"SWIMFAN" (2002) (Jesse Bradford, Erika Christensen) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Mild Mild Extreme Heavy *Minor Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Mild Moderate Extreme None Moderate Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Heavy Minor Minor Moderate Heavy QUICK TAKE: Suspense/Thriller: A high school senior finds he can't shake off a fellow student who becomes increasingly obsessed with him after the two have a one-night stand. PLOT: Ben Cronin (JESSE BRADFORD) is a New Jersey high school student who's overcome a checkered past to have a loving girlfriend, Amy Miller (SHIRI APPLEBY), and a promising swimming career under the guidance of Mr. Simkins (DAN HEDAYA) who also coaches fellow swimmer Josh (CLAYNE CRAWFORD). Although he seems to have everything going for him, Ben succumbs to the temptation of Madison Bell (ERIKA CHRISTENSEN), the new girl in school. The two have sex and agree that it was just a one-time thing, but Ben soon realizes that Madison isn't satisfied with their brief fling. The young woman quickly infiltrates and affects all aspects of Ben's life and then becomes increasingly upset with his refusal to be with her again. As Ben prepares for the arrival of some college swim scouts who are interested in him, he must deal with the progressively deranged Madison and her various ploys to get him at any cost. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? Older teens and those who are fans of anyone in the cast or suspense/thrillers might be interested in it. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For mature thematic elements, sexual content, disturbing images and language. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: JESSE BRADFORD plays a high school student who jeopardizes his future with Amy and swimming career by having sex with Madison. He uses some profanity and we hear that he had a drug problem in the past (that led to juvenile incarceration for stealing), although he does volunteer at the local hospital. ERIKA CHRISTENSEN plays the new girl in school who essentially stalks Ben after having sex with him and then does what she must (including threatening or killing others) to get him for herself. SHIRI APPLEBY plays Ben's loving girlfriend who reacts in shock when she discovers that Ben had sex with Madison (although she's ultimately back with him at the end). CLAYNE CRAWFORD plays Ben's friend and fellow swimmer who uses some profanity and also makes out with Madison. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this suspense thriller that's been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 7 "s" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also present. Some sexually related dialogue is uttered, while a couple has sex in a swimming pool (with movement and heavy breathing). Other making out and fooling around also occurs and two photos of nude women are seen (showing partial nudity). Various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes, including a guy who cheats on his girlfriend with a fellow student who then becomes obsessed with him and goes to lethal extremes in her attempt to have him for herself. That results in several instances of lethal violence, some of which are seen (an attempted and then successful drowning) and others that occur from a distance (two shootings) or off camera (a person killed with a baseball bat with some bloody results). Those scenes and others - including non-lethal violence and threatening -- may be unsettling or suspenseful to viewers. Some teens drink and smoke, while a character is noted as having a drug problem in the past. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Ben admits to having a "situation" with drugs in the past that eventually led to him stealing and being incarcerated in a juvenile hall for six months. Josh and other teens drink beer at a party where Ben enters carrying something in a brown paper bag. We hear that Ben tested positive for anabolic steroids, but then see that he was set up (and later see the vial of those steroids). His mom, however, asks if he's back on drugs again. BLOOD/GORE A dead body in a pool has some blood floating in the water around it. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Madison obviously has bad attitudes for seducing and then stalking Ben as well as killing or threatening various people. Ben cheats on Amy with Madison and then lies about that. We also hear that he had a drug problem in the past that led him to serving some time for stealing. Josh is aggressively rude to someone who accidentally bumps into him in the hallway. Ben walks up to Josh and another guy and says, "What's up ladies?" Ben sneaks into Madison's room and then rifles through her belongings. Madison is disrespectful to her cousin (saying in a mean fashion that he has no friends) who's either very socially awkward or partially handicapped in some fashion (it's never made clear). FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence" or "Jump Scenes" might be unsettling or suspenseful to some viewers, while Madison's progressively threatening stalking of Ben might come off the same way. As Amy rides down a road on her moped, we see a truck approaching and getting closer and closer to her (with suspenseful music playing). Madison walks down a hospital hallway holding a scalpel that she intends to use on her next victim. We know that Madison is coming after Ben or others in his house at night and wonder when she'll strike. A person pushes another person (who's cuffed to an office chair) into a pool and a third person then dives in and tries to save the second person who's now at the bottom of the pool. A person flounders and then sinks under the water in a pool where they drown. GUNS/WEAPONS A baseball bat is used to kill someone (we don't see the incident but do see the results) and a scalpel is used to threaten someone. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Sh*tty," "You better cut the sh*t out," "No sh*t," "You're gonna kick ass," "Punk ass," "D*ckhead," "Freak," "Pissed," "Freaked out," "Screw" (nonsexual), "Screw you" and "Screwing up." Ben walks up to Josh and another guy and says, "What's up ladies?" Madison obsesses with and then stalks Ben while trying to harm others to get them out of her way. JUMP SCENES Amy's face suddenly pops around the side of a computer monitor. As accompanied by sudden music, a person suddenly bumps into a dead body in the pool. A person suddenly shows up at Ben's truck window. A person suddenly strikes another over the head. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) An extreme amount of ominous and suspenseful music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 7 "s" words, 2 slang terms for sex ("get laid" and "make love"), 1 slang term using male genitals ("d*ckhead"), 3 asses (1 used with "hole"), 1 crap, 1 damn and 1 use of "Jesus" as exclamations. SEX/NUDITY We see Ben and Amy making out in his truck with her sitting on top of him on the seat. She's in her bra and we see him lowering her bra strap with more kissing, but the scene ends there. A comment is made about being good in bed (regarding why a guy and a girl broke up). After Ben gives Amy some jewelry, she jokingly asks if that's a ploy of his to "get laid." He asks if it's working and she enthusiastically nods that it is. Ben gives an older man in a hospital bed (who keeps asking him for a woman) what looks like a deck of playing cards that has a nude woman on the front (seen from the side and from a distance, thus we see the side of her bare butt and part of her bare breast). Josh jokingly tells Ben that he wants to hear Madison's southern accent "when she moans my name." After Ben tells Madison that he has a girlfriend, he tells her that maybe he should take Madison home, but she somewhat seductively says that she's not ready to say goodnight. We then see her watching him swimming in the school pool and then see her getting into the pool in her bra (that shows cleavage). She then has him show her how to swim which consists of him swimming backwards while facing her with her arms around his neck. They end up on the side of the pool where she continues with the seduction. He's reluctant to proceed but she says that it's okay and that she wants him to. As they passionately make out, we see the top of her breasts in the water. He stops her and says they can't continue, but she says that it will be their little secret. After reaching down to his crotch (we don't see the contact but there's no doubt about where her hand is) she seductively says that maybe it's "not so little" (an erection reference). They then have sex in the pool with movement and heavy breathing in a head and shoulders shot in the pool (in a very sensual scene). Afterwards, Madison says that she doesn't do that all of the time and that she doesn't want to be a locker room joke. Madison wonders if Ben has her panties (the day after their sexual encounter) and we then see them inside his truck on the seat. When Ben doesn't reply to Madison's computer-based instant message, she sends another that asks if he's doing something else with his hands (a masturbation reference). After Ben says that Madison is coming on too strong, she says that he didn't think the same when they were in the pool. She then wonders if he thinks "making love to me was a mistake" (he says yes). Ben sees a photo that Madison sent him over the computer. It shows her holding a camera in front of her chest that she used to take a photo of herself and we can see parts of her bare breasts (her arms and the camera block the rest). Amy wants to fool around with Ben, but he says that he's too busy. She then says that she thought that some "release" was supposed to help. We see Madison making out with Josh (and the camera briefly focuses on her rear end in her tight leather skirt). We see a male swimmer in standard small and form-fitting swim trunks. Madison tells Ben that when she's "with" Josh, she pretends he's Ben. The above hospital patient wants Ben to get him some Viagra and a nurse under 70. Madison shows some cleavage in a low-cut top. We see Josh and Madison passionately making out in his car and he lowers part of her top, exposing part of her bra. They stop, however, when she keeps calling him Ben. He then accuses her of trying to hurt Ben after sleeping with him. SMOKING Josh and other teens smoke at a party. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Ben states that his father cheated on his mother (and we see that the mom is apparently raising Ben by herself). TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT One-night stands and casual sex. Unprotected sex (what Ben and Madison have). Those who obsess with and/or stalk others. How one bad decision can alter one's life. Giving in to temptation. VIOLENCE Madison apparently switches some hospital patient medication that nearly kills a patient. As a result of that, Ben races up to Madison, throws down her cello, grabs her by the throat and threateningly tells her to cut it out. Amy slaps Ben's face after learning of his cheating. Thinking Josh helped Madison conspire against him, Ben pushes him. Josh then pushes Ben into the pool. A person bumps into a dead and bloody body floating in a pool and we hear that the person was killed by being hit by a baseball bat. A truck runs into the back of Amy's moped (we only see the initial contact but it results in Amy being in the hospital). A person tries to strike another with a scalpel but a third then grabs that person and holds the scalpel to their neck in a threatening fashion. We see a cuffed prisoner grab a cop's gun and then see (from a distance) flashes of light in the police car indicating the prisoner has shot and killed two cops. A person hits another person on the head with a trophy, knocking him out (we also see another unconscious person). A person tries to kill another person by pushing them - cuffed to a chair - into a pool in an attempt to drown that person. That first person then tries to hit the rescuer, and then him and the victim, with a long pole. A person drowns in a pool. Reviewed September 5, 2002 / Posted September 6, 2002

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