Directed by: George Huang
Starring: Kevin Spacey, Frank Whaley, Michelle Forbes, Benicio Del Toro, Roy Dotrice
Kevin Spacey is at his best playing the smartest guy in the room who has no qualms about letting you know it. But, then he is capable of pulling out moments of humanity from thin air, thus making a seemingly one-dimensional prick like Buddy Ackerman more than we expected. He is a wonderful actor, always fascinating to watch, and like Jack Nicholson implicates us as he tries to get away with something.
Spacey's Buddy Ackerman is a Hollywood studio executive with little patience for screw-ups. His new assistant Guy (Whaley) hands him a packet of Equal instead of Sweet n' Low one day with his coffee and Buddy reads him the riot act. "You have no brain. You have no feelings. Your job is to do what I want," he says in the most emasculating way possible without actually raising his voice. Oh, and he has his moments when he completely loses it. For Guy, being fired might be a blessing in disguise, but Guy is a film school grad looking to break into the movie business. Being Buddy's assistant is the ground floor. He may not get a chance to go much higher.
Buddy tells Guy often, "Shut the fuck up. Listen and learn." Buddy was once in Guy's shoes. He was an abused, put-upon assistant for ten years and now thinks it is his time to be the abuser. I couldn't exactly say what he does at the studio, but he takes the most delight in dressing down his hapless employees. One night, Guy finally succumbs to his mounting frustration and ties Buddy to a chair, gleefully torturing him and exacting a long, protracted revenge on his boss. I am sure many people would identify with this desire even if they don't act on it.
But this is only the beginning of Swimming with Sharks. The plot grows more complicated with the presence of Dawn Lockard (Forbes), a movie producer always trying to get Buddy to greenlight her projects. Sometimes, it takes a little more than simple verbal persuasion. Guy falls for Dawn and the two have a relationship that has no realistic chance of succeeding in cutthroat Hollywood. Everyone is looking to get ahead. A straightforward romance simply will not do because it may actually stand in the way of getting ahead. Guy, however, is the last to understand this.
Whaley is sympathetic as Guy, who despite his best efforts usually finds a way to upset Buddy. Buddy would probably fire Guy if he didn't enjoy sadistically picking on him so much. Dawn knows Buddy all too well and can only stand by as he lies his way through deal after deal and phone calls with movie stars. Swimming with Sharks was written and directed by George Huang, who worked as a studio executive's assistant for years and fully understands the inner workings of Hollywood's rat race. The movie has an insider's feel to the town's pecking order. Guy is at the very bottom rung and cannot move up even one rung to have assistants of his own to abuse.
We learn Buddy is not entirely heartless. He suffered a loss which haunts him and it is moving when he explains his loss to his captor. Is he truly looking for empathy or is this a way to manipulate Guy into letting him off the hook? We also learn Guy's reasons for snapping may not be entirely work-related. The movie concludes in an unexpected way, which may seem a bit too tidy, but stays with the theme of people in Hollywood doing what it takes to get ahead, which transcends love and even ordinary human decency.
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