Can anyone recommend any movies about swimming? A movie with entertainment value (drama, documentary, fiction, nonfiction), not like a technical skills video.
I've seen "SwimFan" which is the only one I can really think of. I actually know the lead actress Erika Christensen. It's kind of a creepy movie though.
There's also "The 13th Year", a disney channel movie from the 90's about a middle school boy swimmer who turns into a Merman (male mermaid). I don't think I'd want to watch that again although it might bring back some childhood nostalgia.
I'm sure there are some other good ones out there. Any recommendations?
Former Member
Buffy the Vampire Slayer - "Go Fish"???
Xander goes undercover on the Sunnydale swim team after two members are seemingly eaten, leaving only their skins. Their coach has been giving them steroids combined with fish DNA, which turns them into sea monsters. Buffy confronts the coach, and he is killed by the swim-team sea monsters.
They actually mentioned Gertrude Ederle in that episode. I really think there was a former swimmer on the Buffy production staff at that time because it seemed like the episode had a lot of shout outs and references to the East German doping abuses.
I have to agree with The Guardian. It is totally awesome - In fact I have a friend who based her last doctorate on that movie (motivating Coast Guard rescue swimmers) and now this is her job.
Former Member
The Guardian Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher, it's about Coast Guard rescue swimmers. LOTS of swimming in it.
There was this one supernatural film with a good amount of swimming. I think that the one character used his powers to beat his competitors or something. It was set in a private school.
SwimFan sucked because it is unrealistic for a swimmer to have a stalker. When was Erika Christensen's character when I was in high school. In high school, the soccer and football players only had stalkers.
Pride was good movie. After seeing Jim Ellis at a meet 2 weeks ago, I just can't picture Terrance Howard playing him.
Former Member
I watched "Pride" last night because I could get it instantly on Amazon's OnDemand with my prime account. I've gotta say I never really watched a lot of TV until I got a Smart TV and I can watch everything on demand.
It was ok. It was predictable and was basically the same story as those feel good sports movies. Just substitute swimming in for football or basketball. It held my attention though, which is good because most shows don't which is why I never watch TV. It didn't make sense that the team had like 6 swimmers and everyone they were competing against had like 25, yet somehow they won.
I'm glad all of you are up on your Buffy the Vampire Slayer knowledge. I actually had to watch a presentation about Irish themes in BTVS by my classmates in an Irish-American elective (vampires apparently come from ireland originally). I couldn't stop laughing during the presentation. A. it was just ridiculous and B. statements like "when vampire and a mortal have a baby, it's a vampire, but if you vampires have a baby, its a moral" and "it's actually really hard for vampires to procreate" were hilarious because it was said as if it was scientific fact. C. Something about how the boy vampire is 300 years old but his soul is controlled by someone else and he somehow get it back. I almost got thrown out because I my laughing got other people laughing. Once I start I can't stop either.
Former Member
Also, in reference to "Pride", at the end when they swim the relay, I believe they referred to it was 4x50 meters. It was actually a 4x100 because I believe they were in a 50 meter long course pool.
