Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

Absolutely the worst movie.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

If released a good few years ago this movie would probably be up for Golden Globes and Oscars - at least for its cast and writer. But the basic theme and plotting, even if it is based on real lives, is so familiar that lacklustre reviews mean its presence has barely been detected as a tiny blip on the radar of the average movie goer. I nearly missed this one, and clearly most have.Which is a shame.Geoffrey Rush and Judy Davis give superb performances and have the basic material that helps them show off their talents, while newcomers (at least to the movies) Jesse Spencer and Tony Draxl provide the eye candy that should, in theory, put plenty of teenage girl bums on seats. That they, unlike say Orlando Bloom, can also act and act pretty well, is an added bonus.The problem is we've seen it all before and it all comes over as a bit of a copy of better movies we've seen. Direction is rather pedestrian and where it tries to break out of the mould it fails (in my view). Part of the problem is the "Swimming" of the title - this isn't a movie about swimming, it's a movie about the destruction of a family and getting away from that destruction. But the swimming scenes are key to that story and here the director, in recognising that, and the problems in showing such scenes to the average viewer, takes us out of the period drama and suddenly immerses us in "24"-style split screen mode and thumping music to artificially generate excitement. This may be considered a brave, even innovative move by some, but resorting to such artificiality by using the obvious tempo of a modern music beat to get the heart pumping and throwing multiple images at the eye is usually a sign that the truth at the core just isn't really working - at least for me. Such effects cheapen the film somewhat and the effect is only exacerbaged by the movie's biggest mistake - the clichéd use of an overused classical piece of music (don't know the name - I keep wanting to say 'Barber's Adagio for Strings' as was used in 'Platoon' but I don't think it's that!) suddenly used at the crucial final scene between the central character and his father. Oh dear! Lose three points for originality and taking the 'make it cloying, and sentimental by poking the audience with a stick' route! A real shame because this is a VERY GOOD movie, well worth 90 minutes of anybody's time just for Rush's performance alone, it's just not a GREAT one.The final, and sadly captionless, image of the two brothers 'good luck' hand shake frozen freeze-frame over the 'where are they now' messages at the end of the movie provide the saddest coda of all (albeit one touched on more by the deleted scenes on the DVD and the comment made at a screening by Fingleton that he and his brother have not spoken since) stays with you after the movie is over.Recommended and well worth a viewing/purchase on DVD, but in some ways a missed opportunity at greatness.

That just about sums up this film. Beautiful. What it depicts may not be, but it's portrayal certainly is not even given justice in words. Geoffrey Rush and Judy Davis were incredible. Had the film only featured the two of them, I think it still would've been amazing. Jesse Spencer also performed wonderfully, especially for such a young actor. Incredibly gifted, the three of them.My warning is this: this is not even close to a comedy and I think it's a highly emotional movie. Somewhat of a roller-coaster in that aspect. But worth every minute of film. It has just been moved to one of my favourite movies, and is now one of my favourite Geoffrey Rush movies up there with Shine, Elizabeth, and Pirates.Just see it.

Saw this film at the Denver Film Festival and found it to be intense and moving. Tony Fingleton spoke after the film ended. Making this film was truly a labor of love and he was actually moved to tears as he spoke about his childhood. He said he no longer speaks to his brother-very sad. He said that the film was originally planned as a made for television program but the budget was too great as it is a period piece. Competitive swim buffs, Geoffrey Rush and Judy Davis fans alike should appreciate it. The actors playing the brothers when they are older are hot too ! I hope this film is able to be distributed widely so it can be seen by lots of people-it is a perfect film for families with older children . Highly recommend this film

This film was the "Closing Selection" for the 2004 San Diego Film Festival. The story shows the emotional pain of growing up with an alcoholic and abusive father. And yet, through the violence and strife emerges the eventual best Olympic swimmer from Australia in his event. The movie was about the life story of Tony Fingleton, whom I was fortunate to meet in person after the film. What an outstanding individual as he fielded audience questions with complete honesty and panache.His story is testament to the tenacity of the human spirit in the face of a troubled and abusive father. Yet despite it all, emerges a positive and intelligent force. There was still a drive to improve one's mind despite a relentlessly critical father in the protagonist's formative years. The emotional family confrontations are not for the squeamish; however, it is a tribute to human optimism and accomplishment. I wish it were revealed a bit more about Tony's drive for education early on, i.e., who inspired that aspect of his development? Geoffrey Rush's acting as the father is stark and striking. The images and messages of this film will stay with you for a very long time!