Stars: Jesse Bradford, Erika Christensen, Shiri Appleby, Kate Burton, Dan Hedaya

Director: John Polson

Summary: Ben Cronin has everything going for him with his many friends, rock-solid girlfriend, promising future and he's also on the way to an athletics scholarship. This all changes when the 'new girl in town', Madison Bell, arrives and sets her sights on Ben and won't take no for an answer...

This teen psychodrama directed by John Polson plays like a Generation Y version of FATAL ATTRACTION. Ben Cronin (Jesse Bradford) is a high school swimmer with an incredibly promising future. On the verge of securing a scholarship to Stanford, and in love with the too-good-to-be-true Amy (Shiri Appleby), Ben seems to have it all. But the arrival of a new student threatens to ruin everything Ben has worked so hard to attain. Temptation arrives in the form of Madison Bell (Erika Christensen), a beautiful, sultry cellist whose overt sexuality is too much for Ben too handle. In a fit of passion, he succumbs to her advances but is immediately wracked with guilt. Trying to eradicate his mistake before it can escalate any further, Ben confronts Madison. To his dismay, he discovers that she has formed an abnormally strong attachment to him. Soon, Ben has been accused of taking steroids, fired from his hospital job, and targeted by the police for trying to kill Amy. With the help of friends, Ben must find a way to expose Madison and stop her reign of terror. Polson's entertaining film is fueled by an amped-up hard rock soundtrack and Louis Febre's moody score.

WIN DVDs by rating this DVD

Average User Rating:

WIN DVDS by being amongst the first to review this DVD. Reviewing DVDs earns you bonus entries and lets you WIN DVDs!Please login before reviewing this DVD. If you're a new user, register for free and enter to WIN FREE DVDs!

A distinctly mediocre high-school thriller, Swimfanis worryingly predictable not only in its general direction, but also in its details. The moment that high school swimmer Ben (Jesse Bradford) tells Madison, a wild-eyed upper-class blonde with whom he has had a one-night stand in the pool, that she misunderstands their relationship, you start looking at the things he values and guessing the order in which she will break them. There is the sweet old man he helps as a hospital volunteer; there is the best friend and rival; there is the sickeningly sweet girlfriend--and sure enough each of them in turn finds themselves in jeopardy. And you just know it was a mistake for him to tell Madison about his druggy past and show her how to jimmy her way into lockers.

This is essentially a remake of Fatal Attraction, but one lacking the edge of madness that Glenn Close brought to her woman spurned. It combines by-the-numbers plot cues with some staggering implausibilities: at one point Ben is seriously suspected of a crime when he has nuns as witnesses to his presence in another state. Ill-thought-out in most ways, Swimfan's principal merit is Erika Christensen's loopy performance as Madison.

On the DVD:Swimfanis presented in a widescreen visual aspect ratio of 1-85:1; but the Dolby Digital 5.1 sound sometimes has an imperfect balance between the crashing indie-rock score and the dialogue. The special features include deleted and extended scenes with or without commentary by director John Polson, an overly self-congratulatory commentary on the whole film by Polson and stars Bradford and Christensen, a mildly interesting featurette and the usual trailers and spots. --Roz Kaveney

Aspect Ratio:	2.35 Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Commentary, Deleted And Extended Scenes, Girlfriend From Hell Featurette, Theatrical Trailer, TV And Radio Spots
Subtitles:	English
Year:	2002
Release Date:	April 7, 2003
Runtime:	81 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	D 094634
Keywords:	General, Fan, Swim, Drama, Thriller, Swimfan
Genre:	Thriller