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Using the premise of Fatal Attraction for a teen movie was bound to happen sooner or later, and that the film turned out so well is a tribute to director John Polson and his screenwriters, Charles Bohl and Phillip Schneider. Swimfan is blatantly exploitive, but it’s also elaborately plotted, quite well acted, and genuinely suspenseful. Varsity swim-team member Ben Cronin (Jesse Bradford) is an extremely popular student, especially with cute coeds like his sweetheart, Amy (Shiri Appleby). New girl Madison Bell (Erika Christensen), a saucy temptress with a questionable past, sets her sights on Ben and even manages to seduce him before ultimately being rejected. Her acts of vengeance -- you know what they say about scorned women -- become progressively nastier and potentially lethal. Polson stages these events with conviction, and Madison’s gradual unhinging becomes palpable. That’s due in large measure to Christensen, whose carefully modulated performance is chillingly convincing. Bradford, who was a likable and intelligent male lead in Bring It On, resists the temptation to make his athlete just another dumb jock, and in so doing makes Ben a more compelling character. Swimfan tiptoes up to the line that separates legitimate melodrama from cornball campiness but never quite crosses it -- which makes the picture entertaining and keeps it from becoming laughable. In addition to a "making of" documentary titled "The Girlfriend from Hell," the DVD edition includes a feature-length commentary by Polson, who also introduces ten deleted scenes. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

A moment of temptation leads to a high body count and untold regrets for a high-school swimming star in this thriller starring Bring It On's Jesse Bradford and Traffic's Erika Christensen. Despite a shady past involving drugs and the juvenile justice system, Ben Cronin (Bradford) seems to have it all: a loving mother, a devoted girlfriend (Shiri Appleby), and a shot at a college scholarship in California. But the same week that athletic scouts will be deciding his future, Ben finds himself embroiled in a flirtation with Madison Bell (Christensen), a bewitching transfer student who seduces him into supposedly strings-free sex during an impromptu swim lesson after hours in the school pool. When Ben takes Madison at her word and goes about his business as if nothing had happened, she insinuates herself into his life with sinister glee. Showing up at Ben's house, befriending his girlfriend, and sending him naked pictures -- none of her strategies wins his heart. So Madison turns to other, more devious forms of courtship. Soon, Ben finds himself kicked off the swim team for supposed steroid use, suspected of murdering a rival (Clayne Crawford), and rejected by his girlfriend for his sexual indiscretions. Eventually, though, he receives help in uncovering the genesis of Madison's uncanny fixation from an unexpected source. Originally titled "Swimfan85" (after Madison's Internet screen name), the retitled Swimfan hit the top spot at the back-to-school box office when it was released September 6, 2002. Dan Hedaya co-stars as Ben's stern but loving mentor, Coach Simkins. Actor-turned-director John Polson previously helmed Siam Sunset. Brian J. Dillard

Product Details

• UPC: 024543069027
• Source: 20TH CENTURY FOX
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Pre-1954 Standard (1.33.1), Cinemascope (2.35:1)
• Presentation: Pan & Scan, Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital Surround, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
• Language: English, Español, Français
• Subtitles: English, Español
• Time: 1:25:00
• Sales Rank: 20,459

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• Thriller Giftset
• Dying to Be Popular Triple Feature

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