The Worst Film Ever

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Ever heard of this movie?Me neither, until a few weeks ago.It's available for instant streaming via Netflix, and is easily worth ninety-three minutes of your time.Swimming with Sharks is fantastic.It has its shortcomings don't get me wrong.But between the high quality story and a spectacular piece of acting from Kevin Spacey, there are enough laughs to outweigh the unsettling plot.George Huang wrote and directed Swimming with Sharks in 1994 and it's the only major motion picture in his filmography. Perhaps it was his passion project?It's the classic story of a young man taking a job as an assistant to a big Hollywood agent, in order to get ahead in life. One thing it really hammers home is that a year can be way longer than first it seems.You gotta love a young Benicio Del Toro performance, with that dour accent of an unknown nationality, like Fez in The Usual Suspects. Benny of the Bull plays a quietly excellent character as Rex, or the man who Guy, played by Frank Whaley, will replace answering calls at the desk.Speaking of Whaley, here's one of two shortcomings.His performance is ultimately the least impressive part of this movie. And as the protagonist, that's not the greatest sign.I'm not saying Whaley's acting is bad, but it's unconvincing. He can't keep pace with the whirlwind plot, and the coolness of Spacey.The scenery, settings and backdrops often leave much to be desired. They're not incomplete or shabby; the surroundings of the characters are just very bland.Perhaps this is a stylistic choice that somehow adds to the movie. Personally I think the budget wasn't very high (IMDb estimates it around $700,000) and this doesn't allow for tons of prep previous to shooting.At the same time, the movie doesn't need elaborate backdrops or an overwhelming amount of sensory detail. There's enough already packed in.More on that later.On a final note regarding casting, Michelle Forbes as Dawn Lockard is just spectacular. Her character is compelling, strong and nuanced. The scenes in which she interacts with Guy are gripping and covered in subtlety.Forbes played roles in lesser-known features, such as Escape from L.A. and Kalifornia. Recently she's much more prominent in television and her work includes a significant role as Maryann Forrester Maryann in the second season of HBO's True Blood. So noteworthy is her performance it's deserving of a sidebar. Skip the following bracketed paragraph if you couldn't care less.(Sidebar: True Blood is no longer a good television show. It may never have been 'great' as an overall televised product, but the first two seasons had fabulous story arcs. It went off the rails because of the ever-expanding world building, and the perseverance of a character named Terra. The entire second season is carried by the introduction of the new antagonist, Maryann Forrester Maryann, and a large hunk of the show's success is due to the thoroughly riveting and convincing performance from Michelle Forbes.)Here's a smart exchange.When they first have a drink and discuss business, Dawn asks Guy if he'd like to go out. He orders a glass of white wine and she orders a cocktail. While they talk, she chews on the ice from her drink and smokes.Huang draws a dichotomy here between the typical male and female roles in social and romantic interactions. I think Guy's shorter than Dawn too, so they're really an odd pair.Nuanced scenes like this resonate throughout the entire film.When Buddy and Guy are conversing, pay close attention to the physical positioning of Spacey's body. At one point, his shoes are propped on the desk and uncrossed, displaying his crotch like a woman giving birth. This posture illustrates the relative difference in power between the two men and Buddy's attitude toward his assistant.So if you haven't seen Swimming with Sharks, now's the time, before the scenery and settings begin to feel any older. Stop reading here if you're sensitive to spoilers.Anyway, a final few things are worthy of discussion.First of all, the wind-up toys on Buddy's desk, and the discussion of 'Equal' versus 'Sweet-N- Low' artificial sweeteners. The symbolism in these details are too numerous to note; some of which I can't wrap my head around either. Aside from the lack of 'artificial sweetener' present in Buddy's rhetoric, I'm assuming there's value to the color of the packets (blue and pink, reminiscent of early-life gender roles) but can't complete the analytic connection without further research.In retrospect, the existence of the toys throughout the earlier portion of the movie seems off. As the narrative unfolds, the mechanisms don't draw our attention, but it's odd to think a man with such a business-oriented lifestyle would adorn his workspace with playthings.The resolution is built around a technological quirk of a distinct age in history. Only in the '90s could a conflict revolve around the oddities of call waiting and conferencing. But hey, it works.The ending is a bit confounding in its value. It's an original twist and the correct way to wrap up the story. But quite a bit gets lost in, what seems like, a rushed conclusion.It's not hurried; it's just a drastic and almost unprecedented turn for the story to take. The viewer is never convinced Guy's passion for the business outweighs his love of Dawn.And I hate to harp on this, but it goes back to Whaley's acting ability. When he shows up at Buddy's house and threatens him at gunpoint, the seriousness of his intent doesn't feel real. Further, the torture scenes aren't genuine because we don't see the capability for this level of aggression in Guy's behavior.All things considered, Swimming with Sharks is a classic that shouldn't be forgotten!

Guy (Frank Whaley) has finally had it with his boss Buddy Ackerman (Kevin Spacey), and he takes him hostage with a gun. The movie flashes back to the start when Guy was a young naive assistant to the abusive Hollywood producer boss. Dawn Lockard (Michelle Forbes) is a producer who befriends and gets romantically involved with Guy.This is a tour de force performance from Kevin Spacey. Writer/director George Huang bases the character on his former boss Joel Silver. It's his directorial debut and is a lower budget indie. Both problems are obvious but they're lucky to have the great performances. Whaley and Forbes do good jobs. It's like a brilliant play and has the insight of realism.

This is one of those movies where a great actor turns a run of the mill film into a good one. Kevin Spacey is just the sort of actor that always seems to do that."Swimming with Sharks," is the story of a young man, Guy ( Frank Whaley), who is determined to make his mark in the Movie industry. He lands a job as the assistant to big time Hollywood executive, Buddy Ackerman (Kevin Spacey), and thinks he has the start to launch him into the big time. It turns out that Buddy is not only a bigshot executive but also makes ridiculous demands, and is a downright cruel demanding boss, that seems to have no regard for his assistant or anyone for that matter. How far can Buddy push Guy until he snaps?This is not a new story line, it has been done time after time, but it is a horrible boss story, so everyone can relate to it. I am not a fan of Frank Whaley and actually can't stand him, but he does a decent job in this one. As I said this movie wasn't very original and I probably wouldn't have liked this movie at all if it wasn't for Kevin Spacey.Kevin Spacey did a great job portraying the evil, demanding boss.In my mind, he was what made this movie. Everything in this movie says boring and done before, but Kevin Spacey's performance turns it into a good movie. It's rare that one actor could do that by himself but in this case it is true.Not to reveal anything, but the end takes a twist that is actually a pretty good one. So overall, it was a good movie, not a great one. Spacey turns out to be the only one driving it, but somehow it was enough to make it watchable and at times enjoyable.Like my reviews, hate em? Any questions or comments, or if you want a DVD reviewed just shoot me an e-mail at: subliminal.lithium@gmail.com

Swimming With Sharks is set in the cut throat world of the film industry although this doesn't dictate the plot as much as you might think. It follows Guy (Frank Whaley) who is a clean-shaven enthusiastic new recruit into this unique world landing himself a job as the personal assistant to Buddy Ackerman (Kevin Spacey) an expletive throwing repugnant studio executive whose addition to your CV opens every door imaginable but is counteracted so much by his demeanour that many would find it not worth the trouble.Guy seems to have the determination to see it through helped by script writer and love interest Dawn (Michelle Forbes) but after working for the man for over a year, cracks begin to surface and Guy is finally pushed too far showing up at Buddy's home in the middle of the night intent on revenge. What plays out over the 100 minutes is a mixture between the past year of his life and the present unfolding situation.This was George Huang's first (and it would seem only notable) foray into the world of writing and directing and credit must be given to him. The script is impressive with Whaley engrossing himself into the character topped only by Spacey's exceptional performance where he looks set to star in a similar, albeit toned down, role in Horrible Bosses. He not only excels in many of his 'throwing a tantrum' scenes but somehow brings sympathy and compassion to a character that we should not feel anything for. Even when being held hostage he emits a certain smug arrogance that would be misplaced in any other character apart from this one.I felt conflicted given the knowledge at the beginning that Guy kidnaps his boss. It somewhat limits the sympathy you can show towards him regardless of finding out what Buddy did to drive him to such lengths.I wouldn't class this as a comedy per say as this is not going to have you laughing a great deal but rather an extremely dark satire of life in Hollywood and the means required to keep your head above the water. It shows us that the calling of the bright lights can change a man with only a few have what is required to make it. Add all of this together to an unexpected ending and it makes for an interesting watch.Yes there are moments where I felt things were not quite working and the relationship between Dawn and Guy lacked that believability factor but Swimming With Sharks certainly made the time fly and has enough to keep it fresh in the mind for a couple of days at the very least.For further reviews feel free to check out: http://www.fanaticalaboutfilms.com