View source for Swimfan

{{short description|2002 film by John Polson}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Swimfan
| image          = Swimfanposter.jpg
| alt            = 
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[John Polson]]
| producer       = Joseph M. Caracciolo Jr.<br />John Penotti
| writer         = {{plainlist|
* Charles Bohl
* Phillip Schneider
}}
| starring       = {{plainlist|
* [[Jesse Bradford]]
* [[Erika Christensen]]
* [[Shiri Appleby]]
}}
| music          = [[Louis Febre]]<!-- score only -->
| cinematography = [[Giles Nuttgens]]
| editing        = [[Sarah Flack]]
| studio         = {{plainlist|
* [[FilmNation Entertainment|GreeneStreet Films]]<ref name=afi>{{cite web|url=http://www.afi.com/members//catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=62596|title=Swimfan|work=[[AFI Catalog of Feature Films]]|accessdate=September 21, 2022|archive-date=June 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170611145526/http://www.afi.com/members//catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=62596|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Cobalt Media Group<ref name=afi/>
* [[Further Films|Furthur Films]]<ref name=afi/>
}}
| distributor    = [[20th Century Fox]]<ref name=afi/>
| released       = {{Film date|2002|9|6}}
| runtime        = 85 minutes<ref name=afi/>
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $10 million<ref name="boxoff"/>
| gross          = $34.4 million<ref name="boxoff"/>
}}

'''''Swimfan''''' is a 2002 American [[Teen film|teen]] [[psychological thriller]] film directed by [[John Polson]] and written by Charles Bohl and Phillip Schneider. Starring [[Jesse Bradford]], [[Erika Christensen]], and [[Shiri Appleby]], the film is about a high school swimming star who finds himself stalked by a teenage seductress after a one-night stand.

The film was panned by critics, with the plot drawing unfavorable comparisons to similar films like ''[[Fatal Attraction]]'' and ''[[Play Misty for Me]]'', but was a box office hit.

==Plot==
Ben Cronin is a star on his high school's swim team. His coach informs him that [[Stanford University]] scouts will appear at next week's swim meet. Ben and his girlfriend Amy discuss their plans. Amy wants to attend school in [[Rhode Island]] but explains she will go to school in [[California]] to 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, and Madison explains that she has a boy waiting for her in [[New 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 having [[steroid]]s in 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, but 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==
{{castlist|
* [[Jesse Bradford]] as Benjamin "Ben" Cronin
* [[Erika Christensen]] as Madison Bell
* [[Shiri Appleby]] as Amy Miller
* [[Kate Burton (actress)|Kate Burton]] as Carla Cronin
* [[Clayne Crawford]] as Josh
* [[Jason Ritter]] as Randy
* [[Dan Hedaya]] as Coach Simkins
* [[James DeBello]] as Christopher Dante
* [[Michael Higgins (actor)|Michael Higgins]] as Mr. Tillman
* [[Kia Goodwin|Kia Joy Goodwin]] as Rene
* [[Nick Sandow]] as Detective John Zabel
* [[Pamela Isaacs]] as Mrs. Egan
* [[Phyllis Somerville]] as Aunt Gretchen
* Monroe Mann as Jake Donnelly
* [[Patricia Rae]] as Jake's nurse
}}

== Filming ==
The film was shot in [[New Jersey]] and [[New York (state)|New York]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hadadi |first=Roxana |date=2022-04-06 |title=Erika Christensen Answers Every Question We Have About Swimfan |url=https://www.vulture.com/2022/04/erika-christensen-answers-every-question-about-swimfan.html |access-date=2022-04-13 |website=[[Vulture (website)|Vulture]] |language=en-us |archive-date=2022-04-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220413160633/https://www.vulture.com/2022/04/erika-christensen-answers-every-question-about-swimfan.html |url-status=live }}</ref> It was partly financed by [[Further Films|Furthur Films]], a production company founded by actor [[Michael Douglas]].

==Release==
''Swimfan'' opened in the number one spot at the North American box office in its first week of release, earning $12.4 million and beating ''[[My Big Fat Greek Wedding]]'' and ''[[City by the Sea]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Karger |first=Dave |date=September 9, 2002 |title=''Swimfan'' debuts at No. 1 at the box office |url=https://ew.com/article/2002/09/09/swimfan-debuts-no-1-box-office/ |url-status= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220413160633/https://ew.com/article/2002/09/09/swimfan-debuts-no-1-box-office/ |archive-date=2022-04-13 |access-date=2022-04-13 |website=[[EW.com]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hoffman |first=Bill |date=2002-09-09 |title='Swimfan' Sinks Box-Office Competition |url=https://nypost.com/2002/09/09/swimfan-sinks-box-office-competition/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220413160633/https://nypost.com/2002/09/09/swimfan-sinks-box-office-competition/ |archive-date=2022-04-13 |access-date=2022-04-13 |website=New York Post |language=en-US}}</ref>

The film was distributed by [[20th Century Fox]] in most countries, beating out [[Paramount Pictures]] and [[Miramax]] in acquisition,<ref>{{cite web |url= https://variety.com/2001/film/markets-festivals/dimension-nabs-they-1117854885/|title= Dimension nabs 'They'|date= October 25, 2001|access-date= October 25, 2024|work= Variety}}</ref> but [[Icon Film Distribution]] distributed it in the United Kingdom.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Russell |first=Jamie |date=17 September 2002 |title=Swimfan (2002) |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/leicester/films/2002/09/20/swimfan_2002_review.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220221074314/https://www.bbc.co.uk/leicester/films/2002/09/20/swimfan_2002_review.shtml |archive-date=2022-02-21 |access-date=2020-01-16 |website=www.bbc.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=''Swimfan'' (12) |url=https://bbfc.co.uk/CVF177582 |access-date=2020-01-16 |website=[[British Board of Film Classification]]}}{{dead link|date=April 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> The worldwide box office gross was $34.4 million; nearly a third of that came from its first-place opening weekend in the US.<ref name="boxoff">{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=swimfan.htm|title=Swimfan|work=[[Box Office Mojo]]|accessdate=June 2, 2017|archive-date=October 6, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161006121855/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=swimfan.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Director [[John Polson]] credited the film's strong opening weekend to Fox's marketing campaign.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Marquez |first=Sandra |date=September 7, 2002 |title='Swimfan' Tops Weekend Box Office |url=https://www.theintelligencer.com/news/article/Swimfan-Tops-Weekend-Box-Office-10510030.php |access-date=2022-04-13 |website=[[The Edwardsville Intelligencer]] |archive-date=2023-03-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314101457/https://www.theintelligencer.com/news/article/Swimfan-Tops-Weekend-Box-Office-10510030.php |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Reception==
{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|score=15|average=3.9|count=93|consensus=A Fatal Attraction rip-off, Swimfan is a predictable, mediocre thriller.|ref=|access-date={{RT data|access date}}}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/swimfan/|title=Swimfan (2002)|work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|accessdate=September 28, 2023|archive-date=November 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171129083728/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/swimfan/|url-status=live}}</ref> {{Metacritic film prose|29|19|access-date=23 May 2025|ref=yes}}

[[Peter Bradshaw]] gave the film two stars out of five, calling it a "teen ''Fatal Attraction'' with an unappetising extra helping of ''[[Scream (1996 film)|Scream]]''{{-"}} and saying it lacks "the sardonic wit that parts of the script had seemed initially to promise".<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2002/sep/20/artsfeatures7 | title= Swimfan | date= 20 September 2002 | work= [[The Guardian]] | first= Peter | last= Bradshaw | authorlink= Peter Bradshaw | accessdate= 2010-12-12 | archive-date= 2014-09-09 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140909194223/http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2002/sep/20/artsfeatures7 | url-status= live }}</ref>

''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' described 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 enjoyable [[camp (style)|camp]]&mdash;like [[Mary Lambert (director)|Mary Lambert]]'s recent ''[[The In Crowd (2000 film)|The In Crowd]]''&mdash;even though there's about as much underage drinking, heavy petting and full-on sex as you can imagine this side of a very surprising [[Motion Picture Association of America film rating system#The PG-13 rating is adopted|PG-13 rating]]."<ref>{{cite web |last=Foundas |first=Scott |date=September 8, 2002 |title=Swimfan |url=https://variety.com/2002/film/reviews/swimfan-1200546427/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107062520/http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117918629/ |archive-date=2012-11-07 |accessdate=2010-12-12 |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref>

==Soundtrack==
{{Infobox album
| name       = Swimfan
| type       = soundtrack
| artist     = Various artists
| cover      = Swimfan cover.jpg
| alt        =
| released   = August 27, 2002
| recorded   =
| venue      =
| studio     =
| genre      =
* [[Alternative metal]]
* [[nu metal]]
* [[alternative rock]]<ref name="am"/>
| length     =
| label      = [[TVT Records|TVT]]
| producer   =
| prev_title =
| prev_year  =
| next_title =
| next_year  =
}}
{{Music ratings
| rev1 = [[Allmusic]] 
|rev1Score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name="am">{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/r605861 |title=Swimf@n > Overview |publisher=[[Allmusic]] |accessdate=April 30, 2010 |archive-date=March 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314101457/https://www.allmusic.com/album/swimf-n-mw0000661587 |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}

{{ track listing
| headline = Track listing
|title1 = [[Pacifier (Shihad album)|Everything]] |music1=[[Pacifier (band)|Pacifier (Shihad)]] |length1=4:27
|title2 = Greater Than Less Than |music2=[[Saliva (band)|Saliva]] |length2=4:49 
|title3 = Cave |music3=Celebrity |length3=3:33
|title4 = Deny |note4=Acoustic |music4=[[Default (band)|Default]] |length4=3:53
|title5 = Slow Down |music5=Wayne |length5=4:29
|title6 = [[Black (Sevendust song)|Black]] |music6=[[Sevendust]] |length6=4:09
|title7 = Whole |music7=[[Flaw (band)|Flaw]] |length7=3:49
|title8 = Down In Me |music8=Allergic |length8=3:01
|title9 = Roll Over & Play Dead |music9=Portable |length9=3:36
|title10 = Clueless |music10=[[Pay the Girl]] |length10=3:50
|title11 = Too Much Too Soon |music11=[[Llama (band)|Llama]] |length11=3:35
|title12 = [[Jesus Says]] |music12=[[Ash (band)|Ash]] |length12=4:43
}}

== See also ==
* [[The Fan (1996 film)]]

{{Portal bar|New Jersey|Film|United States}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|0283026|Swimfan}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|swimfan|Swimfan}}
* {{mojo title|swimfan|Swimfan}}

{{John Polson}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swimfan}}
[[Category:2002 films]]
[[Category:2000s teen films]]
[[Category:2002 psychological thriller films]]
[[Category:American teen films]]
[[Category:American psychological thriller films]]
[[Category:Films about female psychopaths and sociopaths]]
[[Category:Films about infidelity]]
[[Category:Films about stalking]]
[[Category:Films set in New Jersey]]
[[Category:Films shot in New Jersey]]
[[Category:Swimming films]]
[[Category:20th Century Fox films]]
[[Category:Films directed by John Polson]]
[[Category:Films scored by Louis Febre]]
[[Category:2000s English-language films]]
[[Category:2000s American films]]
[[Category:English-language thriller films]]