Swept Away Reviews
People are way too harsh. The original was 5 stars to be sure....and a tough act to match. But this movie was well produced. Madonna's acting isn't as bad as everyone makes out, and she looks great. I took one star away because the rewrote the ending and ruined it with the Hollywood ending. The other star I took away because the chemistry of the first was hard to match. One star? It's not unwatchable like Under the Cherry Moon
I've seen its cartoon mimic followed the basis plot, and its zanily fun animated nature is memorably more enjoyable than what Guy Ritchie directed as his first step onto a new realm away from his stylistically complex crime-ridden stories. He eventually improves as his other directorial skills grow only when integrating some of his tactics from the aforementioned realm, which none been felt here in this baseless, underdeveloped, pathetically performed story. Its best redemption that solidified itself as a remake is the conclusion whereas it felt that Adriano Giannini truly honored his father's original role, therefore also honoring the original's impact even if the whole buildup from the first minute to the climax's end doesn't agree in an ill-natured, socially parodic manner. (C-)
As much as I appreciate Guy Ritchie (writer and director) being faithful to the original 1974 Swept Away film, this film just falls flat. I can see why audiences wept away instead. Despite the score being composed by Michel Colombier which was pretty amusing, it can't save this 2002 remake. The 2002 version of Swept Away was just not funny nor was there any passion between Madonna and Adriano Giannini. This film teaches us that no matter how faithful a writer or a director (Guy Ritchie) can be to the original work of an artistic film, the remake will most likely fail.
It's not the hit Madonna had hoped for, but it's not as bad as many seem to think. Madonna is not the greatest actress in the world, but the character fits her nicely. Check it out if you're searching for something to watch for fun.
Madonna's affair with director Guy Ritchie spills onto screen with Adrianno Giannini, and critics were supposed to be swept away. Alas, critics wept away at Madonna's wooden performance like so much salt beach flotsam, presented with all the raw power of a soaked sandcastle. So Madonna, I'm afraid you get The Burnin' Medallion Of Badness. Characters: 0.5/5 Story: 0.5/5 Acting: 0.5/5 Special Effects (very little of them): 0/5 Direction: 0/5 Cinematography: 0/5 Soundtrack: 0.5/5 Overall: 0.5/5
Oh my god! This is easily the worst movie of the 2000s. What the hell Madonna. The movie is trash.
A remake of the 1974 Italian film directed by Lina Wertmuller, Swept Away follows a spoiled wealthy woman Amber (Madonna) and a Communist fisherman Giuseppe (Adriano Giannini) who go from spending days on a fancy yacht to being stranded on a Mediterranean island. While there, Giuseppe decides to gain authority and enslave Amber, because he's tired of her berating him. I think one of the biggest issues I have with the movie is Amber, who's too bitter and irredeemably nasty. In fact, she's so awful that any attempt to faithfully capture the comedic tension and beauty of Wertmuller's film comes off as unbelievably forced. Apart from Madonna's overacting, Guy Ritchie's take on Swept Away makes a wide series of dumb changes that ruin the chemistry of the original. In the 1974 version, Gennarino and Raffaella find a frigate in the distance, so they fight over the whistle for rescue, showing the first signs of them working off each other; later they find the island and row toward it, working together for the first time. In the remake, Amber and Giuseppe find a flare gun, fight over it before punching a hole in the raft, and they get washed away on the island. Also, in the original, after an attempted rape by Gennarino, Raffaella looks away into the bed of kelp reflecting on her decisions and, after watching Gennarino hunting, skinning and cooking a hare, she inevitably gives herself to him, hoping it would satisfy the merciless man; therefore the two engage in sexual relations later that night. In the remake, Amber looks into the campfire, watching her material world crumble, and the next day she drops the logs, kisses Giuseppe's legs and they have sex. By making these changes, Guy Ritchie makes one of the worst remakes of all time, evaporating any levity or human connection that made Lina Wertmuller's film funny and powerful. (1/2 Octopus out of 5)
I swept this movie out of my mind
I know it didn't get great reviews, but I really enjoyed this movie. The visual part was beautiful; the possibility that this could have happened at some point in time...
I read about this movie that is was really bad, but I saw some of Guy Ritchie's other movies which I liked, so I just thought to give it a try. I was amazed by this movie. The breathtaking cinematography, great acting by Madonna, Adriano Giannini and a great supporting role by Bruce Greenwood. This is a compelling and catchy movie and I never lost interest until the end of it. And this despite the fact that I normally don't particularly like romantic movies. Besides that, for me personally, I think this is Guy Ritchies best movie and Madonna's best acting performance.
What even is this movie
Really not as bad as critics have made out. It’s not the best movie, and the scenes where he’s slapping her a kinda uncomfortable to watch, but on the whole it’s a decent movie that kept me entertained. It’s the only film I’ve seen Madonna in, and can’t understand why she was slated as a bad actress so much. I feel this movie received unnecessary hate - there are far worse movies out there with much higher ratings.
Turquoise waters, a secluded beach, and Madonna's RIPPED arms: I disagree with the negative ratings based on the scenery alone. The "love" story was fraught on both sides, so I ignored the romantic montages. However, I found the story intriguing in a heavy-handed European kind of way. It swept me away to a desert island and helped me feel class-based Schadenfraude while folding laundry. Not too bad.
Swept Away is a marvel. Seriously, how does something this awful exist? It's like Ritche was trying to create the most despicable, hateful, caricatured and ugly characters and story he could, and then cast the most unwatchable and annoying performers he could. It's an abusive film, both to its own people and to culture at large, and ranks among the worst film-watching experiences I can think of. Long story short: it's not very good.
Madonna is a mostly terrible actress. The main guy is a great actor. The cinematography is beautiful- the story line not at all. The ending sucks. What a waste.