Swept Away (D+ or 1.5/4 stars)
Guy Ritchie's 'Swept Away' is a remake of a superior 1974 effort that earned writer-director Lina Wertmuller a Best Director Academy Award nomination. For the most part, this 2002 version is a faithful remake of the original, but the devil is in the details and, well, this one is a real stinker. Amber (Guy Ritchie's wife, Madonna) & Anthony Leighton (Bruce Greenwood) is a filthy rich couple who have chartered a yacht along with their friends, ditzy Debi (Elizabeth Banks), Mike (David Thornton), Marina (Jeanne Tripplehorn, of Basic Instinct fame) & Todd (Michael Beattie), from Greece to Italy ... not too shabby. All see the yacht's crew as below them in status, but none more so than socialite Amber, whose exhausting & condescending nature is driving deck hand/fisherman, Giuseppe (Adriano Giannini), nuts.
The yacht's captain tells him to just take it, but Giuseppe is at the end of his rope. Matters change when Amber orders Giuseppe to ferry her to some nearby caves to meet her friends. He is hesitant to go due to the distance, ominous tides & dubious weather, but she orders him to do so, anyway. In the middle of nowhere, their dinghy's motor breaks and, the two of them unwittingly partially capsize it. In time, they eye an isolated & uninhabited isle where she continues with her haughtiness & disdain towards him. A power shift occurs, however, when hunger sets-in and, she realizes that he is going to be the only source of food for them. Taking note of this, Giuseppe starts ordering her around {as she did to him} & she indignantly yet reluctantly goes along with his commands. Yet, as time passes by & her demeanor changes to that of obedience, a bond forms btwn. them. From that point forward, they must figure out their feeling for each other & figure out how to get off this isle.
'Swept Away' is a just a baaad movie. It's not 'worst movie of the year' level baaad, but I'd lump it in with the lower tier, for sure. Lina Wertmuller's 1974 Swept Away is an involving exploration of gender issues & the shifting balance of a power in a relationship -- a drama with comedic elements. As told by Guy Ritchie, this film is a revelation of how beautiful scenery in exotic locales can be the main character in a film with ineffective performances. His version, here, is also unintentionally funny. This 'Swept Away' takes everything wayyy over-the-top. Amber is SO bitchy that you can't take anything she's saying/doing remotely seriously. Thusly, her eventual slavish devotion to "Pee Pee" {as she calls Giuseppe} feels unearned & erroneous.
It's not just Madonna, though, who performs badly {aside from A League of Their Own & Evita, she should stick to singing & dancing}, Jeanne Tripplehorn & Elizabeth Banks give overblown portrayals. Bruce Greenwood doesn't make much of an impression, here. I guess the best of the baaad lot is Adriano Giannini {the son of Italian thespian, Giancarlo Giannini, who starred in the '74 Swept Away}, whose main asset is his physicality. But his character is kinda immoral & gross; as is Amber. They both - depending on the situation - domineer, condescend & physically or mentally abuse each other. Sorry, that wasn't entertaining to watch, for me. Though the cinematography isn't great, I enjoyed looking at the locales. I'll give the movie that.
The yacht's captain tells him to just take it, but Giuseppe is at the end of his rope. Matters change when Amber orders Giuseppe to ferry her to some nearby caves to meet her friends. He is hesitant to go due to the distance, ominous tides & dubious weather, but she orders him to do so, anyway. In the middle of nowhere, their dinghy's motor breaks and, the two of them unwittingly partially capsize it. In time, they eye an isolated & uninhabited isle where she continues with her haughtiness & disdain towards him. A power shift occurs, however, when hunger sets-in and, she realizes that he is going to be the only source of food for them. Taking note of this, Giuseppe starts ordering her around {as she did to him} & she indignantly yet reluctantly goes along with his commands. Yet, as time passes by & her demeanor changes to that of obedience, a bond forms btwn. them. From that point forward, they must figure out their feeling for each other & figure out how to get off this isle.
'Swept Away' is a just a baaad movie. It's not 'worst movie of the year' level baaad, but I'd lump it in with the lower tier, for sure. Lina Wertmuller's 1974 Swept Away is an involving exploration of gender issues & the shifting balance of a power in a relationship -- a drama with comedic elements. As told by Guy Ritchie, this film is a revelation of how beautiful scenery in exotic locales can be the main character in a film with ineffective performances. His version, here, is also unintentionally funny. This 'Swept Away' takes everything wayyy over-the-top. Amber is SO bitchy that you can't take anything she's saying/doing remotely seriously. Thusly, her eventual slavish devotion to "Pee Pee" {as she calls Giuseppe} feels unearned & erroneous.
It's not just Madonna, though, who performs badly {aside from A League of Their Own & Evita, she should stick to singing & dancing}, Jeanne Tripplehorn & Elizabeth Banks give overblown portrayals. Bruce Greenwood doesn't make much of an impression, here. I guess the best of the baaad lot is Adriano Giannini {the son of Italian thespian, Giancarlo Giannini, who starred in the '74 Swept Away}, whose main asset is his physicality. But his character is kinda immoral & gross; as is Amber. They both - depending on the situation - domineer, condescend & physically or mentally abuse each other. Sorry, that wasn't entertaining to watch, for me. Though the cinematography isn't great, I enjoyed looking at the locales. I'll give the movie that.