"Swimming With Men" (2018 release from the UK; 96 min.) brings the story of Eric. As the movie opens, we see him going through the motions at his job as an accountant. After work, he swims laps at the pool, ignoring multiple calls from his wife, a recently elected Council member somewhere in greater London. When he gets home, he knows why she called him: to remind of a party she is hosting as the newly elected Council member. It's clear that things are not great in their marriage, and Eric's relationship with his teenage son isn't much better. To seek relief, Eric swims. Then one day, he notices a bunch of other 40 yr olds in the pool. Are they trying to do synchronized swimming? why, yes, they are! It's not long before Eric is invited to join them... At this point we're less than 15 min. into the movie, but to tell you more of the plot, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.
Couple of comments: this movie is directed by Oliver Park, best known for directing "Johnny English Reborn" some years ago. Here he brings a story to the big screen that is all too familiar: middle-aged guys are doubting their selves, but find strength in numbers, and join forces in (this time around) a well-intended but dysfunctional synchronized swimming team. Honestly, it's like "The Full Monty" but set in a pool. Did I mention the pool? seems half the movie is playing out in the pool, as we watch them practice and joking around. "He splashed me first!" yells one. "I'll splash you some more!" responds another. And on and on. There are some good moments, in particular towards the end, so the movie isn't a complete loss. Rob Brydon as Eric is quite good, and I also enjoyed watching Charlotte Riley (a/k/a/ Mrs. Tom Hardy) as the team's coach. There are several good song placements in the film, none better than from the UK's very own Elbow, contributing 2 songs from their outstanding "The Seldom Seen Kid" album: "Grounds for Divorce", and, even better, "One Day Like This", which plays out over the movie's pivotal ending scene.
"Swimming With Men" opened in limited theater release this weekend, including at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati. The Friday early evening screening where I saw this at was attended so-so (about 10 people). I may be off, but I don't see this film making a strong push at the art-house theater circuit. For that, the movie is too derivative and simple not all that compelling, although it certainly isn't a "bad" movie either. If you liked "The Full Monty" or are into synchronized swimming, I'd readily suggest you check this out, be it in the theater, on VOD, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion.
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