Swimfan

Swimfan
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	John Polson
Written by	Charles Bohl Phillip Schneider
Produced by	Joseph M. Caracciolo Jr. John Penotti
Starring	Jesse Bradford Erika Christensen Shiri Appleby Kate Burton Dan Hedaya
Cinematography	Giles Nuttgens
Edited by	Sarah Flack
Music by	Louis Febre
Production companies	GreeneStreet Films Cobalt Media Group Furthur Films
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date	September 6, 2002(2002-09-06)
Running time	85 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$10 million
Box office	$34.4 million

Swimfanis a 2002 Americanteenpsychological thrillerfilm directed byJohn Polsonand written by Charles Bohl and Phillip Schneider. StarringJesse Bradford,Erika Christensen,andShiri Appleby,the film is about a high school swimming star who finds himself stalked by a teenage seductress after a one-night stand.

The plot drew comparisons to similar films likeFatal AttractionandPlay Misty for Me,and was also panned by critics.

Plot

Ben Cronin is a star on his high school's swim team. His coach informs him thatStanford Universityscouts will appear at next week's swim meet. Ben and his girlfriend Amy discuss their plans. Amy wants to attend school inRhode Islandbut explains she will go to school inCaliforniato stay close to Ben. The next day, Ben nearly runs his car into Madison Bell and gives her a ride home as an apology. Later, he realizes that Madison left her notebook in his car. When he returns the notebook, he meets Madison's cousin, Christopher. Madison explains that she has not eaten, so Ben takes her to a diner. At the diner, Ben tells Madison about his girlfriend, but Madison explains that she has a boy waiting for her inNew York City.

Although Ben tries to end the date, Madison convinces him to go to the pool. Her aggressive flirtation lures Ben in, and the two have sex. They agree to remain friends and not to discuss their encounter.

The next night, Ben goes to a party at Amy's house. Amy introduces Ben to her new friend, who turns out to be Madison. The two pretend to have not met. Shortly after, Madison obsesses over Ben—she stops by his house to meet his mom and bombards him with e-mails and instant messages. Ben realizes her unhealthy behavior and demands that she leave him alone. His lying eats at him, but before he can confess, Madison tells Amy. Madison dates Ben's rival teammate, Josh. Right before their biggest swim competition, Ben is disqualified for havingsteroidsin his urine. Outraged and suspecting Madison had Josh set him up, he confronts Josh about the drug test. Days later, Madison accidentally calls Josh by Ben's name while they are kissing. Josh realizes that Madison's obsession with Ben is real and tells her off.

Ben tries to tell Amy everything, but she doesn’t believe him. The next day, he goes to the pool, where he finds Josh dead. The police suspect that Ben murdered Josh, so to prove his innocence, he breaks into Madison's room to find evidence, where he discovers a bottle of steroids and a creepy shrine of his belongings. Christopher warns Ben of a similar case regarding a man named Jake Donnelly. When Ben visits Jake in the hospital, a nurse tells him that Jake's girlfriend Madison survived the crash.

Disguising herself as Ben, Madison steals his car and runs Amy off the road, with Ben being framed for the crime. That night at the hospital, Ben and a few friends record Madison confessing her crimes, resulting in her arrest. She escapes custody, then enters Ben's house and drags Amy to the school's swimming pool. After watching Madison throw a handcuffed Amy into the pool, Ben dives in. Madison attacks them with the handle of a pool cleaner, and Ben grabs one end, pulling her into the pool. Unable to swim, Madison drowns while Ben frees the drowned Amy and resuscitates her. Later, after watching a swim meet, Ben goes outside to his car, where he and Amy kiss and drive away.

Cast

• Jesse Bradfordas Ben Cronin
• Erika Christensenas Madison Bell
• Shiri Applebyas Amy Miller
• Kate Burtonas Carla Cronin
• Clayne Crawfordas Josh
• Jason Ritteras Randy
• Kia Joy Goodwinas Rene
• Dan Hedayaas Coach Simkins
• Michael Higginsas Mr. Tillman
• Nick Sandowas Detective John Zabel
• Pamela Isaacsas Mrs. Egan
• Phyllis Somervilleas Aunt Gretchen
• James DeBello as Christopher
• Monroe Mann as Jake Donnelly
• Patricia Raeas Jake's nurse

Filming

The film was shot inNew JerseyandNew York.It was partly financed byFurthur Films,a production company founded by actorMichael Douglas.

Release

Swimfanopened in the number one spot at the North American box office in its first week of release, earning $12.4 million and beatingMy Big Fat Greek WeddingandCity by the Sea.

The film was distributed by20th Century Foxin most countries, butIcon Film Distributiondistributed it in the United Kingdom.The worldwide box office gross was $34.4 million; nearly a third of that came from its first-place opening weekend in the US.DirectorJohn Polsoncredited the film’s strong opening weekend to Fox’s marketing campaign.

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes,areview aggregator,reports that 15% of 93 surveyed critics gave the film a positive review; the average rating is 3.9/10. The consensus is, "AFatal Attractionrip-off,Swimfanis a predictable, mediocre thriller. "Peter Bradshawgave the film two stars out of five, calling it a "teenFatal Attractionwith an unappetising extra helping ofScream"and saying it lacks "the sardonic wit that parts of the script had seemed initially to promise".Varietydescribed it as a "chiller resolutely without chills, in which even the pool water always seems heated. And inasmuch as the pic never owns up to its own trashiness, it's not even enjoyablecamp—likeMary Lambert's recentThe In Crowd—even though there's about as much underage drinking, heavy petting and full-on sex as you can imagine this side of a very surprisingPG-13 rating."

Soundtrack

Swimfan
Soundtrack albumby Various artists
Released	August 27, 2002
Genre	Alternative metal nu metal alternative rock
Label	TVT

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic

Track listing

No.	Title	Music	Length
1.	"Everything"	Pacifier (Shihad)	4:27
2.	"Greater Than Less Than"	Saliva	4:49
3.	"Cave"	Celebrity	3:33
4.	"Deny" (Acoustic)	Default	3:53
5.	"Slow Down"	Wayne	4:29
6.	"Black"	Sevendust	4:09
7.	"Whole"	Flaw	3:49
8.	"Down In Me"	Allergic	3:01
9.	"Roll Over & Play Dead"	Portable	3:36
10.	"Clueless"	Pay the Girl	3:50
11.	"Too Much Too Soon"	Llama	3:35
12.	"Jesus Says"	Ash	4:43

External links

• SwimfanatIMDb
• SwimfanatAllMovie
• SwimfanatRotten Tomatoes
• SwimfanatBox Office Mojo