Swimming Upstream

Starring:Geoffrey Rush, Judy Davis, Jesse Spencer, Tim Draxl, Deborah Kennedy, David Hoflin, Craig Horner, Brittany Byrnes, Mitchell Dellevergin, Thomas Davidson (II), Kain O'Keefe, Robert Quinn, Keeara Byrnes, Mark Hembrow, Simon Burvill-Holmes, Bob Newman (III), Andrew Nason, Barrie Young (II), Michael Earnshaw, Remi Broadway
Director: Russell Mulcahy
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Product Type: DVD

Product Description

The inspirational true story of a swimmer's quest for Olympic gold, Swimming Upstream is a "gripping" (The New York Times) tale of emotional triumph. Academy Award winner Geoffrey Rush and Academy Award nominee Judy Davis deliver "terrific performances" (New York Post) in this haunting meditation of dreams, determination and defeating the odds. As the target of his father Harold's (Geoffrey Rush) drunken abuse, young Tony Fingleton (Jesse Spencer) escapes to the underwater solitude of the local pool, where he aspires to win his father's love by becoming a national swimming champion. But when his cruel father pits Tony against his own brother in a competition to make the Olympic team, Tony must find the courage to swim his way to victory... and out of his father's emotionally crippling net.

Customer Reviews:

Watching Uphill.......2007-05-14

Swimming and writing poetry share one important characteristic; both activities can be richly satisfying to the practitioner while providing little, if any, spectator appeal. This limitation delivers a crippling blow to Swimming Upstream - without the obligatory water-churning competitions all that remains is a collection of drunken rampages and psychological tortures meted out by a deranged and permanently crippled father (Geoffrey Rush).

The film rests entirely on Rush's shoulders, and he is an amazing talent, well equal to the task. This is a man submerged in his own tortured world, incapable of asking for help or providing comfort. Instead, he revisits the cruelties and illnesses of his own childhood onto his children, passing them down like prized heirlooms. The father is an interesting character, and Rush owns him, unfortunately the screenwriter apparently dropped the scenes that might cause our perception of him to expand beyond pure loathing into some sort of understanding, if not sympathy.

Judy Davis, certainly one of the best actresses working today, wrestles with her Australian accent but offers a typically excellent performance. She has the unenviable chore of providing care for the children despite her husband's seeming determination to undermine her at every turn. Davis inhabits a doomed universe, and it is possible to see the life force draining right out of her. Despite her maternal commitment, despair is never too far away.

Superimposed on this dark canvas is a chirpy tale about a nice looking kid who wins a swim meet, goes to an Ivy League school, and gets a job on a hit TV show. It's such a spunky little parable that it actually has the nerve to ask, "If you do well for the wrong reason, if you struggle for the approval of somebody who will never give it to you and end up getting pretty good at something in process, is that such a bad thing, really?"

There is a scene where Tony (Jesse Spencer) is showing his medal to a blind drunk dad, spilling the beans, saying all the things these Stoic, macho Aussie men haven't said throughout the picture. (It's probably the performance that got him his job on House.) Tony is crying, dad is lurching, glassy-eyed like a bloated beast from the underworld. If at that moment Tony had used the medal to carve his name into dad's forehead - backwards - just so dad was reminded which son was the best swimmer every time he looked in the mirror - then maybe, just maybe, you would have something. As it is, what you've got is Disney directing 120 Days at Sodom.

Great movie!.......2007-02-02

Wonderful story, fantastic acting. The amazing true story of a young man who yearned all his life for the acceptance of his alcoholic father. He becomes one of the greatest swimmers in Australian history. The human spirit is amazing.

Good son, bad dad . . ........2006-08-20

You wonder about any film that claims to be "based on a true story" how much of it is really true, and one feels this way about Tony Fingleton's account of his achievement as a championship swimmer in 1960s Australia. Beautifully filmed, with international stars Geoffrey Rush and Judy Davis, and with plausible performances by young actors with movie magazine good looks *and* the apparent ability to swim like professionals, this film is both entertaining and dramatic in ways that seem too perfect to be true.

Rush, as the alcoholic, tyrranical father, makes no secret of preferring another of his four sons, and constantly undercuts and humiliates the central character, Tony, whom he regards as weak and unmanly, apparently for no other reason than that he plays the piano. Haunted by demons of his own impoverished childhood, he drinks up what little he earns, while Davis as the mother provides the needed emotional support for a family forced to live in poverty. Fingleton's story, as he tells it, is one of overcoming all these obstacles to leverage a career as a young athlete into a full scholarship at Harvard. While he attempts to make peace with his father in the closing scenes, he portrays himself as selfless, endlessly patient, and forgiving. Meanwhile, it seems pretty obvious that he's using his autobiographical screenplay to get back at the old man. Definitely worth watching for the performances and the portrayal of a family ruled by an abusive alcoholic. You may wonder though about its authenticity. The DVD has a short featurette, including comments from the real Tony Fingleton, and numerous deleted scenes.

Good film. .......2006-03-29

Most of these reviewers are right on. This is a good film. Not much can be added about it

Survival of the Fittest.......2005-12-06

Any film with Geoffrey Rush and Judy Davis in a sports story of family dysfunction and child abuse recommends itself, and after finding its backstroke this one clocks in a winner. The two sets of actors who play their three sons as youngsters and young men are attractive athletes who can act. One of the sons, Australian Olympic swimming champion Tony Fingleton, advised the director and spared no one: the unloving father, the mother who enables his cruelty, and the bullying elder brother. The brothers excel at swimming to escape their father's verbal, emotional and physical abuse, only to be forced by him to compete against each other.

Fingleton's story is inspiring. Watching it is another matter. It upends our notions of family and argues soundly for the licensing of parents (you need a license to fish or own guns.) The demons that fuel the father's personality disorder are hinted at; the mother's ineffective protests only stoke her husband's behavior. Their sons seek love and approval, only to have it rejected by their father. Rush and Davis brilliantly convey the parents' inability to change their ways. Jesse Spencer's physical prowess, as the swimmer who survives, is as impressive as his acting in a part that will flutter hearts in and out of the pool.

There are some amazing flourishes, not the least of which is how the director shoots the swimming meets, splitting the screen into two to four frames that show all aspects of the race, his camera moving fluidly above and below water. He also moves respectfully into scenes of family discord knowing that these real people are still alive and remember. "Swimming Upstream" has the courage of convictions that are as relevant today as in the 1960s. It is a painful picture to watch and a powerful one to experience.

Average customer rating:

Swimming Upstream
Starring: Matt Czuchry , Ben Savage , Jeffrey DeMunn , Kelly Rutherford , and Elisabeth Harnois
Director: Robert J. Emery
Manufacturer: Starlight Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000E1NXIG
Release Date: 2006-03-21

Description

This is a heart-wrenching story about a happy-go-lucky 17 year-old boy with a passion for life and love. Under his free spirit are problems that he must deal with. His mother died, his alcoholic father is unapproachable, and ...the biggest problem of all... he has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. The only support he receives is from a sister who also lives a fractured life, his immature best friend, and his girlfriend. "Swimming Upstream" is a moving and honest look at life's painful realities and how this teen deals with them.

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Swimming Upstream
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The Cooks: Ep 4: Swimming Upstream

Manufacturer: Beyond Entertainment Limited
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Swimming Upstream [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.4 Import - Australia ]

Average customer rating:

Swimming Upstream [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.4 Import - Australia ]
Director: Russell Mulcahy
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Product Description

Australia released, PAL/Region 4 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada. LANGUAGES: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), WIDESCREEN, SYNOPSIS: Based on the true story of a youth from Brisbane, Australia, who overcame family dysfunction to become a world-class athlete, director Russell Mulcahy's drama centers on young Tony Fingleton's (Jesse Spencer) relationship with his distant father, Harold (Geoffrey Rush), and the dedication it took to win his respect. Born into a large family and convinced by his father that he will never amount to the achievements of his brothers, Tony attempts to win his father's respect by becoming a champion swimmer. Despite his best efforts to please his father, Tony also begins to realize his own self-worth in the process.
SPECIAL FEATURES: Trailer(s), Scene Access, Interactive Menu,

Average customer rating:

Swimming Upstream

Manufacturer: Echelon Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Product Description

This is the story of a young man's attempt to explore the bounds of teen love while coping with an alcoholic father and a life threatening disease. Set in picturesque Bristol, Rhode Island, the film captures the bouncing energy of youthful expectations, the drama of a son trying to win his father's attention , and the warmth of young lovers seeking their place in the universe.

Average customer rating:

Swimming upstream

Swimming Upstream (Import)

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Product Description

The true story of Tony Fingleton, a young man from a troubled family who found the inner strength to become a champion. Always overshadowed in his father's eyes by his brothers, it is only when Tony displays an extraordinary swimming talent that he feels he has a shot at winning his father's heart.

Customer Reviews:

Swimming upstream.......2005-02-12

GREAT MOVIE! If you want a younger aged "Rocky" type movie, this is the one for you. I had seen this movie advertised in another movie trailer and was lucky enough to find it on Amazon. I won't tell you the entire plot because I wouldn't want to ruin it for you. But I will say, it is an uplifting movie, you just want to root for the underdog. A keeper of a movie, and I'd recommend it to everyone. The chinese subtitles on my copy of the movie was not that bothersome, find a copy without it for better enjoyment.

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