Swimming With Sharks

R

1994

1h 33m

Comedy

Drama

List

76%

38 Reviews

Tomatometer

79%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Guy (Frank Whaley) is a young film executive who's willing to do whatever it takes to make it in Hollywood. He begins working for famed producer Buddy Ackerman (Kevin Spacey), a domineering, manipulative, coldhearted boss. When Guy also finds out that his cynical girlfriend, Dawn (Michelle Forbes), has been using sex as a career move, he reaches his limit. Guy decides to exact revenge on Buddy by kidnapping him and subjecting him to cruel and unusual punishment.

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Critics Consensus

Swimming With Sharks is a smart, merciless Hollywood satire that's darkly hilarious and observant, thanks to Kevin Spacey's performance as ruthless studio mogul Buddy Ackerman.

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Alec B

The twist at the end isn't all that chilling, frankly it's forced and a little excessive. It's a shame because this may be Spacey's best "shouting egomaniac" performance.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

12/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

there are loan sharks then there are Hollywood sharks Kevin Spacey, Frank Whaley, Benicio del Toro in a movie when what happens when someone in the workforce is tired of being toyed around by a superior that has no moral, remorse, is so self-absorbed, and greedy Spacey plays Buddy who's in charge, Whaley is a newly-hired producer assistant named Guy who's wishing to fulfill his dream in the movie business the big issue is that Buddy has no regard for others' feelings or ideas and Guy feels trampled on continuously by him the movie actually opens quite shockingly during the aftermath of the abuse taken with Guy finally taking matters into his own hands; then it shifts gears towards the first day of Guy starting his position seeing how all of this anger and anxiety has been building towards nobody wins without losing, how much torture at work can somebody take?, can you still make a killing in the Hollywood industry while also losing what matters?, can you actually get the nerve to say no or I don't care?, what do we really want once we've made it to the top?, life is nothing like the movies that's for sure the movie plays more like a psychological thriller than a routine comedy with a much much darker context certainly wasn't expecting the narrative to play out like it did with this both the actors are perfect here making some playful banter back and forth with their ideals of what's right, fair and unfair

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/21/23

Full Review

Vladislav N

One of the best movies I've seen in my life.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/04/22

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andrey k

Features an outstanding performance from Kevin Spacey, one of his best, and a surprising twist, even if the rest is recognizable and familiar, as Hollywood films about Hollywodd is a well-trodden path.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Great storyline always keeping you on your toes

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/15/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I watched this almost 30 year old movie because of the Scott Rudin situation. Interesting that Kevin Spacey plated the agent. The movie has a great storyline and Spacey was exceptional, maybe even award worthy, except that the relationship between Guy and Dawn was not believable at all and the ending came on like a freight train. Unfortunate but worth seeing today

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/18/23

Full Review

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George Huang

Director

Kevin Spacey

Buddy Ackerman

Frank Whaley

Guy

Michelle Forbes

Dawn Lockard

Benicio del Toro

Rex

Jerry Levine

Jack

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Manohla Dargis

Spin

Shot in a cramped and stage-like style, and sounding like warmed- over Mamet, Swimming With Sharks tries to go for the big picture but comes up empty from the first frame to the last.

Apr 18, 2022

Full Review

Geoff Andrew

Time Out

The picture's raison d'être has to be Spacey's 'loud and nasty' performance: he's the sort of actor who grabs you by the throat and beats you about the head without ever lifting his feet from the desk.

Jun 24, 2006

Full Review

Nell Minow

Movie Mom

Rated: 3/5

Oct 4, 2003

Full Review

Jamie Broadnax

Black Girl Nerds

'Swimming with Sharks', although it is peak 90s in terms of some scripted dialog on outdated movie references about Shelly Winters and has some super choppy editing, is a fantastic movie to watch.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 12, 2022

Full Review

Malcolm Johnson

Hartford Courant

Unfortunately, Spacey's no-holds-barred portrait is about the only reason to take in Huang's low-budget, writing-directing debut. The story line proceeds predictably, though often unpersuasively.

Jun 8, 2018

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Despite some sharp dialogue, this is a nasty, derivative film, sort of a cross between Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs and Altman's The Player.

Rated: C+

Mar 18, 2008

Full Review

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Synopsis

Guy (Frank Whaley) is a young film executive who's willing to do whatever it takes to make it in Hollywood. He begins working for famed producer Buddy Ackerman (Kevin Spacey), a domineering, manipulative, coldhearted boss. When Guy also finds out that his cynical girlfriend, Dawn (Michelle Forbes), has been using sex as a career move, he reaches his limit. Guy decides to exact revenge on Buddy by kidnapping him and subjecting him to cruel and unusual punishment.

Director: George Huang
Screenwriter: George Huang
Production Co: Cineville
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 6, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $34.7K
Runtime: 1h 33m

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