Swept Away

  • Review Date: April 28, 2003
  • R
  • Genre: Comedy
  • 2002
 Review

Common Sense Media says

What a waste of potential.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

Find out more

Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

Find out more

Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this movie contains strong language, some violence, and a near-rape. Amber's verbal domination of Giuseppe on the boat is disturbing, but his physical domination of her on the island is completely unsuitable for younger children (and many adults).

  • Characters in peril, abuse, near-rape.
  • Sexual references and situations, sex as power.
  • Very strong language.

What's the story?

SWEPT AWAY begins as ultra-rich, bored, and spiteful Amber Leighton (Madonna) grudgingly boards an insufficiently luxurious private boat from Greece to Italy. She is accompanied by her stone-faced husband (Bruce Greenwood), who seems vaguely amused by his wife's tantrums, and two other couples. Crew member Giuseppe (Adriano Giannini) who cannot adapt to his new role pampering rich Americans, who represent the evils of capitalism, which he feels robbed him of his previous job as a fisherman. Giuseppe becomes the target of Amber's derision; she the subject of his disgust and, after seeing her muscular beauty sunbathing, perverse attraction. Through a series of mishaps, Amber and Giuseppe wind up stranded on a deserted island where the tables are turned. Amber must rely on Giuseppe's fishing abilities to survive and he is far from a willing provider. In exchange for food, Amber must become his servant – washing his clothes, kissing his feet, responding to his slaps with "yes, Master" – a situation in which she finds that she actually loves him just as he loves her.


Is it any good?

 

Imagine the potential: gritty, innovative director Guy Ritchie remakes a provocative film about gender and class and the clash of diametrically opposed individuals when the tables are turned on their situation. Mix in sexual tension, a deserted island and two attractive co-stars and you could have a beach bonfire, lighting up the night with fire and sparks. In this case, there is no spark to start the fire and the only thing "swept away" is the one hour and thirty-three minutes spent watching. What a waste of potential.

Adriano Giannini, whose father (Giancarlo Giannini) played the same character of Giuseppe in the original 1974 film, glowers convincingly onscreen, but it is a generally wooden Madonna who adds the one spark to this otherwise soggy fare during her fantasy dance sequence.


Sign Up Message
Sign up for our weekly newsletter
Each week we send a customized newsletter to our parent and teen subscribers. Parents can customize their settings to receive recommendations and parent tips based on their kids’ ages. Teens receive a version just for them with the latest reviews and top picks for movies, video games, apps, music, books, and more.
Please enter an email address.
Please check your email address for possible typos.
Sorry, you must be 13 or older to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Sign me up!

What families can talk about

Families can talk about the power politics in relationships. How is the power dynamic of domination and submission affected by situations beyond the characters' control? How does money influence the actions of the different characters?


This review was written by Nell Minow
Adult
December 17, 2009
 
pass
what the hell was guy rtchie thinking

Flag as inappropriate 
Kid, 12 years old
May 20, 2010
 

Flag as inappropriate 
Teen, 14 years old
May 20, 2010
 

Flag as inappropriate 
Kid, 11 years old
May 20, 2010
 

Flag as inappropriate 
Adult
April 9, 2008
 
SWEPT AWAY how was this supposed to be bad?
I personally enjoyed Madonna's film SWEPT AWAY. If they toned down the language and one specific scene (in which I discuss later) this could have easily been a legit PG-13. Whoever wrote this script must have had an 16 year old vocabulary and terrible language. The only bad part was a rape scene. PePe and Abby are running around and he tries to go down on her but she gets up, smacks him, and them kicks him in the wrong place. She them runs/falls away as he screams and runs/falls to her. As they both roll down a hill together, he says "You b*tch! You obey me! Now let's see..." and he rips her bikini bottom down as she thrashes and screams. Then (thrusting [we hear him moan, her scream, and his legs moving up and down]) he says "What will you say now?!? Yes? Yes!?! Yes!?!" She starts to obviously climax and she says "Yes! Yes!" and then he gets off her and screams "NO! that is the answer" and she starts to sob. That was quite disturbing to me. Also there is a passionate love scene, with no nudity. I loved it!

Flag as inappropriate 

This review was written by Nell Minow
Studio:Columbia Tristar
Director:Guy Ritchie
Cast:Adriano Giannini, Elizabeth Banks, Madonna
Genre:Comedy
Run time:89 minutes
Theatrical release date:October 11, 2002
DVD release date:February 11, 2003
MPAA rating:R
MPAA explanation:language and some sexuality/nudity

This review was written by Nell Minow
 

Review It

Share your review with others

Hang on! You need to be a member to post your review.
A safe community is important to us. Please observe our guidelines.
About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

Great alternatives handpicked by our editors

 

vote now

Will you see Swept Away?


Already seen it? What do you think?

 

Been There? Tell us about it