film.

As one might expect, learning to swim is the metaphor for life. Ultimately it's better to jump in with both feet, and get in the swim, rather than sit on the deck, because life happens to you anyway.

The Big Bad Swim is a great date movie, a great dorm movie, a great "what haven't I seen" movie, and men like it as well as women.