You might also like
See MoreWhere to watch The Swimmer
Rent The Swimmer on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, or buy it on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Vudu.
Rate And Review

Verified
-
Super Reviewer
Rate this movie
Oof, that was Rotten.
Meh, it passed the time.
It’s good – I’d recommend it.
Awesome!
So Fresh: Absolute Must See!
What did you think of the movie? (optional)
You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.
Super Reviewer
Step 2 of 2
How did you buy your ticket?
Let's get your review verified.
-
Fandango
-
AMCTheatres.com or AMC AppNew
-
Cinemark Coming Soon
We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.
-
Regal Coming Soon
We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.
-
Theater box office or somewhere else
By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie.
You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.
Super Reviewer
Rate this movie
Oof, that was Rotten.
Meh, it passed the time.
It’s good – I’d recommend it.
Awesome!
So Fresh: Absolute Must See!
What did you think of the movie? (optional)
How did you buy your ticket?
-
Fandango
-
AMCTheatres.com or AMC AppNew
-
Cinemark Coming Soon
We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.
-
Regal Coming Soon
We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.
-
Theater box office or somewhere else
By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie.
You haven’t finished your review yet, want to submit as-is?
You can always edit your review after.
Are you sure?
Verified reviews are considered more trustworthy by fellow moviegoers.
Want to submit changes to your review before closing?
Done Already? A few more words can help others decide if it's worth watching
They won't be able to see your review if you only submit your rating.
Done Already? A few more words can help others decide if it's worth watching
They won't be able to see your review if you only submit your rating.
The image is an example of a ticket confirmation email that AMC sent you when you purchased your ticket. Your Ticket Confirmation # is located under the header in your email that reads "Your Ticket Reservation Details". Just below that it reads "Ticket Confirmation#:" followed by a 10-digit number. This 10-digit number is your confirmation number.
Your AMC Ticket Confirmation# can be found in your order confirmation email.
The Swimmer Photos
Movie Info
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.
-
Rating: PG
-
Genre: Drama
-
Original Language: English
-
Director: Frank Perry, Sydney Pollack
-
Producer: Roger H. Lewis, Frank Perry
-
Writer: John Cheever
-
Release Date (Theaters): wide
-
Release Date (Streaming):
-
Runtime:
-
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
-
Production Co: Columbia Pictures Corporation
-
Sound Mix: Mono
-
Aspect Ratio: 35mm, Flat (1.85:1)
Cast & Crew

Burt Lancaster
Ned Merrill

Janet Landgard
Julie Ann Hooper

Janice Rule
Shirley Abbott

Tony Bickley
Donald Westerhazy

Marge Champion
Peggy Forsburgh

Bill Fiore
Howie Hunsacker

Kim Hunter
Betty Graham

Joan Rivers
Joan

Frank Perry
Director

Sydney Pollack
Director

John Cheever
Writer

Roger H. Lewis
Producer

Frank Perry
Producer

Marvin Hamlisch
Original Music

David L. Quaid
Cinematographer

Sidney Katz
Film Editing

Carl Lerner
Film Editing

Pat Somerset
Film Editing

Peter Dohanos
Art Director

Anna Hill Johnstone
Costume Design
Critic Reviews for The Swimmer
Audience Reviews for The Swimmer
-
Nov 20, 2021
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.
-
Nov 30, 2015
A buff Burt Lancaster is nearly naked the whole film as a upscale businessman swimming through the pools of his neighbors in a circuitous route home one evening. I wouldn't watch this for years as I took it merely as a Lancaster vanity project, but now I guess I'm old enough to see that that actually plays an important part in the story, his vanity, undercutting what is seen versus what is real. There's a Twilight Zone twist telegraphed throughout, but nonetheless its a cool piece about the difference between who we think we are and who we are in fact.
kevin w Super Reviewer -
May 06, 2014
Observing that all his neighbors have swimming pools, an indefatigably cheerful man out for a morning jog decides to "swim" his way home; at each stop he talks to a new neighbor, slowly painting a picture of his life. Based on a John Cheever short story, this odd concept works surprisingly well as both a suburban satire and (thanks to an excellent performance by Burt Lancaster) a touching character study of a man who doesn't realize the American dream has passed him by.
-
Nov 15, 2013
The Swimmer is an extraordinary bit of a cinema that for some reason does not get a lot of airplay. Lancaster is at his best as a person who has conveniently forgotten about his recent past and interacts with those who love and hate him as he swims through suburban pools on his way home. Gripping.
Verified