The Swimmer

I loved this movie when I saw it with SHR a number of years ago. And I loved it upon reviewing it on a Tuesday with Bart.

Based on a John Cheever short story, The Swimmer stars a middle-aged buff Burt Lancaster in the CT suburbs. The movie begins with him appearing in a friend's backyard and deciding to take a quick lap in their pool Apparently, he has been gone for a while but it isn't clear where he's been.

In a moment of existential crisis, he decides he's going to attempt to swim all the way home. Not really but sort of. His plan is to run from house to house and take a dip in all of the swimming pools at his friends' houses. The problem arises when it becomes quite apparent that not all of his friends want to see him.

Things get stranger and stranger and Lancaster clearly is a bit messed up. I don't want to get to into the plot details for those who haven't seen it but you need to remedy this and see it for yourself. This is a fascinating time capsule. It could never have been made during any other era. It is so incredibly 1968. Absolutely perfect and so damn odd.

Directed by Frank Perry
1968
TCM