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Swingers

Swingers (1996)

tomatometer

83

Average Rating: 7.8/10
Critic Reviews: 12
Fresh: 10 | Rotten: 2

No consensus yet.

audience

87

liked it
Average Rating: 3.8/5
User Ratings: 56,100

My Rating

Movie Info

A knowing examination of the psyche of the modern American male, Doug Liman's debut comedy Swingers stars screenwriter Jon Favreau as the sensitive Mike, a struggling actor and stand-up comic looking for romance in the wake of the dissolution of a six-year relationship. Against his better judgment, he hits the town with his pal Trent (Vince Vaughn, in a star-making performance), a retro-hip smooth-talker who calls women "babies" and feels compelled to illustrate to Mike the error of his

R,

Drama, Comedy

Jul 21, 1998

Miramax Films

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Cast

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All Critics (53) | Top Critics (12) | Fresh (46) | Rotten (7) | DVD (24)

Four guys hang out, kid one another, get into scuffles and flash their gonadal searchlight for available women. Yikes, haven't there been enough variations on the multiple-buddy movie? Actually, no.

October 4, 2009 Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | Comment (1)
TIME Magazine
Top Critic IconTop Critic

A winningly confident snapshot of the nightlives of a bunch of young showbiz wannabes in a very upto-the-minute Hollywood.

June 16, 2008 Full Review Source: Variety
Variety
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Ninety minutes spent learning how not to pick up girls. This is what the movies were made for, isn't it?

June 24, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out
Time Out
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Mr. Favreau wrote this screenplay with his real friends in mind. And the cast's camaraderie is appealingly clear.

May 20, 2003 Full Review Source: New York Times
New York Times
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A guy film that gives you something to latch onto, that makes male bonding both believable and appealing.

February 14, 2001 Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

It's no masterpiece, but it's real.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
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It's not the most creative of plots, but it captures a generation and the down-on-your-luck-in-so-many-ways motif effectively: it's like comfort food, with more heart than Liman usually provides.

February 17, 2010 Full Review Source: Film and Felt
Film and Felt

Director-cinematographer Doug Liman gets points for breathing a bit of life into an already tired indie sub genre.

October 4, 2009 Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide
TV Guide's Movie Guide

One of the sharpest male-oriented comedies of the 1990s.

October 4, 2009 Full Review Source: Film4
Film4

The arc is nothing new, but the writing and pacing make it fresh and energetic, at least enough for it to have became a cult classic.

May 5, 2008 Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid
Combustible Celluloid

Liman and Favreau concoct a consciously derivative world for these guys, and though it's appropriate to the movie, I got tired of it after a while.

September 23, 2007 Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com
eFilmCritic.com

Directed in flair by Doug Liman, with winning performances from Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn, this comedy is the most successful since Diner of what could be described as a cycle of "walking and talking" and "hanging out" pictures.

December 1, 2006 Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com
EmanuelLevy.Com

This exercise in indie hipster cool is 'money'--and that's no joke, baby.

September 14, 2005 Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com
TheMovieReport.com

This movie is definitely "money," baby!

April 9, 2005 Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews
Reeling Reviews

Blessed with a brilliantly quotable screenplay, one of the most electric and insightful ever written.

October 1, 2004 Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star
Arizona Daily Star

Shows that honesty and humanity aren't incompatible with comedy in modern Hollywood.

February 3, 2004 Full Review
rec.arts.movies.reviews

A Swinging good time! Vaughn is a revelation

April 27, 2003
Moviehole

Audience Reviews for Swingers

'Swingers'. One of the most authentic movies about guys and their nature I've ever seen. Even though it's in a time and place that I never experienced, the dialogue by Favreau feels so real, and their little world at the time, captured perfectly.

If it isn't enough that he wrote a darn good screenplay, Favreau plays the lead character, Mike, admirably. He's a lovable dude, even when you can't believe some of the idiocy on display when he's in his relationship funk. And that voicemail scene?! Ouch. I almost wanted to block out the screen, while laughing out loud at the same time. Surely the most memorable Favreau scene in his filmography.

The movie transitions very nicely from this buddy ensemble to a sweet romance in one scene at the bar, and you can't help but cheer when he hangs up on his ex, knowing that he's ready to move on.

Money, baby, money!
January 11, 2012
c0up
c0up  

Super Reviewer

"You're money and you don't even know it!"

Wannabe actors become regulars in the stylish neo-lounge scene; Trent teaches his friend Mike the unwritten rules of the scene.

REVIEW
When released in 1996, "Swingers" became an indie film sensation on par with "Sex, Lies, and Videotape" and "Reservoir Dogs" earlier. To be honest, it didn't really deserve that status, because it doesn't have the power either of those flicks held. Still, its quite enjoyable and easy to see why it became a favorite among dissatisfied twenty something males, with whom the flick touched a nerve. The characters spend their time cruising the hip nightspots of Hollywood trying to pick up chicks, and often failing either due to their bloated egoism or social awkwardness. Some critics of the film thought it was a bit misogynistic, and maybe it was, but it was also a rather accurate depiction of how many males in similar circumstances feel.

The technical credits all around are quite good for a low-budget picture. The direction by Doug Liman isn't anything extraordinary, but it keeps the film moving at a quick pace. Its a shame that after this and the equally enjoyable "Go", he graduated to lousy mainstream products. The script by Jon Favreau is full of memorable dialog, classic scenes, and surprisingly a sympathetic protagonist. As the main character, Favreau creates a likable individual and Vaughn is charismatic here, but hasn't really done anything worthwhile since. All in all, this isn't an extremely powerful motion picture or anything like that, but its a breezy and amusing way to kill an hour and a half.
September 1, 2011
LorenzoVonMatterhorn
Lorenzo von Matterhorn

Super Reviewer

    1. Mike: The whole Judy Garland thing kinda turned me on. Does that make me some kind of fag?
    2. Trent: No baby, you're money.
    – Submitted by Kia M (4 months ago)
    1. Mike: And I'm supposed to be all happy cause she's wearing a knapsack.
    – Submitted by Austin G (16 months ago)
    1. Rob: After a while you start to miss the pain. Because just like her, you spent so long with it.
    – Submitted by Scott S (21 months ago)
    1. Mike: Well how long are you guys gonna wait to call your babies?
    2. Trent: Six Days. [Simultaneous]
    3. Sue: Six Days. [Simultaneous]
    – Submitted by James T (22 months ago)
    1. Mike: Haven't you seen Boyz N The Hood? Now one of us is going to get shot.
    – Submitted by Sam B (22 months ago)
    1. Mike: Trent, the beautiful babies don't work the midnight to six shift on a Wednesday. This is like the skank shift.
    – Submitted by Rick M (23 months ago)

Discussion Forum

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