The Swimmer

PG

Released May 15, 1968

1 hr. 34 min.

Drama

List

100%

27 Reviews

Tomatometer

83%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Well-off ad man Ned Merrill (Burt Lancaster) is visiting a friend when he notices the abundance of backyard pools that populate their upscale suburb. Ned suddenly decides that he'd like to travel the eight miles back to his own home by simply swimming across every pool in town. Soon, Ned's journey becomes harrowing; at each house, he is somehow confronted with a reminder of his romantic, domestic and economic failures, until a final visit with an old flame (Janice Rule) leaves him devastated.

Read More

Read Less

Watch on Fandango at Home

Premiered Dec 06

Buy Now

Fandango at Home

Prime Video

Apple TV

Rent The Swimmer on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

Steve D

Shallow and extremely slow.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

04/17/24

Full Review

Sebastyen D

Film surprenant. Tu penses écouter un film léger avec une pointe d'humour, mais ça vire dark avec une fin qui te fait dire WTF ! 😂 Surprising film. You think you're watching a funny movie with a touch of comedy, but it turns dark with an ending that makes you go WTF! 😂

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/24/24

Full Review

Alec B

A fascinating amalgamation of seemingly disparate elements (the overwrought score, the surreal style, Lancaster's grounded performance) that nonetheless work together to create an entirely unique viewing experience.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/10/24

Full Review

Blu B

One of the strangest psychological thrillers I've ever seen and an All Time Classic. Masterfully edited and shot with lush colors, memorable settings and excellent acting and dialouge. Music is really good too. This is not meant to be taken literally but in a symbolic way. I personally believe Ned is the American Dream. Everyone should give this a try once. This is really difficult to describe without watching it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/15/23

Full Review

Wayne K

Though it was a commercial flop at the time, and languished in obscurity for a period, The Swimmer has come to be regarded as a cult classic, and its star Burt Lancaster, possessor of one of the most famous smiles in all of Hollywood, always maintained this was his finest film. On the surface it appears to be about a man as obsessed with swimming as he is averse to clothes, trying to swim every pool in his neighbourhood. But as things progress it becomes clear that the film has a much more sinister message, and exists as an allegory for... well a few things. I changed my mind several times while watching, originally thinking it was about a midlife crises, then it seemed to be about the glamourous but boring and inane lives of the well-to-do, then it was about a man's failed marriage, and ultimately it seemed to be a criticism on American life itself. It's not a film that lends itself to casual viewing, as its pacing, tone and material require close attention and a willingness to accept its unconventional nature, which many have described, quite accurately, as hallucinatory. The closer Ned gets to his home, the worse things become for him, and we watch him go insane from the increasingly bad treatment he receives from those around him. It's a film that I would describe as ahead of its time, because the happy-go-lucky 60s doesn't seem like the right place for something like this, which would be much more at home in the jaded and cynical 70s. That might explain its lukewarm reception at the time, and its legacy in later years. If you're willing to put aside the conventions of traditional storytelling, then The Swimmer is a film that will provide you with a truly unique experience.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/10/23

Full Review

Georgan G

Burt Lancaster was 55 when this artsy film was made. His acting was perfect & kept the plot moving. Despite being a fantasy, the story held my interest. Some will hate the ending while others will like it.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/29/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Frank Perry

Director

Sydney Pollack

Director

Burt Lancaster

Ned Merrill

Janet Landgard

Julie Ann Hooper

Janice Rule

Shirley Abbott

Tony Bickley

Donald Westerhazy

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

83%

46%

Model Shop

50%

54%

Picnic

89%

89%

Kramer vs. Kramer

TRAILER

for Kramer vs. Kramer

29%

35%

X, Y & Zee

100%

84%

Fat City

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Noel Murray

The Dissolve

As effectively as almost any movie ever made about American suburbia, The Swimmer gets the contentment that comes with material success[...] And it gets how the fantasy is hard to sustain.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 1, 2014

Full Review

J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

A resounding commercial flop, this has since been recognized as a signature 60s film, prescient in its view of American self-deception.

Oct 30, 2007

Full Review

Geoff Andrew

Time Out

A largely loony but oddly compulsive allegory.

Jun 24, 2006

Full Review

Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

…The Swimmer’s social commentary is a little dated now perhaps, but the acerbic portrayal of the toxic American male in decline is captured in a way that should really sing for modern viewers…

Rated: 4/5

Jun 16, 2023

Full Review

Mitchell Beaupre

Paste Magazine

Burt Lancaster’s performance is arguably his very best, with the actor recognizing his unique positioning to capture the rotted heart of this quickly evaporating creature.

Rated: 10/10

May 15, 2023

Full Review

Elissa Suh

Moviepudding

Based on a short story by John Cheever, this movie is an allegory inconspicuously larded with the torment of regret. It is sprightly, tidy, and devastating in the same way that an episode of Mad Men ought to be and often is.

Oct 5, 2022

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

Well-off ad man Ned Merrill (Burt Lancaster) is visiting a friend when he notices the abundance of backyard pools that populate their upscale suburb. Ned suddenly decides that he'd like to travel the eight miles back to his own home by simply swimming across every pool in town. Soon, Ned's journey becomes harrowing; at each house, he is somehow confronted with a reminder of his romantic, domestic and economic failures, until a final visit with an old flame (Janice Rule) leaves him devastated.

Director: Frank Perry, Sydney Pollack
Screenwriter: John Cheever
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Columbia Pictures Corporation
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 15, 1968, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 25, 2010
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: 35mm, Flat (1.85:1)

Most Popular at Home Now