USA,
1994, 94 min
Shown in 2002
CREDITS
- dir
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George Huang
- prod
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Steve Alexander, Joanne Moore
- scr
-
George Huang
- cam
-
Steven Finestone
- editor
-
Ed Marx
- mus
-
Sharal Churchill
- cast
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Kevin Spacey, Frank Whaley, Michelle Forbes, Benicio Del Toro, Jerry Levine, Roy Dotrice
- source
-
Lions Gate Films, 4553 Glencoe Avenue, Suite 200, Marina Del Ray, CA 90292. FAX: 310-396-6041
-
COMMENTS
Kevin Spacy was the recipient of the 2002 Peter J. Owens award.
OTHER
“Shut up, listen and learn.” This is the mantra of Buddy Ackerman, megalomaniacal Hollywood producer and everyone’s worst nightmare of a boss. Ironically, Buddy is also Guy’s best hope of making it in Hollywood and Guy, as Buddy’s newest executive assistant, believes he’s on the fast track to studio success. Swimming With Sharks is a scorching little comedy that dares to go too far and succeeds brilliantly. Kevin Spacey gives what can only be called a bravura performance as Buddy, a man so vituperatively vicious, manipulative, abusive, brilliant and successful that at least a dozen Hollywood executives are loudly denying any resemblance... except maybe the brilliant part. Swimming with Sharks marks a striking debut for director George Huang, and his personal experience of working at three major studios (not to mention for legendary producer Joel Silver) clearly gives the film an etched-in-acid verisimilitude that would be hard to merely imagine. Huang has also made a welcome addition to that much loved genre and gladiatorial spectator sport that stretches from before What Price Hollywood to The Player, namely “trashing Tinseltown.” Swimming with Sharks proves there’s still plenty of tinsel to be mined in that rich Hollywood vein.
FACTOID #336
Bing Crosby was invited several times for an onstage tribute at the Festival, reports then-director Claude Jarman, but declined the honor. “Nobody wants to see those little things that I used to do,” he modestly replied. He did attend though, with wife Kathy and their friend, Rita Hayworth.
