Parents' Guide to

Swimfan

By Nell Minow, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Haven't we all seen this already? Too many times?

Movie PG-13 2002 85 minutes
Swimfan Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

See all
age 13+

Based on 5 parent reviews

Superman2050
Superman2050 Adult
October 16, 2018
age 15+

Swimfan Review

I saw this movie years ago. It was great.
Olivlol
Olivlol Adult
April 2, 2018
age 13+

good movie

Good movie. some blood in brief scenes. A girl in a bikini seduces her major crush into having sex with her, she succeeds and they make out and splash about in the water for a while. The girl then sends nudes to the boy, tits are almost shown. Not for kids

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
See all 5 parent reviews

What's the Story?

A nice, cute guy who seems to have it all meets an extremely attractive girl who promises him guilt-free sex and learns the sad lesson that there's no such thing. The big difference this time is that instead of being a lawyer (Fatal Attraction) or a radio show host (Play Misty for Me), the guy in question is a high school swimming champion.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (5):
Kids say (1):

Even though anyone who's ever seen a movie will know everything that's going to happen, there are some pretty good jump-out-at-you surprises in SWIMFAN. Having the hero (Jesse Bradford) spend so much time in the pool wearing nothing but a swimsuit and goggles adds to the atmosphere of vulnerability and otherworldliness. Erika Christensen (Traffic) is very effective in her retro good-girl dresses and high heels and uses her baby face well to switch instantly from innocence to obsession. Overall, though, the movie is a forgettable retread of more effective thrillers.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the choices made by Ben, Amy, and Madison.

Movie Details

Inclusion information powered by

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended movie lists

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate