Why not call SWIM TEAM an exploitation comedy for the entire family! It's just a little on the raunchy side, and it doesn't offend to watch a bunch of wacked-out teenagers going wild in bikinis. "Flounder" from ANIMAL HOUSE alarmingly helped this flat, shallow film that doesn't stay afloat. This one deteriorates and gasps for breath every minute that passes by. You would be better off watching WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS than looking at the boring, repetitive swim meet footage used over halfway through the movie. Could have been a lot better for a movie aimed at the PORKY'S crowd on a premature level. Trust me, you won't survive underwater very long!
8 Reviews
Where's Bruce from "Jaws" when you need him?
MadMatt721 May 2003
Oh, MAN! I had forgotten that they made movies this bad in the 70's. Retarded plot. Retarded acting. Monumentally stupid love interests. Plus, some of the lamest attempts at humor I've ever seen. I lost count after about 50 or so of the number of scenes in which some dufus falling into water was supposed to get laughs. Seriously, I'm not kidding when I say that the level of sophistication of the comedy in this film insults 5-year-old's. Combine all this with a soundtrack to vomit to and, please, won't some nice shark out there eat all these twits?
One Great Gag in a Film that Sinks
Into_The_West20 August 2005
Warning: Spoilers
I recall an article in a swimming magazine in which the writer wondered if anyone would make "the swimming movie," just as "Chariots of Fire" was the "track and field movie." Apparently, he forgot this film. Or perhaps he suppressed it from his memory.
How can you make a film about swimmers that is in no way sexy? And I've never heard of a swim club where all the members do is party. Swimming is such a squeaky clean milieu, even more so in the 1970's, that the champion Don Schollander once described it as "still being in the 19th Century." The director and writer, James Polakof, has odd conceptions of the sport, having the coach of the rivals of the "Swim Team" dress relatively closely to an 80 year old female tourist at the beach, white socks under sandals, shorts, and arthritic movement. Of course, this is a comedy, so the idea is not supposed to be realistic. But it's also not funny.
The film, though, manages to have one brilliant gag, which is why I saved it from the dreaded one star out of 10. The film's one recognizable actor (excluding a brief cameo by Buster Crabbe) is Stephen Furst, playing a character not unlike the schlump he played in "Animal House," another example of incongruity used for attempted comedy effect.
The team's new coach, who is dedicated to turning their reputation around, has a brainflash and makes Furst swim the butterfly stroke, a stroke involving both arms stretched out in front of the swimmer, then simultaneously swept back behind him. Furst is so fat that when he does the stroke he creates a wake that pushes his rivals in adjoining lanes back against the pool wall, so he wins.
Even though the gag is less than perfectly executed and poorly filmed, it is the kind of thing one could imagine Buster Keaton coming up with. How it occurred to the writer-director is uncertain, but perhaps the late Damon Runyan's comment that even the worst movie has at least one good thing in it is the explanation.
This, however, is not "the swimming movie." It is, instead a movie about swimming--sort of.
How can you make a film about swimmers that is in no way sexy? And I've never heard of a swim club where all the members do is party. Swimming is such a squeaky clean milieu, even more so in the 1970's, that the champion Don Schollander once described it as "still being in the 19th Century." The director and writer, James Polakof, has odd conceptions of the sport, having the coach of the rivals of the "Swim Team" dress relatively closely to an 80 year old female tourist at the beach, white socks under sandals, shorts, and arthritic movement. Of course, this is a comedy, so the idea is not supposed to be realistic. But it's also not funny.
The film, though, manages to have one brilliant gag, which is why I saved it from the dreaded one star out of 10. The film's one recognizable actor (excluding a brief cameo by Buster Crabbe) is Stephen Furst, playing a character not unlike the schlump he played in "Animal House," another example of incongruity used for attempted comedy effect.
The team's new coach, who is dedicated to turning their reputation around, has a brainflash and makes Furst swim the butterfly stroke, a stroke involving both arms stretched out in front of the swimmer, then simultaneously swept back behind him. Furst is so fat that when he does the stroke he creates a wake that pushes his rivals in adjoining lanes back against the pool wall, so he wins.
Even though the gag is less than perfectly executed and poorly filmed, it is the kind of thing one could imagine Buster Keaton coming up with. How it occurred to the writer-director is uncertain, but perhaps the late Damon Runyan's comment that even the worst movie has at least one good thing in it is the explanation.
This, however, is not "the swimming movie." It is, instead a movie about swimming--sort of.
A Beginner's Experience
Squabblo14 July 2018
In the late 1970's I attended "The Film Actor's Academy" in Orinda, CA. The owner of the company and his wife managed to get actress Shirley Jones to endorse the company. They actually gave me a "screen test" to see if I was WORTHY of attending. The classes were surprisingly interesting and helpful. At the end of the course there was a mock Academy Awards-type ceremony. I won for best Actor in my category. The kicker of my experience was when I got to audition for "Swim Team" which was directed by, none other than, the owner himself. My audition was held at a swimming pool (I don't remember the location.) There were tons of other kids there from a local high school swim team auditioning. One of them was even nice enough to give me a crash course (verbally) in diving. After my audition all I was able to recall was standing on the diving block and eventually getting out of the water. The swim across the pool was, at the time, a complete blur. Somehow I managed to make the swim team for the film. The entire day was spent frolicking around the pool in my brown Speedos. When I finally saw the film (years later a friend was able to find a copy at his local video store and surprised me with it) I was just a blip in one scene. The rest of the movie was just more of the same. Young people frolicking and doing ridiculous things. The film was very typical of other films of that time.
review
highwaystar8156 August 2000
A fun movie about California age group swimmers,starring Flounder and Marmalard of ANIMAL HOUSE fame.Buster Crabbe makes a memorable cameo as "Rock Sands",the father of a young swimmer.A rival coach named Ouchmouski(Mr.Ouch) is hilarious as a foil.All in all,a good way to waste a little time.
I was in this terrible film
abudge-379-44676724 May 2012
I was enrolled in a film actors academy in Orinda California run by the director of Swim Team and his wife. After auditioning for several parts, I was given a non-speaking role as a guy sitting in a Jeep with several other extras drinking beer. This happens in a scene where the Stephen Furst (Flounder) character buys some beer at a store (it was filmed in a shopping center next to Rossmoor in Walnut Creek, CA). I'm just a blip in the film; the camera dollies past a row of parked cars where everyone is partying. The scene includes James Daughton in a van making lewd comments to passing girls, holding up a sign that says "Wanna Do It?" This experience was fun for a while and I did get to spend some time sitting with Stephen Furst between takes--he's a very polite and gracious man--but we sat in that Jeep for most of the night holding the same warm beer (I believe it was Coors) as they did take after take. I sort of knew this story was a rip-off of several equally bad movies and later found out that if you were in the director's circle of friends and relatives, you got big screen time and some lines.
If you like Meatballs then you'll definitely Like Swim Team
Stebaer410 September 2005
They Both happen to be 1979 releases as well as that they do both happen to have a similar plot.As my Mom ,Mary E.(Garvey) & I do agree & we'd each happened to see it but @ different times when it was played on Cinemax during the Summer of 1981.Stephen Furst as much makes this Movie & as much as he does Animal House.Yes He's the big bright star shining so bright.How much more can one possibly say when the basic bottom line gist is that both MeatBalls & Swim Team each happen to have a losing team spotlighted in the film that each really do finally break free of their many year losing streaks.Camp North Star breaks a 12 year losing streak in MeatBalls while The Sharks break a 7 year losing streak in Swim Team.The Movie Critic Leonard Maltin in his review asks can the sharks break their 7 year losing streak,can you make it thru the movie to find out?Well of course you can if you're a fan of MeatBalls then you're a fan of SwimTeam too & you can.
Truthfully, Stephen "Steve" G. Baer a.k.a "Ste" of Framingham,MA.USA
Truthfully, Stephen "Steve" G. Baer a.k.a "Ste" of Framingham,MA.USA
What an experience
hckymom-9412915 January 2021
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